Two Little Girls in Blue is a Page-turner of Epic Proportions
Yes, I have come to expect nothing but unparalleled excellence from Clark, but this book, “Two little Girls In Blue,” was a genuine page-turner that ranks at, or near the top, of Clark’s vast collection of impeccable novels.
This book focuses on the mystery of twin telepathy as a couple (Margaret and Steve Frawley) searches for their kidnapped child who has been presumed dead.
Now, I have to say that although I have read nearly every book by Higgins Clark, I am never amazed that each book she has written has its own distinctness and personality to it. In Layman’s terms, no two books by Clark have been alike whatsoever – the sign of a masterful author.
The books opens as the Frawley’s celebrate the third birthday of their twin girls, Kelly and Kathy, with an afternoon party in their new home, a modest fixer-upper in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The evening of the twins’ birthday party, the Frawley’s attend a black-tie dinner in New York. When they return home, the police are in the house, and they are told that the babysitter had been found unconscious, the children are gone, and a note demanding an eight-million-dollar ransom had been left in their room.
With the plot set, Higgins Clark sets out on her usual course of introducing each character – and introduce she does. She introduces several characters in the book and, once again, ties each character intricately into the plot – leaving ample room for the reader to form his or her own various opinions.
Steve Frawley’s firm, a global investment company, agrees to pay the ransom. The kidnapper, who identifies himself as the “Pied Piper,” makes his terms known – on delivery of the ransom, a call will come, revealing the girls’ whereabouts.
At this point in the book, Clark is at her very best, describing her characters more in detail, but also masterfully, expanding her list of credible suspects.
The call comes, but only Kelly is in the car parked behind a deserted restaurant. The driver is dead from a gunshot wound and has left a suicide note, saying he had inadvertently killed Kathy and had dumped her body in the ocean.
Now, before I go any further, let me say that, Higgins Clark does an absolutely incredible job of giving her characters “life” – and it is in this sense that Clark developed my favorite character in the book – “Mona” whose real name is Angie and who is a head case of epic proportions whose presence provides some of the most riveting moments in the book.
Moving forward – at the private memorial Mass for Kathy, Kelly tugs Margaret’s arm and says: “Mommy, Kathy is very scared of that lady. She wants to come home right now.” More unexplainable occurrences follow, indicating that Kelly is in touch with Kathy. At first, no one except the mother believes that the twins are communicating and that Kathy is still alive. As Kelly’s warnings become increasingly specific and alarming, however, FBI agents set out on a search for Kathy. The novel reaches a breathtaking climax as they close in on the Pied Piper and his accomplices, while Kathy’s life hangs by a thread.
Let me also add that Clark’s insistence on providing the most thorough research available in all of her novels is what makes her the writer that se is. As a fellow writer, I can easily see that Higgins Clark leaves absolutely no stone unturned when it comes to providing information on procedures that are of a technical nature in any profession she crosses in her novels.
In Layman’s terms once again, if Clark is writing about a subject such as twin telepathy, as she is in this book, you had better believe that she has gotten the best of the best in that profession to provide her with the most knowledgeable of insights and factual data.
To get down to the basics of “Two Little Girls In Blue,” I have to say that the book was one of Higgins Clark’s very best. I firmly believe that. “Two Little Girls In Blue” made me laugh, nearly cry (Shhh, don’t tell anyone) and get darn mad at times. It also provided some eye-opening insights into the world of twin telepathy.
Higgins Clark left the identity of the perpetrator unknown until the very last few pages in what I think is one of her finest books ever.
Higgins Clark was absolutely majestic with this book that I read the majority of while riding across the equally magnificent sights of several southwest states including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. Not only did I get the treat of seeing some of the most beautiful sights in the U.S., I was also treated to an incredible novel by the immense imagination of the incredible Mary Higgins Clark.
