After writing dozens of damsel-in-distress novels, Clark can probably crank them out in her sleep. In fact, she may have done just that with this one.
Using the country-manor-mystery as a template, the novel plops a dozen main characters on an ultra-luxurious cruise ship as it makes its maiden voyage from New York to Southampton. The all-alone lady of the title is a gemologist fleeing a disastrous wedding supper at which her (now former) fiancé was arrested for fraud. She's looking to get away from the media uproar and pay for her passage via a series of lectures on the sumptuous ship. Also on board is an eccentric octogenarian with a priceless emerald necklace which bears a curse and also attracts the attention of an international jewel thief known only as The Man With a Thousand Faces. (Come on, Mary, you can do better than that.) The alert reader will identify the villain almost immediately.
Half the main characters are embezzlers or petty thieves, and the others are so unsympathetic that it's hard to work up much concern over their fates as the danger level ratchets up. Recurring characters Alvirah and Willy Meehan (introduced in her novel 'The Lottery Winners') make another appearance here, being unbelievably kind and -- in Alvirah's case -- an enthusiastic amateur sleuth.
All in all, it's a pleasant enough fantasy-escape novel that won't keep you awake nights. (And if you can land Clark's agent, your dreams might just yield something equally marketable.)
Using the country-manor-mystery as a template, the novel plops a dozen main characters on an ultra-luxurious cruise ship as it makes its maiden voyage from New York to Southampton. The all-alone lady of the title is a gemologist fleeing a disastrous wedding supper at which her (now former) fiancé was arrested for fraud. She's looking to get away from the media uproar and pay for her passage via a series of lectures on the sumptuous ship. Also on board is an eccentric octogenarian with a priceless emerald necklace which bears a curse and also attracts the attention of an international jewel thief known only as The Man With a Thousand Faces. (Come on, Mary, you can do better than that.) The alert reader will identify the villain almost immediately.
Half the main characters are embezzlers or petty thieves, and the others are so unsympathetic that it's hard to work up much concern over their fates as the danger level ratchets up. Recurring characters Alvirah and Willy Meehan (introduced in her novel 'The Lottery Winners') make another appearance here, being unbelievably kind and -- in Alvirah's case -- an enthusiastic amateur sleuth.
All in all, it's a pleasant enough fantasy-escape novel that won't keep you awake nights. (And if you can land Clark's agent, your dreams might just yield something equally marketable.)
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