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{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=The Melody Lingers on
|sort= Melody Lingers on
|date= June 2015
|isbn=978-1471148521
|website=http://www.maryhigginsclark.com|videocover=1471148556|amazonukaznuk=<amazonuk>1471148521</amazonuk>1471148556|amazonusaznus=<amazonus>1471148521</amazonus>
}}
Mary Higgins Clark’s latest thriller, ‘’The ''The Melody Lingers on’’on'', follows the author’s usual successful formula. The main character, Lane, is a young woman with a prestigious job as the assistant of an exclusive interior designer. She is instantly likeable: thoroughly nice – as underlined several times by other characters - un-snobbish and of course beautiful. We witness her performing small everyday acts of kindness and she is just vulnerable enough to be relatable to, having tragically lost family members. Vulnerable, but not troubled; no reckless drugs, drinking or sleeping around for Mary Higgins Clark heroines. Lane is clean and decent, with a strong moral fibre.
This could make her insufferable but on entering this author’s meta-world, one is flooded with a cascade of good will; it is impossible to be irritated by these privileged characters who glide through their glossy world of portered buildings and inherited pearls.
As in most Mary Higgins Clark thrillers, class features heavily and is alluded to in blatant terms. People with “impeccable backgrounds” interact with strong-willed individuals who have made it into highest ranks of society from humbler beginnings. Here, the cast features a countess with uncertain credentials, a self-made millionaire, a grocer’s daughter, a construction worker, the child of a congressman and many, many others.
The references to class would be indelicate, except that no moral judgment is made about characters relative to their background. Rather, human values are what prevail, and the narrative can sometimes show leniency towards a character with dubious ethics but guts and charm. The only unforgivable behaviour is Evil, and in Higgins Clark’s books the baddie can originate from any background. Rather, the setting of high society gives us interesting views of characters who perform, who pretend to be what they are not. In ‘’The ''The Melody Lingers on’’on'', this impossibility of guessing who is wearing a mask keeps the reader wondering and results in a satisfying and surprising finale.
For other riveting thrillers, have a look at [[The Girl Next Door by Ruth Rendell]], [[The Lighthouse by P D James]] and [[No Regrets, Coyote by John Dufresne]]. We also have some [[Death Wears a Beauty Mask by Mary Higgins Clark|short stories]] from Mary Higgins Clark.
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