"Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one."
-from a skipping rope rhyme, author unknown
Known as the Queen of Suspense, Mary Higgins Clark is a prolific mystery writer. I have read several of her novels, finding all to be page turners. Many of her titles refer to popular songs. This one was no exception but the positive message of the song "There's No Place Like Home" is somewhat reversed in this plot. As you might guess from the quote, the book is a modernized version of the old Lizzie Borden story in which Lizzie is accused of the axe murders of her father and stepmother in 1892.
In this version, we learn early on that Liza Barton had been acquitted of the shooting of her mother and stepfather when she was 10 years old. After the trial, she had been adopted by distant family members who changed her name to Celia. At the beginning of the novel Celia, now an adult, returns to her hometown where her new husband, Alex, buys a house for her 34th birthday. It just happens to be the house where her mother was killed. See what I mean about there's no place like home taking on a new connotation? Obviously Celia, nee Liza, suffers a great deal of angst over her past and whether the townsfolk will recognize her and, if that weren't enough, there is a series of murders and it looks to some as if Celia could be involved.
The author kept me guessing through most of the story before the final surprise was revealed. I would give the book a 4 since it was an entertaining read, if not a memorable one. It even made me curious to know more about Lizzie Borden as I knew only what I'd heard in the rhyme and had not been aware there was history behind the verse. If you enjoy a good murder mystery, I think you'll enjoy this one.
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