Product Description

Mary Higgins Clark, for several years, has given her readers a very special holiday gift -- short novels celebrating the Christmas season with tales of suspense and cheer. Now two of her most beloved stories are combined in one special volume -- a welcome gift for readers in all seasons.

In Silent Night, Brian, a seven-year-old boy, is in New York City at Christmas with his mother and ten-year-old brother to visit his father, critically ill in the hospital. They plan to give him a St. Christopher medal, in the belief that it will make him well. When Brian sees a woman steal his mother's wallet, with the medal in it, he embarks on a dangerous journey that changes the life of his mother and that of the thief.

With All Through the Night, two of Mary Higgins Clark's most endearing characters -- Alvirah, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, and her husband, Willy -- are caught up in a Christmas mystery that begins when a young mother leaves her newborn child on the doorstep of a church rectory on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and continues with the theft of a precious chalice from the church. It is a captivating tale of false identities and old wrongs made right, as well as a mystery that calls for all of Alvirah's deductive powers and Willy's world-class common sense.

Even one story by America's Queen of Suspense is cause for cheer, but this single-volume edition of Silent Night and All Through the Night is a treat for all of Mary Higgins Clark's devoted fans at any time of the year.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #709083 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-30
• Released on: 2002-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

About the Author
Mary Higgins Clark is the author of twenty-six worldwide bestsellers. She lives with her husband, John Conheeney, in New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Read this over Christmas break!
After Catherine Dornan's husband is diagnosed with leukimia, Cathering and their 2 sons go to New York so Mr.Dornan can a a life-saving operation. To get her son's minds off their father for a while they go to view Christmas decorations in the streets of New york. Catherine drops her wallet and a stranger, Cally Hunter, sister of escaped convict, Jimmy Siddons picks it up. The wallet holds a precious memento their grandmother just gave them, a St. Christopher medal. 7-year-old Brian sees Cally and is unable to get his mother's attention so he follows Cally to get back the medal. Brian follows Cally all the way to her apartment where Jimmy Siddons gets a hold of hime and kidnaps Brian as he runs away from the cops. This book is written with warmth for the holiday seasons. It is very intriguing and puts you in suspense as you wonder what will happen next.

Clark has woven two delightful holiday stories that will warm you from head to toe
SILENT NIGHT - Catherine Dornan always had the picture-perfect life. Two healthy, happy sons - Brian and Michael - and a loving husband, Tom, who still had the power to make her feel like a teenager. Even with the long hours he must keep, making his rounds at the hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, where they make their home, their marriage and family life have never suffered. Until he's struck down with Leukemia, and must be rushed to New York City for emergency surgery - right before Christmas.

Cally Siddons has always struggled to provide a happy home life for her young daughter, Gigi. Doing so, however, has not been easy, what with her troublesome younger brother, Jimmy, constantly appearing and disappearing, leaving their lives in shambles with each new arrival and departure. Cally already spent over a year in prison for helping her ex-con brother, and doesn't plan on being separated from Gigi again. Especially not around the holidays. But when Jimmy escapes from prison, she just knows that he'll somehow find her again, and that's one thing she can't face.

The paths cross between these two individuals when, attempting to take Michael and Brian's minds off of the fact that their father is sick, Catherine takes her two sons out for a night on the town in Manhattan to view the holiday festivities. After a few hours spent singing carols, visiting Rockefeller Center, and viewing the Christmas displays at the upscale department stores, they plan on visiting Tom in the hospital and giving him a St. Christopher's medal. The family has faith that St. Christopher will help him through this difficult time in his life, and prompt him to get better. But when Cally Siddons steals Catherine's wallet - the very same wallet that contains the St. Christopher's medal - Catherine's youngest son, Brian, vows to get it back, and ends up in the midst of a deadly tango between a homicidal ex-con, and his naive, well-meaning younger sister. One that could mean a very silent night. 5 stars.

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT - Seven years ago, when Sondra was just eighteen-years-old, the promising violinist trekked to New York City, in the dead of winter, to give birth to her baby, and leave the small child on the steps of St. Clement's Church in Manhattan. Knowing that she was unable to care for her child, what with taking care of her grandfather, and attending classes to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional violinist, the young mother believed that the child would fare better if brought up by the kindly Monsignor, or at least be placed in a proper home.

On that same night, when Sondra abandoned her tiny baby girl, Lenny, a petty thief, was casing St. Clement's. At the time, he was searching for money, and eager to steal a silver chalice, harboring a star-shaped diamond, which once belonged to Bishop Joseph Santori. At the time, Lenny knew that the star-shaped diamond would bring him a pretty penny. But as he's escaping St. Clement's after the successful heist, he stumbles upon a weatherworn stroller, and walks off with it. It is only when he arrives at his Aunt's apartment that he finds the tiny baby girl bundled up inside. In an attempt to ward off questions from his Aunt, he claim's the baby as his own, aptly naming her Star - Stellina, in Italian - and vows to raise her as his own.

Seven years later, Sondra is now 25-years-old, and back in Manhattan to play a violin concert at Carnegie Hall, her debut to the world. Unfortunately, the fate of her child is the only thing on her mind, making it difficult for her to concentrate on her coming performance. When she meets Alvirah Meehan, a lottery winner and amateur sleuth, she begins to think that all of her Christmas dreams have come true. Alvirah agrees to help Sondra find her little girl. Now, Alvirah has taken on two cases for the holidays. She can only hope that each will have a happy ending; otherwise, she may not sleep all through the night. 5 stars.

Over the years, I have read many of the Christmas novels that Mary Higgins Clark releases with her daughter, Carol; however, I have never delved into one of Mary Higgins Clark's own novels. SILENT NIGHT and ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT were wonderful stepping stones for me. While SILENT NIGHT is mystery-light, and centers more around a slightly suspenseful story, laced with thoughts of spending the holidays with the ones you love, I still found it extremely entertaining, and, oddly enough, heartwarming. Out of the two featured in this collection, however, I have to admit that ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT was my favorite. The characters, and the magic of the holiday truly came to life within this mystery, and display the true meaning of Christmas marvelously. Clark has woven two delightful holiday stories that will warm you from head to toe.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Exciting Short Suspense
Mary's stories are always interesting, life like, and easy to follow. Silent Night is another one that is like a story a friend or relative would tell but so much more exciting. The suspense is classic and rewarding.
All Through the Night is a great story using Alvirahs and Willy characters and we have always enjoyed their processes and sometimes luck.