I occasionally will pick up a book by Mary Higgins Clark. My mom loves her books, and I’ve picked up the habit of buying them when I see them at yard sales and thrift stores. Her books make for decent quick, mindless reads and transport me back to a time when bold-colored pant suits, shoulder pads, and permed bangs were the norm. Usually, I can figure out the culprit within the first couple of chapters, but the suspenseful journey of the main character is usually a fun ride.This is not so much the case with My Gal Sunday. Granted, My Gal Sunday is a collection of short-stories/novellas, which almost by definition lack depth and solid character development. I enjoy reading the occasional collection of short stories, especially then they involve characters that have been well-developed in novels or other media. Short-stories, do not, however, mesh well with the suspense genre. There’s no time or space to develop any real since of drama, the characters fall flat, and I’m very disappointed by the lack of red herrings. Where’s the suspicious guy everyone thinks done it, but really he’s the only one who know what actually happened and wants to help in his own creepy way? This depth that’s usually present, albeit wadding-pool deep, is missing completely from this collection.The four stories in My Gal Sunday all revolve around husband and wife team Henry and Sunday. Oh, and did I mention that he’s a former president and she’s a congresswoman? and that they somehow have the time to solve mysteries and fight crime together? Most of Clark’s protagonists are well-to-do women, but this one takes the cake on the absurdity of the situation. If you want to read a decent thriller, Mary Higgins Clark is usually a good author to turn to, but I highly recommend picking up one of her full length books and not this collection that seems lazy and thrown together.
Really, I'd give this a 3.5 of 5 stars, because it's just a warm fuzzy of a book. The erudite crime-solving team of Sunday and Henry is built sort of on the romance of the Kennedys, the political savvy of the Clintons, and the American love for old British connections. And it goes from there; there's very little depth or suspense, but you still wish it had been you to marry this wonderfully unreal man. And so what if all of the villains are outrageously dim and predictable? That's okay, Henry will save the day with his gal Sunday by his side! Sigh. It helps that I rather adore radio drama and am quite sad that I was born long after its golden age; I can totally see myself getting as involved in My Gal Sunday as little MHC was. A fluff book, and one that's sufficiently fluffy enough that I think I'll hang on to it. Besides, the adult in me is highly amused by all of the now-outdated politics and the references to the way the White House worked that are absolutely no longer viable in the new millennium. Ah, the 90s. Halcyon, no, but definitely a different kind of broken.
What do You think about My Gal Sunday (2003)?
Well, now that, (as the old song has it), June is busting out all over, it'stime to seriously consider a completely non-serious beach or barbecue readthat will leave you with a smile and let you move onto the next book withoutdelay. This is a super-quick read of four loosely connected stories about twoamateur sleuths-a husband and wife team. He's a former U.S. president;she's a congressional representative.All four of these stories are absolutely free of profanity or sexualdescriptions, and while none of them are profound or deeply moving, all ofthem are a delight to read to one degree or another.In the first story, the ex-president and his wife, Sandra, (nicknamedSunday) must determine how the girlfriend of the secretary of state died.In another story, Sunday is kidnapped, and she must send an encoded clue ina video message to her frantic husband. Another story involves a long-agoassassination on a haunted yacht, and the final story is a delightfulChristmas tale that involves a young abandoned child and his reunion withhis family.None of these stories will leave you in tears or shouting with jubilation.They're fun, quick reads that are refreshingly squeaky clean and will occupyprecious little of your reading time. They're good enough to help you drownout the oft-repeated stories of that obnoxious uncle at the family picnic,but they don't require so much concentration that you can't focus onanything else. It's a great summer read.
—Nolan
reviewtI saw the Hallmark movie My Gal Sunday before I realized that it was based on a book. I enjoyed the four short stories that involved an ex-president Henry and his new wife, congresswoman "Sunday," his nickname for her. They are an unofficial investigating team. I thought that the stories were suspenseful.
—Krista
I love how this book had multiple stories in one about Sunday. Being the presidents wife has its demands on its own but when Sunday finds herself in deep trouble her only hope is her wits and subtle clues she gives to her husband. Being a blonde, and younger then the love of her life, people greatly underestimate her abilities. I know this isn't a long review, and I've seen some poor ones about this book, but I loved every page of this book. The emotions that you genuinely feel while reading this book...wow. I even had a heart wrenching moment wig the last story. Well done!
—Shandi Leonard
