Carol Higgins Clark, who as a young man retyped the manuscripts of her mother, famed mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark and went on to become a best-selling suspense novelist herself, died Monday in Los Angeles. She was 66 years old.
Her family said in a statement that the cause was appendiceal cancer.
Higgins Clark has written more than a dozen novels herself, starting with 1992’s Decked, and has co-written several other Christmas-themed novels with her mother, who passed away in 2020.
She started dreaming of becoming an actress and eventually got several credits in films, some of which were based on her mother’s books. But in 1975, while returning home from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts for the summer, when she rescued her mother, who was just beginning her career as a suspense writer, from a dead end, another career possibility took shape. started to become
Carol Higgins-Clark told NPR in 2008, “She had published her first suspense novel and had to turn in her second one to her agent.” I was able to re-enter in time, so I did. And that was what really drew me into this piece. Because I was talking to her about characters and plots. And I’ve done that with many of her books, and it’s been great for me to learn about her writing style. ”
As her mother’s book gained popularity, Higgins-Clark continued to act as a consultant, doing research and helping the young characters’ dialogue become more authentic. In 1986, when her mother’s first suspense novel, Where Are the Children? Over the next 28 years, she continued to appear in films, many of which were made for television based on her mother’s books, including A Cry in the Night (1992), in which she starred. year) is also included.
In the same year, she also made her debut as a novelist. In “Decked,” she introduced Regan Riley, a private investigator who would anchor nearly every book by Carol Higgins Clark.
In honor of her mother, she made Riley the daughter of a mystery writer. In her first book, set on her ocean liner, Riley is haunted by the murder of her roommate ten years earlier.
Charles Champlin wrote in his book review for the Los Angeles Times, “Everything is speedy, engaging, intricate, calm and peaceful, perfect for a flight or a cruise.”
In the book nominated for anthony award Higgins Clark, who won the Best First Novel award, introduced a style that set him apart from his mother. Whereas Mary Higgins Clark generally wrote psychological suspense, Carroll’s books were full of humor. She proved that in the first page of “Decked,” a scene with ocean liner dance teacher Gavin.
“Just this morning he was teaching polka to an enthusiastic 80-something man in black chunky shoes,” she wrote. “They were like gunboats hinged to her fat ankles, aimed at his ill-fated leg. Gavin frowned at the thought. , was considered to be a form of self-defense rather than a recreational activity.”
As Mary Higgins Clark said in a 2000 Newsday interview, “One commentator once said, ‘Mary Higgins Clark aims at the jugular vein, Carol Higgins Clark aims at the strange bone.’ Said.” I think it’s true. ”
Carol Ann Higgins Clark Born July 28, 1956 in New York City. Her father, Warren, who was the national sales manager for Capital Airlines, died of a heart attack when she was eight.
She grew up in New Jersey, where she graduated from the Immaculate Heart Academy and received her bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke in 1978. After college, she studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse, whose training included the occasional film appearance as well as narrating audiobooks for both herself and her mother.
Carol Higgins Clark’s books tended to have distinctive one-word titles. “Snagged” (1993) introduces the pantyhose convention. “Twanged” (1998) is about a cursed fiddle. She and her mother first appeared in Deck the Halls (2000), which combined Regan Riley and Alvira Meehan, one of the characters from Mary Higgins Clark (a character Carol more or less resurrected from the dead). cooperated with
“I murdered Alvira in the first book,” Mary Higgins-Clark told Newsday in 2000. “Carol claimed I would get her out of a coma. She said, ‘You have a great person and you’re going to kill her? ‘ That’s really bad writing.” ”
Mr Higgins ClarkHer siblings, who lived in West Hollywood, California, include Marilyn, Warren, and David Clarke. Her other sister, Patricia, died before her.
Higgins-Clark was often asked if his mother gave him any advice. Her answer, which she presented to an audience in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2016, was, “She said, ‘If someone has been mean to you, make that person a victim in your next book.’ “and.”
