Kerry Dowling has been found dead in her backyard pool. Her father pulls her out of the water but cannot save her. Everyone in the neighborhood takes it for granted that her boyfriend, Alan Crowley, killed her. But assumptions do not fair well in I’VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU. The neighbors knew that Kerry’s parents were away while she hosted a rowdy party for her graduating classmates. During the evening, she had a big fight with Alan. Liquor was available, and many of the attendees were tipsy.

Another male who plays a major role in this tightly wrought thriller is next-door neighbor Jamie Chapman. Unfortunately, he was brain damaged during birth and is slow to understand whatever is going on around him. Could he be the murderer? Kerry was Jamie’s best friend, and he always swam in the pool with her.

"The characters are finely limned, the story moves along with a definite rhythm, and the surprise ending is clever and believable."

Kerry’s older sister, Aline, tries to help the homicide detective, Mike Wilson, shed any kind of light on this very frustrating murder. Aline has just returned to the United States from a three-year stint teaching in England, and has landed a high school counselor position at the facility from where she and Kerry graduated. Her nearness to Kerry’s friends becomes quite important to Detective Wilson, who asks her to get information on all the kids in school.

Wilson is a fine policeman who is determined to solve this puzzling case. He believes that Kerry’s killer had to be strong enough to swing a golf club and bash in someone’s head. So he follows his gut and scopes out certain people to question. Sifting through the clues and red herrings makes this police procedural a compelling read. The characters are finely limned, the story moves along with a definite rhythm, and the surprise ending is clever and believable.

I’VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU is very much an unputdownable selection for anyone who enjoys a fast read, where no extra verbiage drags down the speed at which the narrative unfolds. Longtime fans of Mary Higgins Clark, the undisputed “Queen of Suspense,” and newcomers to her work will find themselves raving about it.