Mary Higgins Clark

Mary Higgins Clark is regarded by many as the modern grand dame of mystery writing.

Born in New York in 1929, Clark went to work immediately after high school. She spent several years traveling as a stewardess to such palces as Europe, Africa, and Asia. She stopped flying when she married her neighbor and a friend she'd known since she was 16.

After getting married, she began writing short stories. When her husband died and left her with five children (including fellow mystery writer Carol Higgins Clark), she began writing radio scripts and books. Her first book was about George Washington, but her second book was a suspense novel which became a bestseller.

In 1974, she decided to go back to college and earned a bachelor's in philosophy from Fordham University.

Her awards and recognitions are legion, ranging from a papal honor (Dame of the Order of St. Gregory the Great) to Women of Achievement awards to a Horatio Alger Award. She is also a Dame of Malta and a Dame of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem. She's a #1 bestseller in France and was awarded the Grand Prix de Literature of France. The Edgars include an annual award given out in her name.

More than 15 of her novels have been filmed as television shows or movies.

Clark has remarried and lives with her husband in New Jersey.

Bibliography