Before I Say Good-bye    by Mary Higgins Clark Order:  USA  Can Simon & Schuster, 2001 (2000) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, CD, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Nell is the orphaned granddaughter of retired Congressman Cornelius MacDermott ('Mac'). She has psychic abilities which initially manifested on the death of her parents. Mac is pushing hard for her to campaign for a congressional seat, but her architect husband Adam Cauliff is opposed and her marriage shaky. They quarrel and then her husband's cabin cruiser blows up in New York harbor during a meeting with several people aboard. There are rumors of shady real estate and construction dealings and Nell is anxious to clear her husband's (and her own) name. Then various people start to come forward. A medium contacts Nell with an urgent message from Adam. The wife of the troubled construction foreman who died on the boat shows up with a stash of cash discovered in her basement. And a little boy has nightmares about a 'snake' that he saw while watching the explosion. Clark is an experienced writer (this is her 22nd romantic thriller) and it shows. She lays out the clues one by one and develops the story with skill. There's not a lot of depth to the plot and Nell does evolve rather quickly from loving wife and distraught widow to suspicion and a new relationship. However, it's a good (if light) read with an exciting climax. I had two problems with the story (which happens to be the first I have read by this author). One was that a woman with as finely attuned psychic powers as this one, would make such a poor choice of husbands. The second was the ending which voted in Nell as a new Congresswoman, even after all the scandal. Now that would never happen in real life ... only in fiction. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews