Adversity was the driving force behind bestselling suspense author Mary Higgins Clark's international success. The death of Clark's first husband—under circumstances similar to those in which she lost her father as a young girl—left her in a desperate situation. Raising five children alone on limited means, Clark turned to novel writing to supplement her income. Although Clark's success wasn't instant, she eventually forged a brilliant career with her storytelling talents, and created a multimillion dollar, international brand.

At various points, some professional commentators have criticized Clark's novels as formulaic and poorly written. Ever-resilient, Clark chalks this criticism up to the critics' belief that if the masses like it, it can't be good. She believes the most important critics are her readers and that her chief talent is "storytelling," rather than writing. With more than 40 bestselling books that masses of readers all over the world buy regardless of the critics' opinions, Clark looks like she will have the last laugh.