Book excerpt: A one-of-a-kind mystery collection that showcases the immense storytelling talent #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has honed over her tremendous career—including a bone-chilling, previously unpublished short story forty years in the making. In 1974, master storyteller Mary Higgins Clark began writing a novella inspired by the dark side of the New York City fashion world. She then put the unfinished manuscript aside to write Where Are the Children?, the novel that would launch her career. Forty years later, Clark returned to that novella and wrote its ending. Now—for the first time ever—Death Wears a Beauty Mask is available for readers along with a stunning array of short fiction that spans her remarkable career. From Clark’s first-ever published story (1956’s “Stowaway”), to classic tales featuring some of her most memorable characters, Death Wears A Beauty Mask And Other Stories is a jewel of a collection brimming over with the chills and heart-pounding drama we’ve come to expect from the Queen of Suspense. Death Wears A Beauty Mask And Other Stories is a spine-tingling read and a special glimpse into the evolution of a world-class writing career.