"We'll Meet Again," by Mary Higgins Clark. Simon & Schuster. 314 pages. $25.

Fans of Mary Higgins Clark's novels will be disappointed by her latest. "We'll Meet Again" isn't worth meeting the first time.

The story is about the murder of Gary Lasch, a Connecticut physician and head of an HMO. Police find his wife Molly covered with blood, but she doesn't know how she got that way and has no memory of the events of the murder night.

Molly goes to jail for the murder. When she is released five and a half years later, she remembers that someone else was in the house that night. This catches the attention of TV reporter Fran Simmons, Molly's former schoolmate who has her own controversial past to deal with.

Simmons' investigation leads her in different directions. There are several story lines, but the most important one doesn't show up until the end.

Clark tries to keep the reader occupied until then, throwing in such topics as managed care, evil medical practices, unrequited affection, a glory-seeking waitress, and on and on.

Coming from Clark, a respected and prolific writer with some real page-turners to her credit, this book is a disappointment. The real mystery is why anyone would read it.

Pub Date: 06/06/99