Mary Higgins Clark, a bestselling author who wrote dozens of suspense novels and lived in Bergen County, died Friday in Naples, Florida. She was 92.

Simon and Schuster President and Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Reidy announced the news in a statement Friday night. The author died of unspecified natural causes and was surrounded by family.

“It is impossible to overestimate the importance of Mary’s contribution to our success, and her role in the modern history of Simon & Schuster. Beginning in 1975 with the publication of "Where Are the Children?,” each of her 56 books has been a bestseller. There are more than 100 million copies of her books in print in the United States; they are international bestsellers and have been translated into every major and many less well-known languages,” Reidy said.

It is with deep sadness we say goodbye to the "Queen of Suspense" Mary Higgins Clark, author of over 40 bestselling suspense titles. She passed away peacefully this evening, January 31, at the age of 92 surrounded by family and friends. pic.twitter.com/SoAGqBebRP — Simon & Schuster (@SimonBooks) February 1, 2020

“But these storied publishing accomplishments tell only a small part of the larger story that is Mary Higgins Clark. She was, simply, a remarkable woman who overcame an early life of hardship and challenges, never doubting her ability as a natural-born storyteller (and she was one for the ages), and who persevered through trial and rejection until she at last achieved her Holy Grail of being a published author,” the publishing company CEO added.

“She was similarly devoted to her readers, until very recently going out of her way to meet them while on tour for every one of her books, and drawing tremendous energy and satisfaction from her interactions with them, even though she long ago could have pulled back from that part of being an author,” Reidy said. “She was, too, a generous member of the literary community, especially toward new authors, and was well known beyond the publishing world for her support of innumerable philanthropic and civic causes.”

Two of her novels, “Where Are the Children?” and “A Stranger Is Watching” were turned into feature films while many other of her works made it to television. An international best-seller, more than 100 million copies Clark’s books are in-print in the U.S. alone.

Though she was born in the Bronx, Clark set many of her works in New Jersey, a state she described as beautiful in a 2013 interview with NJ Advance Media.

“Jersey is a beautiful state and I have written at least five books trying to prove that to all of the smart alecks. I set one in Spring Lake to show what a beautiful Victorian town it is. I set one in Ridgewood, one in Mahwah, with the mountains in the background. I set one in Mendham; all to try to show the smart alecks that New Jersey is a beautiful state. I want a medal, as one who continuously writes about how beautiful New Jersey is,” Clark said in the interview.

Some of Clark’s novels that were based around New Jersey included “The Cradle Will Fall” (1980), Saddle River, “While My Pretty One Sleeps” (1987), Ridgewood. “All Around the Town” (1992), Ridgewood, “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” (1995), Ho-Ho-Kus, Hackensack, Old Tappan, Englewood Cliffs and Oradell. “My Gal Sunday” (1996), Bernardsville.

Michael Korda, editor-in-chief emeritus of Simon & Schuster, described Clark as hard-working with a strong sense of what would keep readers turning the page.

“She was the Queen of Suspense, it wasn’t just a phrase; she always set out to end each chapter on a note of suspense, so you just had to keep reading. It was at once a gift, but also the result of hard work, because nobody worked harder than Mary did on her books to deliver for her readers,” Korda said in a statement.

“She was also, unfailingly, cheerful under pressure, generous, good humored and warm-hearted, the least ‘temperamental’ of bestselling authors, and the most fun to be around,” he said.

Clark was born Dec 24, 1927 and was raised by her mother after her father died she was 11. After high school, she attended secretarial school, worked for an advertising agency and joined Pan American Airlines as a flight attendant in 1949.

She started writing short stories and selling her work to Extension Magazine in 1956 for $100, according to a biography from Simon and Schuster.

In 1996, she married John Conheeney, a retired chairman and chief executive officer of Merrill-Lynch Futures. The couple lived in Saddle River until he died in 2018. The pair had 17 grandchildren between them.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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