ABOUT THE BOOK:
“Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke are back with their fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Under Suspicion series; Every Breath You Take follows television producer’s Laurie Moran investigation of the unsolved Met Gala murder—in which a wealthy widow was pushed to her death from the famous museum’s rooftop.
Laurie Moran’s professional life is a success—her television show Under Suspicion is a hit, both in the ratings and its record of solving cold cases. But her romantic break from former host Alex Buckley has left her with on-air talent she can’t stand—Ryan Nichols—and a sense of loneliness, despite her loving family.
Now Ryan has suggested a new case. Three years ago, Virginia Wakeling, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and one of the museum’s most generous donors, was found in the snow, after being thrown from the museum’s roof on the night of its most celebrated fundraiser, the Met Gala. The leading suspect then and now is her much younger boyfriend and personal trainer, Ivan Gray.
Ivan runs a trendy, successful boutique gym called Punch—a business funded in no small part by the late Virginia—which happens to be the gym Ryan frequents. Laurie’s skepticism about the case is upended by a tip from her father’s NYPD connection, and soon Laurie realizes there are a bevy of suspects—including Virginia’s trusted inner circle.
As the Under Suspicion crew pries into the lives of a super wealthy real estate family with secrets to hide, danger mounts for several witnesses—and for Laurie.
LISTEN TO AN EXCERPT:
MY REVIEW:
Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins ClarkMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Every Breath You Take by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke is a 2017 Simon & Schuster publication.
This fifth installment in the “Under Suspicion’ series has Laurie reluctantly agreeing to investigate a cold case suggested to her by her new co-host, Ryan, who is still an insufferable jerk.
The case involves Ivan, a fitness guru, suspected of murdering his much older lover for money. Charges were never brought, but the man lives under a constant shadow of suspicion and wants to see his name cleared.
As Laurie and Ryan dig into the cold case, they discover the victim, Virginia Wakeling, a wealthy widow, had been thinking about changing her will, which sent her children, and her son in-law, into sheer panic mode.
Could one of them have killed Virginia? Is Ivan as innocent as he claims?
For me, this series is very appealing, not only because of the two fabulous authors, but because I really love the set up. A series focused solely on cold cases is right up my alley because of all the mystery tropes out there, cold cases are one of my all-time favorites.
I have really enjoyed watching Laurie’s character bloom, as she slowly comes back to the land of the living after the tragic death of her husband. There is a little romantic angst tossed in, along with the mystery, which is a nice addition to the story, as well.
This particular segment is just as fun as the first four installments have been, although, I must confess, I didn’t feel a connection with the suspects or even the victim, in this case, even after all the facts were presented. I found myself thinking that I didn’t really like most of the characters this time around, which muted the feeling of vindication a little bit.
But, I couldn’t decide who was trustworthy, or who to suspect, which at the end of the day, is the most important element of a mystery- trying to figure out whodunit! The suspense builds at a nice brisk pace, and kept me fully invested in the story, if not the characters.
The dry spell in Laurie’s love life is about to come to head- one way or another- and I thought perhaps there was a bit more time spent on this area than in the past, but it was also something I thought should be resolved and was happy with how things turned out.
Overall, I enjoy the light, clean mysteries these stories provide, and with the powerhouse team of MHC with Alafair Burke, the writing is always superb, giving their readers the type of entertaining stories they expect and enjoy, and will come back for time and time again.
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://www.amazon.com/Every-Breath-Under-Suspicion-Novel-ebook/dp/B06ZZLYTBW/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/every-breath-you-take-mary-higgins-clark/1126431493
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/every-breath-you-take-24
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Mary Higgins Clark, #1 international and New York Times bestselling author, is the author of 46 books and counting: she’s written thirty-three suspense novels; three collections of short stories; a historical novel, Mount Vernon Love Story; two children’s books, including The Magical Christmas Horse; and a memoir, Kitchen Privileges. She has also written five holiday suspense novels with Carol Higgins Clark and The Cinderella Murder, a new thriller in collaboration with bestselling novelist Alafair Burke.
Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and have made her an international bestseller many times over.
Alafair Burke is the New York Times bestselling author of "two power house series" (Sun-Sentinel) that have earned her a reputation for creating strong, believable, and eminently likable female characters, such as NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher and Portland Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid. Alafair's novels grow out of her experience as a prosecutor in America's police precincts and criminal courtrooms, and have been featured by The Today Show, People Magazine, The New York Times, MSNBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Chicago Sun-Times. According to Entertainment Weekly, Alafair "is a terrific web spinner" who "knows when and how to drop clues to keep readers at her mercy."A graduate of Stanford Law School and a former Deputy District Attorney in Portland, Oregon, Alafair is now a Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School, where she teaches criminal law and procedure. Her books have been translated into 12 languages.
Alafair's work has been praised by some of the world's most respected crime writers, including Gillian Flynn, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Karin Slaughter, Harlan Coben, Lisa Scottoline, Lisa Unger, and Nelson DeMille.
Learn more about Alafair atwww.alafairburke.com
