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.
My Thoughts: From the very first page of Every Breath You Take, I was drawn into the story of Virginia Wakeling, a wealthy woman who fell (or was pushed) from the roof of the Met during a celebrated fundraiser.
Her much younger boyfriend, Ivan Gray, was a major suspect of the family, but the police did not have enough evidence to charge him, and, in fact, the accusations of the family members were all they really had.
I enjoyed the way Laurie Moran handled the investigation, and even how she found a way to co-exist with Ryan, the egotistical new on-air talent. He so clearly believed in the innocence of his friend and trainer, Ivan, that Laurie feared his ability to remain objective. However, she gradually saw another side of him in his willingness to set those feelings aside in order to find the answers.
Laurie’s talent for following her instincts and the ability to pursue fresh angles made the story a great page-turner that kept me guessing. With each new revelation, the possibilities of finding the truth seemed to increase.
Would Laurie’s search for the truth put her own life in danger? Would an irate killer bring her to the brink of disaster? There were numerous red herrings until we unexpectedly saw who the killer had to be. Meanwhile, some new possibilities for her sidelined relationship with Alex kept me intrigued, just as the case started heating up. 5 stars.
I always enjoy her books.
Thanks for sharing…glad to hear it was good.
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Thanks, Elizabeth, I like the comfort of revisiting familiar characters in each book of these series.
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That is a nice.
I hope you are having a good day.
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I recently read this too. Not my favorite MHC book, but entertaining nonetheless. Happy new year!
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Thanks, Catherine, I hope you enjoyed your First Book. Glad you could stop by.
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I’m glad your first book of the year was a winner, Laurel. It sounds one that’s difficult to put down!
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Thanks, Mary, I enjoy the author’s light and fast-paced mysteries. Enjoy your week!
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Sounds as though you loved this one! Is this the first book she wrote with another author?
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Thanks for visiting, Patty, and I believe that this series (Under Suspicion) is her first collaboration with another author: Alafair Burke. I’ve also read some of Burke’s books written on her own.
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Sounds like it was a perfect read for you to begin 2018 reading. Good to hear you enjoyed it so much.
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Thanks, Kathryn, for a First Book, I like to choose something that is a little bit predictable, and fast-paced with interesting characters. MHC works out well for me for these events. At some point, I might go outside my usual and pick a different genre.
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MHC is usually reliable. This one looked/sounded good.
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Thanks, Martha, I have been enjoying every book in this series for my First Books.
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Interesting that Alafair Burke is a co-author on this book — I just finished her novel Ex and found it quite a compelling crime novel. I’d read her again! Glad you liked this one.
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Thanks for stopping by, Susan; I enjoyed The Ex, too, and she has another one coming soon called The Wife…I think it’s a sequel to The Ex.
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