Title: The Sleeping Beauty Killer
Author: Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke
Series: Under Suspicion, #3
Narrator: Jan Maxwell
Published: November 2016, Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: 8 hours 39 minutes
Source: Library
Summary:
The third thrilling installment in the bestselling Under Suspicion series from #1 New York Times
bestselling author and “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark and
Alafair Burke—television producer Laurie Moran puts everything on the
line to help a woman she thinks was wrongfully convicted of murder.
Casey
Carter was convicted of murdering her fiancé—famed philanthropist
Hunter Raleigh III—fifteen years ago. And Casey claims—has always
claimed—she’s innocent. Although she was charged and served out her
sentence in prison, she is still living “under suspicion.” She hears
whispers at the grocery store. She can’t get a job. Even her own mother
treats her like she’s guilty. Her story attracts the attention of Laurie
Moran and the Under Suspicion news team—it’s Casey’s last chance to finally clear her name, and Laurie pledges to exonerate her.
With Alex Buckley taking a break from the show—cooling his potential romance with Laurie—Under Suspicion introduces
a new on-air host named Ryan Nichols, a young legal whiz with a Harvard
Law degree, Supreme Court clerkship, experience as a federal
prosecutor, and regular stints on the cable news circuit. He’s got a big
reputation and the attitude to match it. Ryan has no problems with
steering—and stealing—the show, and even tries to stop Laurie from
taking on Casey’s case because he’s so certain she’s guilty.
An
egomaniacal new co-host, a relentless gossip columnist who seems to have
all the dirt (and a surprising informant), and Casey’s longstanding bad
reputation: Laurie must face this and more to do what she believes is
right, to once and for all prove Casey’s innocence—that is, if she’s innocent… The Sleeping Beauty Killer will keep you guessing until the very end.
My thoughts: This is the third book in the Under Suspicion series, a collaboration by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke and I really am enjoying this series. So far each installment has been quite different and engaging and the character development has been stellar.
I love Laurie’s character, but in this installment, I found her to be a bit lacking. Perhaps it was because of her and Alex’s split – both professionally and personally. I admit, I am a bit bummed that he is not part of the show and am not a fan of Ryan. I sure hope he does not last too long!
While I admit I did guess the true killer early on, I found it quite fun to figure out the why. As the show unravels the case, it was interesting to see how the pieces would come together and I definitely didn’t see all that coming into play. There are many twists and turns and a few instances of danger for Laurie that keep you on your toes – this is why I enjoy this series and this was the first time I guessed the murderer!
I am a fan of this collaboration and love the way these two powerhouse authors have created a fun, intriguing series that keeps you engaged throughout. I just hope that we haven’t seen the last of Alex…I really like Laurie and Alex together!
Audio thoughts: This is such a fun series to listen to and Jan Maxwell does a superb job narrating it. She gives each character their own unique voice and carries those voices over from book to book. Her pacing and tone are spot on and she infuses just the right amount of tension and emotion into the voice as needed.
Books in this series:
3. The Sleeping Beauty Killer
4. Every Breath You Take
New to me series. I will be keeping an eye out for this. Thanks for the review.
It's a fun series, Mystica. I hope you are able to find it – I know not all books make it to your area. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I enjoyed this book. I was wowed by it, but it's an entertaining read.
I feel the same way…it was good, but not great! It is a fun, entertaining series, though! Thanks for stopping by, Trish 🙂