This is the third book in the Under Suspicion trilogy, and it's a good one (as are the first two, both of which I read). The only thing that threw me for a loop is the ending - which was confusing and made me wonder what I missed. And alas, if this really is a trilogy, I guess I'm never going to find out.
As in the previous books, Lorie Moran is the producer of Under Suspicion, a reality TV show based in New York that showcases cold cases. This time, Casey Carter parks herself in Laurie's office after being released from prison, where she served 15 years. She was convicted of manslaughter in the death of her well-known philanthropist and well-connected fiance Hunter Raleigh III, and over all those years she's vehemently denied her guilt. Because Casey claims to have been in a drug-induced sleep in the living room while her fiance was shot upstairs in his bedroom, she's been dubbed the "Sleeping Beauty"killer."
But if Laurie will agree to do her story on the TV show, Casey believes, her innocence can be proved once and for all. Laurie is apprehensive, but Casey persists - even bringing in case files and naming five possible suspects who had motive and opportunity to kill Hunter. Learning that others, including Casey's mother, are apprehensive about putting the spotlight back on Casey, Laurie's doubts increase.
Besides that, she has another concern in that she's just lost her trusted and popular on-air host, lawyer Alex Buckley, who's also her boyfriend. Laurie's boss brings in Ryan Nichols, a former federal prosecutor whose know-it-all attitude rubs Laurie the wrong way right from the start. But finally, when Casey mentions a tidbit that wasn't in evidence nor mentioned at trial, Laurie decides Casey just may spent 15 years in jail for a crime she did not commit.
Of course, Casey and her capable crew gather information from the five suspects Casey mentioned as well as other family members, a few of whom reluctantly agree to be interviewed. As the facts begin to come together, though, Laurie starts to suspect Casey may not be as innocent as she claims.
Everything comes together at the end, of course (well, except for the part I mentioned at the beginning). Other than that, it's an intricately woven, intriguing story that won't give you nightmares and makes me sorry to see the series come to an end.
Check out my reviews of the first two in the series:
The Cinderella Murder
All Dressed in White
The Sleeping Beauty Killer by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke (Simon & Schuster, November 2016); 320 pp.
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