Literature / Under Suspicion (Series)

Under Suspicion is a series of crime suspense novels written by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke (with the exception of the first installment, which was penned by Higgins Clark alone).

The series revolves around Laurie Moran, an award-winning television producer who runs a true crime show, the titular Under Suspicion, which focuses on re-investigating recent cold cases in an attempt to find new evidence that could finally solve the mystery, including bringing everyone connected to the case together to tell their side of things. Naturally, tensions run high, many dark secrets are brought to light, and fresh blood is spilled.

There were seven books published in the series between 2014 and 2020, with an eighth book set to be published in 2024 (four years after Higgins Clark's death):

• I've Got You Under My Skin (2014)
• The Cinderella Murder (2014)
• All Dressed in White (2015)
• The Sleeping Beauty Killer (2016)
• Every Breath You Take (2017)
• You Don't Own Me (2018)
• Piece of My Heart (2020)
• It Had To Be You (2024)

Not to be confused with the 1991 movie, the 2000 movie, the 90s TV series, the TV series Above Suspicion, or the trope Beneath Suspicion.

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Tropes applying to the series as a whole include:

• 20 Minutes into the Past: The first seven books were published between 2014 and 2020, but the series begins slightly earlier in 2013. The books also take place over a shorter time period of two years (give or take a few months), so the series as a whole qualifies, being published from the early 2010s to the early 2020s, but being set from 2013 to 2015.
• Alternative Character Interpretation: In-universe, how each of the suspects / persons of interest are viewed by the Under Suspicion team is constantly evolving as they learn new information, especially depending on who they currently think is the most likely culprit. How the participants view each other can also differ and getting everyone's perspective is useful to the team's investigations, especially considering many of them hide or distort information for whatever reason. The sections focusing on a particular character's perspective can offer insights the others aren't aware of, though it's often not until the ending that everyone's true motives and personalities become clear.
• Anchored Ship: Starting with The Cinderella Murder, Laurie Moran spends a lot of the series uncertain about she feels regarding Alex Buckley; she's fond of him and gets the sense he's fond of her too, but she's still grieving for her late husband Greg and also knows that Alex is rumoured to be involved with lots of women. Alex isn't quite the ladies' man he's made out to be and has eyes for no one but Laurie, but he's unsure how she feels towards him or if it's the right time for him to confess his feelings. At the end of the second book, Alex impulsively kisses Laurie and tells her he's in love with her. Laurie doesn't reject him exactly, but says she needs a bit more time, with Alex insisting he's willing to wait. They try casually dating, but Laurie is still reluctant to take the next step. By the end of The Sleeping Beauty Killer, Alex gets tired of being stringed along and gives Laurie an ultimatum to make up her mind: she either wants to be with him or she doesn't. By the end of the next book, Laurie realises she does want to be with Alex and they get engaged.
• Convicted by Public Opinion: In many of the investigated cold cases, the people involved were never formally accused or charged with committing a crime, but are still regarded as guilty by the public (especially when it comes to the media and amateur sleuths), regardless of how strong the evidence against them is. This can make life difficult for them, such as being constantly gossiped about, having their name come up every time the case is mentioned and journalists bugging them; some characters even risk losing their jobs, have their relationships negatively impacted and struggle with their mental health because of the strain of people thinking they're a murderer. Consequently, some of the characters quickly agree to appear on Under Suspicion for a chance to defend themselves on national television and hopefully turn the tide of public opinion; alternatively, some of them are more reluctant and have to be persuaded to participate because they don't want to draw more scrutiny.
• Everyone Is a Suspect: A central part of the premise - of both the books and the in-universe reality TV show - is that the featured cold cases have several plausible suspects; generally-speaking, the majority of the main cast (with the exception of the production crew) are all "under suspicion" for a crime, with all of them potentially having motive, means and opportunity. The suspects agree to take part in Under Suspicion and be interviewed for a chance to Clear My Name and tell their side of things; even if they are guilty or at least have something else to hide, they're still compelled take part because they know it'll make them look more suspicious if they don't. Specific examples include I've Got You Under My Skin (the victim was murdered in her own home, where in addition to being under the same roof as several suspects because her daughter's friends slept over, she'd managed to personally wrong all of them in some way) and The Cinderella Murder (the victim wasn't a bad person this time, but there are still lots of people close to her who may have had motive to kill her and all of them would've known where she was headed that night).
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: The fact that every book in the series revolves around the making of an episode of Under Suspicion and stars Laurie Moran spoils the end of the first book, as it confirms that the pilot she made was enough of a hit to warrant multiple seasons, as well as confirming Laurie survived her stalker's attempt to kill her. The sequels do, however, make a point not to explicitly mention who the perpetrator of the Graduation Gala murder was, just that the case was solved.
• Like Brother and Sister: Laurie lampshades that Jerry and Grace are like siblings; they're both around the same age (Jerry is a year older) and like to tease and banter with each other, while also caring deeply for one another. Although they have a close friendship, there's no romantic chemistry between them. In All Dressed in White, Jerry isn't even fazed in the slightest by Grace leaning close to him with her cleavage on show.
• Official Couple: Laurie and Alex eventually get to this status. After dating on and off from the end of the second book until the end of the fourth book, the fifth book sees Laurie finally telling Alex she's in love with him and ready to commit to a long-term relationship; Alex proposes to Laurie and she happily accepts, with them preparing to marry in the sixth and seventh books.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted, with there being several instances of characters having the same or similar-sounding names with no connection between them; admittedly a lot of the shared names are quite common in America.
  • There have been more than three characters with the name Hunter. Nicole from The Cinderella Murder and Jeff from All Dressed In White both have the surname of Hunter without having any connection to each other (it's lessened due to Nicole usually going by Melling, her married name). In The Sleeping Beauty Killer, the victim's name is Hunter Raleigh and he was the third person in his family to have that name.
  • Amanda is the name of both a minor character in The Cinderella Murder, a young girl whose mother joined Advocates for God, and the missing bride in All Dressed In White. In the latter novel, there are technically two characters named Amanda, who also have the last name of Pierce, although this is justified because the younger Amanda is the older Amanda's niece, named for her aunt (she also tends to be called Mandy to avoid confusion).
  • Brett, the head of Fisher Blake Studios, and Nick, a main character from All Dressed in White, share the surname of Young; they're not related and them having the same surname isn't commented on.
  • In All Dressed in White, three characters have very similar-sounding names; there's Jeffrey the jilted groom (who tends to go by Jeff), Jeremy the assistant wedding photographer and Jerry the assistant producer.
  • There have been two Janes; Jane Novak is a major character in I've Got You Under My Skin, while in All Dressed in White it's mentioned that one of Kate Fulton's daughters is called Jane.
  • There are two notable characters named Andrew: there's Andrew Buckley, the younger brother of Alex Buckley who has a recurring role in the series, and Andrew Raleigh, a main character in The Sleeping Beauty Killer.
  • There are four relatively notable Roberts. In I've Got You Under My Skin there's Robert Powell, the husband of murder victim Betsy Powell. Every Breath You Take has Robert "Bob" Wakeling, the late husband of murder victim Virginia Wakeling and his grandson who is named for him, nicknamed Robby. You Don't Own Me has Robert Bell, the father of the murder victim, Martin Bell, and his grandson is also named after him, but is usually called Bobby.
  • There have been two notable characters named Frank; The Cinderella Murder has film director Frank Parker, who is a suspect in the titular murder, while in The Sleeping Beauty Killer, the titular character's late father was named Frank.
  • Carter has been used three times, both as a surname or first name. The Sleeping Beauty Killer has convicted killer Casey Carter and her parents, Paula and Frank Carter. In Every Breath You Take, the son of the murder victim is named Carter Wakeling. One of the main characters in You Don't Own Me is Steven Carter.
  • There are two notable characters called Mindy; gossip columnist Mindy Sampson from The Sleeping Beauty Killer and Mindy Bell, the young daughter of the murder victim in You Don't Own Me.
  • There are two notable Martins: Reverend Martin Collin, a corrupt megachurch leader in The Cinderella Murder, and Dr Martin Bell, the murder victim in You Don't Own Me.
  • You Don't Own Me has a main character named Daniel Longfellow (a senator), while Piece of My Heart also has a notable Daniel, Daniel Turner who is revealed to be the Big Bad.
  • There are two characters named Sandra who lost their daughters in tragic circumstances: in All Dressed in White, Sandra Pierce's youngest daughter Amanda went missing before her wedding and turns out to have been murdered, while in Piece of My Heart, Sandra Carpenter's daughter Michelle died of a drug overdose and turns out to have been murdered as well.
• Revisiting the Cold Case: One of the main plot elements of the series is Laurie and her crew investigating cold cases (or alternatively looking into cases that seemingly were resolved, but have a lot of controversy and unanswered questions); this includes getting all the original suspects or persons of interest back together to interview them, recreating key events leading up to and after the crime, and seeing if any new information comes to light - which it always does. They specifically don't investigate cold cases older than a few decades, mostly because a lot of the people involved in older cases aren't around anymore to be interviewed. Most of the cases featured in the books are under a decade old.
  • I've Got You Under My Skin features the twenty-year-old Graduation Gala Murder: a glamorous socialite was found smothered in her own bed following a gala to celebrate her daughter's graduation. A side plot involves the unsolved murder of the producer's husband, which occured five years ago.
  • The Cinderella Murder features the twenty-year-old murder of a college student and aspiring actress, who was chased and strangled in a park while on her way to an audition (if she hadn't already made it there, with the director being a suspect).
  • All Dressed in White features the disappearance of a bride-to-be from a resort where the wedding was being held, with no one having seen or heard from in over five years. She's revealed to have been murdered and she wasn't the first victim, either, with that cold case also being reinvestigated.
  • In The Sleeping Beauty Killer, a murdered philanthropist's fiancee was already convicted for killing him fifteen years ago, but she insists she was framed and the real killer is still out there. It turns out she's right.
  • In Every Breath You Take, the team investigates the suspicious death of a rich widow, who fell to her death from the roof of the Met during a gala three years ago; it's unlikely it was suicide or an accident, leaving murder the only option.
  • In You Don't Own Me, the team investigates the unsolved murder of a prominent neurosurgeon, shot in his own driveway five years ago.
  • While the main plot of Piece of My Heart concerns a current kidnapping situation, the team explores the possibility it's related to an eighteen-year-old murder case; although a man was convicted at the time for killing a popular bar owner during a brawl, he claims he's innocent and there's evidence suggesting he's telling the truth. He is the killer and the murder isn't connected to the kidnapping, although the investigation does result in a conviction for another murder three months ago that was disguised as an accident.
• Shout-Out:
  • Laurie is mentioned reading Karin Slaughter novels on several occasions.
  • Laurie and Leo are mentioned watching Bosch a few times, with Laurie saying it's become one of their favourite shows.
• Show Within a Show: In-universe, Under Suspicion is the title of the true crime show Laurie produces, with the cases featured on the show forming the central mystery of each novel.
• Titled After the Song: As per usual with novels Mary Higgins Clark has authored, several of the books are named after song lyrics and/or titles. The songs themselves aren't always referenced directly in the stories, though they have some symbolic relevance to the plot.
  • I've Got You Under My Skin is named after the Frank Sinatra song. If you're familiar with the lyrics, they can be interpreted as applying to both the main antagonists of the novel: Laurie's stalker is fixated upon getting revenge against her and her family with Leo being his specific target, while Betsy's killer is motivated by obsessive romantic love for Betsy’s husband. Sinatra was also known as "Old Blue Eyes", while Laurie's stalker is primarily referred to as Blue Eyes.
  • All Dressed in White is taken from an alternate version of the classic wedding march "Here Comes the Bride", which is appropriate given the story revolves around a bride who went missing a day before her nuptials. The first few lines are featured before the prologue "Here comes the bride, all dressed in white. Radiant and lovely, she shines in his sight". In hindsight, the "him" who is fixated on the bride doesn't just refer to her groom.
  • Every Breath You Take is titled after the song of the same name by The Police. The lyrics speak of obsessive love gone wrong, which seems to point to Ivan being suspected of murdering his older lover Virginia although removed from the romantic context, it could be interpreted as the way everyone else constantly watched and judged all of Virginia's actions, with the romance angle being more of a Red Herring. The song isn't directly referenced in the novel, although Ivan does say the words "every breath you take" as part of the speech he gave to Virginia when he proposed (in this context, the words are heartfelt and romantic rather than obsessive).
  • You Don't Own Me is titled after the song by Lesley Gore. The lyrics clearly apply to the murder victim, Martin Bell's controlling and psychologically abusive treatment of his wife Kendra. They can also apply to Martin's similarly controlling treatment of his lover and the control Kendra's blackmailer exerts over her.
• Trashy True Crime: Laurie desperately tries to avoid turning Under Suspicion into this. While it is a reality TV show and needs interesting cold cases and scenarios to draw in viewers, Laurie sees the show as a way to genuinely help victims of crime and their loved ones get justice, for persons of interest to tell their side of things and to uncover new information that could solve the cases. She tries to stay away from sensationalising the crimes, focusing on graphic details of murders or hyper-focusing on a particular suspect or theory, instead approaching every case with an open mind, doing thorough research and treating the participants with respect. This does occasionally cause her to butt heads with her boss, Brett Young, who is less concerned with Laurie's crusade for justice than he is about getting higher ratings via juicy true crime stories, preferably involving rich and/or famous people he can get riled up on camera. He does, however, admit that Laurie and her team actually solving cases does cause viewership to go up significantly.
• Unresolved Sexual Tension: A recurring subplot is the romance between Under Suspicion's producer Laurie and the show's original host, defence lawyer Alex Buckley. Alex falls in love with Laurie during the first book and makes it clear to her how he feels in the second book, but while she is strongly attracted to him, she's not entirely certain about her feelings or if it's the right time to act upon them, especially as she's still mourning her late husband Greg (whose murderer wasn't apprehended until the end of the first book). Alex tries to be understanding about this and tells Laurie he will wait until she's ready to fully return his feelings, although Laurie isn't sure when that will be or if he'll still be waiting then. At the end of All Dressed in White, Alex decides to take a step back from the show, which he claims is because of his busy work schedule but Laurie senses is actually because he finds it difficult to be so close to her. They stay in touch, although it's still up in air whether there's any future in their romance. By the events of You Don't Own Me, they've gotten engaged and their wedding is a plot point in Piece of My Heart.

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