Review: All Dressed in White by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke

Title: All Dressed in White by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke
Under Suspicion Series Book Two
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

The second thrilling novel in the New York Times bestselling Under Suspicion series following The Cinderella Murder, featuring intrepid television producer Laurie Moran as she investigates the case of a missing bride.

Five years ago Amanda Pierce was excitedly preparing to marry her college sweetheart in a lavish ceremony at The Grand Victoria Hotel in Palm Beach. Then, with their guests and families on site, Amanda disappeared.

In present-day New York City, Laurie Moran realizes a missing bride is the perfect cold case for her investigative television series, Under Suspicion. She and her team set out to recreate the night of the disappearance at the Florida resort with Amanda’s friends and family in attendance, hoping to shed new light on the mystery as the series has done in past episodes. With a jealous sister, playboy groomsmen, Amanda’s former fiancé now married to a bridesmaid, and rumors about the “beloved” bride herself, Laurie and Under Suspicion host Alex Buckley quickly realize everyone has a theory about why Amanda vanished into thin air.

One thing is certain: whoever was behind Amanda’s disappearance plans to keep the truth hidden “until death do they part…”

The bestselling Under Suspicion series from Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke offers “plenty of intrigue and excitement” (Publishers Weekly, on The Cinderella Murder). Featuring the chilling suspense and elegant settings readers have come to love, All Dressed in White is not to be missed.

Review:

All Dressed in White is the latest addition to Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke’s Under Suspicion mystery series. In this outing, the cast and crew of the cold case TV show are profiling the unsolved disappearance of a bride who vanished five years earlier.

Television producer Laurie Moran is about to pitch her latest ideas for the next episode in her popular television show when Sandra Pierce drops by her office in hopes of convincing Laurie to feature her missing daughter’s case. Dubbed the Runaway Bride, Amanda Pierce vanished without a trace the day before her destination wedding and no one has seen or heard from her again. Despite a thorough investigation, the police could not say with any certainty that foul play was involved in her disappearance, but Sandra remains convinced Amanda’s fiancé Jeff Hunter murdered her for financial gain. Once all of the members of the wedding party and Amanda’s family agree to participate in the show, Laurie, along with her cast and crew, head to Palm Beach to reenact the events leading up to Amanda’s disappearance in hopes of solving the case.

Laurie is no stranger to losing a loved one to murder and she understands better than anyone Sandra’s need for answers about her daughter’s disappearance. Laurie’s preliminary research supports the theory that Amanda did not leave under her own volition but with a plethora of suspects, which includes not only Jeff, but his current wife (and Amanda’s best friend) Meghan White, and Amanda’s sister Charlotte, Laurie still has a lot of work ahead of her. New clues emerge after reviewing the security footage from the hotel, but there is still very little evidence as to the perpetrator’s identity. During the course of the investigation, it also becomes apparent there are several members of the wedding party who are harboring secrets they are reluctant to have revealed.

The pool of suspects is vast and the information that Laurie uncovers does not help narrow down her list or their possible reason for murdering Amanda. Jeff is a natural suspect since he stood to gain a vast fortune in the event of Amanda’s death. His rather quick marriage to Meghan also paints him in an unflattering light but does that also make him a killer? Meghan also falls under suspicion considering her marriage to Jeff but Laurie also discovers the two women were quarreling in the days leading up to Amanda’s disappearance. Close friend Kate Fulton is afraid a secret she is keeping will be exposed but does this have any bearing on what happened to Amanda?  Jeff’s groomsmen are obnoxious and seemingly harmless but their actions are also closely scrutinized throughout the investigation. A surprise suspect emerges after the wedding photographer remembers his assistant was not initially questioned after Amanda’s disappearance. News about the murder of a student from the same campus where several of the key players attended college piques Laurie’s interest but is there any connection between that long ago homicide and Amanda’s case?

Intricately plotted with a fantastic cast of characters, All Dressed in White is a cleverly written whodunit. This engaging and fast-paced mystery will stymie readers as Laurie and her team investigate their latest cold case in hopes of discovering the truth about what happened to missing bride Amanda Pierce. Another excellent collaboration from Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke that old and new fans of the Under Suspicion series are sure to love.