A quick read, part of a series but fine to read as a stand alone. Estranged identical twins, both accused of murdering their parents are part of the investigation into the cold case for the tv show. It took awhile to get deep in the story but I wanted to see how it got resolved betweenthe potential suspects.

Alafair Burke has done an excellent job of continuing the series after Mary Higgins Clark's passing. She honors Higgins Clark's style while putting her own stamp on the series. As a fan of both of them, I enjoyed this so much! This book is a fast-paced, suspenseful read with crisp, engaging writing that keeps readers hooked until the end. The story has layers of family drama and secrets from both before and after the crime. As these twists are revealed, doubt is sown as readers get clues and red herrings. Laurie, the protagonist, is a character that I like a lot. She's a smart, determined investigator but has been through quite a lot herself and is compassionate and kind and puts people before TV ratings. Although this is book eight in the series, it works fine as a stand-alone.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC

*4.5 stars

In this engaging read, a TV journalist takes on the investigation of a cold case. The premise is simple - there were person(s) under suspicion, but nothing was every proven. In this case, did one of the twins kill their parents or was it someone else altogether? The story is told from varying points of view, giving you a feel for the personalities and perceptions of those characters and showing how the family dynamics affected the siblings and their beliefs regarding the murder. Overall, it was a well-paced read, however not quite as suspenseful as some of the author's earlier works.

FTC: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This has not affected the content of my review.

I’ve long been a fan of Mary Higgins Clark, and love to dive into new books. Prior to this, I’d read two books in this Under Suspicion series and loved them both. Laurie Moran is a journalist who now runs a tv show where they investigate cold cases with at least one suspect who was never charged for the crime. This time, Laurie and her team look into the decade old murder of a wealthy couple who were killed on the night of their twin sons college graduation party. The twins were both suspected of orchestrating the crime together by impersonating the other. They each claimed to have an alibi and therefore never charged.

Now, their younger sister and their wives want to know what really happened that fateful night, so they call Laurie to take a deeper dive. Along the way, Laurie uncovers the truth through many twists and turns. I had my suspicions on who it was, but even I was surprised and shocked at the ending. This book is why I have loved The Queen of Suspense since I was a teenager. I’m so glad Alafair Burke is keeping this series going.

Thank to @simonbooks, @netgalley and @alafair.burke for the advanced copy of the book.

IT HAD TO BE YOU was another entertaining installment of the Under Suspicion series, which has been an enjoyable and consistent read since the beginning. This one is yet another compelling mystery to be solved by Laurie Moran and team, and really enjoyed the twists and turns as they put the pieces together. Will look forward to the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review IT HAD TO BE YOU.

It Had To Be You by Alastair Burke and Mary Higgins Clark is a wonder. It was an unsolved mystery. Ten years earlier, on the night of their graduation party, someone had killed their parents. Everyone thought it was one of them, twins, or maybe they’d been working together. A witness had seen one of them near their car in the parking lot. Was it over money? Over control or rebellion? They hadn’t spoken in years, although each had a relationship with their younger sister, who had been raised by their parents’ best friends. They each thought the other one was guilty as they knew they were not. Now, a true crime show from television had been contacted by their sister, Frankie. She wanted to know. Could she get them to cooperate?

What a wonderful investigative novel. The police had dropped the ball all those years before. Of that there was no doubt. It was a seaside community with locals and outlanders. This was an outlander murder, and they didn’t really care. Plus, they were in over their heads. The father was a lawyer and he expected them to be as well. One was, had done all he’d asked. The other hadn’t. Both were married, now. One to the woman who had been his girlfriend all those years before, one to the woman his father though was beneath him. One wife supported Frankie’s wish to know. The other didn’t. This was an intricately written book with clear lines drawn between the brothers and the law, or Laurie Ward, the woman who wanted to find the truth. Simon, the lawyer, agreed at his wife’s urging. Ethan said he would cooperate only after Laurie found something new. She did. He did. Eventually she discovered the very sad truth. It changed lives. Thanks Burke and Clark for a riveting novel!

I was invited to read It Had To Be You by Simon & Schuster. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
#Netgalley #SimonAndSchuster #MaryHigginsClark #AlafairBurke

Mary Higgins Clark never lets me down! I had a pretty good guess of who the culprit would be but was still surprised by how well it all wrapped up. I love that about her novels, the thoroughness and quick pacing. They’re clever and accurate without getting too heavily into the weeds. This is actually my first of the Under Suspicion series, but it works perfectly well as a stand alone. I look forward to going back and reading more in the series written with Alastair Burke.

Mary Higgins Clark is always a five star read for me - I'm so glad her books continue to be released despite her passing. I LOVE the premise of a true crime show bringing the truth to light. The book did a great job of convincing me it had to be one of the boys. I love the twists and turns.

Mary Higgins Clark is an author that I used to read as a teenager, and she proves once again that she’s still got it. I will admit, I haven’t read any of Alafair Burke’s solo work, but I’ll definitely check it out now.

There were some hints throughout the book that Laurie, the producer of a true crime show, was more than a passing character, but I appreciated the vague descriptions of her previous life, since I hope to read the series from the beginning. This is the eighth entry in the “Under Suspicion” series, but it can be read as a standalone, in my opinion—although you will get some spoilers about Laurie’s current family situation.

I did think that the action took a while to get going, but I enjoyed figuring out who might be responsible when all of the suspects had been presented. I’m proud to say that part of my guess was correct, but Clark and Burke certainly did not make it easy! There are twists in here that will have you second guessing yourself, and that’s a big part of why thrillers are such a popular genre. Just when you think you’ve narrowed down the suspect list, BAM, here comes another suspicious person! It’s, dare I say, quite fun.

Alafair Burke has given Mary Higgins Clark fans a gift by creating another entry in the Under Suspicion series that she cowrote with the Queen of Suspense. The series centers on a true crime journalist who's show concentrates on cold cases where someone has been living "Under Suspicion" for years, but never brought to trial. In this novel, Laurie Moran and her team investigate a ten year old murder case with identical twins are suspected of their parents' murder.. The police thought that they planned the murder together. Each brother supposedly suspects the other of the crime. The brothers have been estranged for a decade and their younger sister asks Laurie for help. This fantastic book is a fast paced mystery with just enough clues to mislead the reader and yet allow for the climatic ending. Laurie is a well developed character and she is surrounded by family and coworkers that series fans love. The new characters in each book are always rounded out with enough details to make the reader invested in the outcome. The plots are carefully written. Burk has done Clark justice with this novel,and I have become a fan of her writing too.

One of my favorite series. So glad Alafair is keeping it alive. I’m a fan of cold cases and love seeing new details emerge years later.
Laurie, Grace, Jerry and I guess, Ryan too, found the perfect cold case to solve on their show Under Suspicion. Frankie was just a young girl when her parents were brutally murdered. The number one suspects were her older twin brothers. There was so much evidence against them but they both swore innocence and thought the other twin did it alone. This tore the family apart. Ten years later, Frankie was coming into her inheritance, but was starting to question her brothers innocence also. She wanted answers and possibly her brothers back. Time to find out the truth by being on Under Suspicion

I would like to preface my review by saying thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending me an advanced reader's copy of It Had to Be You in exchange for my honest review!

Simon and Ethan are identical twins who had their whole life ahead of them. Until their parents end up dead on the night of their college graduation party and they are the primary suspect. Ten years later the case has went cold and both brothers pin the blame on each other. Until their younger sister, Frankie, decides to enroll them in a show called "Under Suspicion" and they find out the truth of what happened that night 10 years ago.

This was my first Mary Higgins Clark book and I was pleasantly surprised! When I was growing up, my mother and grandmother would discuss the new Mary Higgins Clark book that just came out together. It felt nostalgic being able to read an ARC of an author whom my mother and grandmother were very fond of. This book was so fast paced with shorter chapters making it the perfect book to get you out of a reading slump. This is number 8 in the under suspicion series but you don't have to read the ones that come before this to understand it.

This was for sure one of those feel good thrillers that keep you guessing on who did it but then has the happy ending. I loved this one so much and I highly recommend this to those looking for a fun little thriller!

Thank you again to S&S!

I received a complimentary copy of this book and the opinions expressed are my own. I would highly recommend "It had to be you" by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. Another great read about Under Suspicion Host Laurie Moran and the solving of a cold case murder. I would love more stories about Laurie and her team. They make solving murder cases "sitting on the edge of your seat interesting'

This is my first Mary Higgins Clark book and kind of wish I would've started at the beginning of the "Under Suspicion" universe, but alas it was an overall enjoyable time.

It Had to Be You is about a picture perfect family who have it all - a wonderful marriage, beautiful children, prestigious careers, and a cute dog. Or do they? On the night of the twins graduation party, Richard and Sarah were murdered and the twins were dubbed the 'Deadly Duo.' Never tried but always under suspicion, the twin boys drifted apart with only their little sister Frankie connecting them to each other.

This book is fast paced and takes a bit of turns that threw me off. I suspected about 3-4 characters as being the murderer but was then able to suspect more closely to the actual murderer. This is the kind of book where every character that gets introduced is in it for a reason and not to boost or act as a clutch to the main character(s). This was definitely a quick and fun read and a definite page turner!

My only remaining question is: what video was Annabeth's father (Jimmy) talking about when he said his friend (the lead in the investigation and face of the police department) took THE video to his grave?

Thank you to Mary Higgins Clark, NetGalley, and Simon and Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dare I say this was my first Mary Higgins Clark book?! I am a huge fan of Alafair Burke so the two paired together as writers is amazing.

This was a fast read that hit all the points it needed to as a thriller. It was fast-paced, engaging, well- written, great plot, with a great format in the plot with the case in the story being investigated on a tv show.

I wasn’t sure who was a liar between these twins or if one was even a liar. It was wrote so well that I couldn’t figure it out. This book kept me engaged throughout and I was infested the whole time because I needed to know who was responsible. Now I’m going to go back read all the books this duo wrote together!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Mary Higgins Clark was one of my all time favorite mystery writers. I mss her stories a lot. This book was very enjoyable about a reporter trying to get two brothers to let her do their story as they are believed to have killed their parents in their own home. They both say they didn’t do it and their younger sister believes they didn’t. The authorities say the boys were at their graduation party together ( they are twins) and that one left the party to kill their parents while they other stayed at the party and played the part of both brothers. This story was very similar to another Mary Higgins Clark mystery and was worth the read I would recommend this book to everyone.

I always love Mary Higgins Clark books. She is the Queen of Suspense and this book does not disappoint. Sometimes you want to just get lost in a book and this book pulls you in. Twin brothers are accused of murdering their parents. Each thinks the other one must be the guilty one or did they plan this together to create the perfect alibi as the police believe?

A wonderful mystery about two brothers who might of kill their parents and a tv show trying to get to the truth. After years go by of this cold case, we follow the clues along with Laurie Maran and the Under Suspicion crew as they finally uncover the truth. In true Mary Higgins Clark fashion, we are enthralled from the beginning to the very end.
I have always loved this author and with the help of Alafair Burke can still enjoy her. Here is to the next good read from the collaboration of these two.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

Alafair Burke once again delivers a great installation in the series she began with Mary Higgins Clark in “It Had to Be You.”

Producer Laurie Moran is looking into a new storyline for her “Under Suspicion” show when she hears about the 10-year-old case of Sarah and Richard Harrington, believed to be killed by one or both of their twin sons, Simon and Ethan.

Given the green light by their daughter Frankie, Laurie and her crew begin to look into the case, plowing through what clues they can find to see if the sons are guilty, as many believe, or can be exonerated.

Once again Burke does an incredible job of writing in the voice of the late Mary Higgins Clark, continuing a great series that leaves readers guessing until the very end. Burke brilliantly weaves together a thrilling plot filled with twists and turns, all in the same voice and style as her former writing partner, using the same techniques the classic mystery writer used.

Fans of mysteries and psychological thrillers will love “It Had to Be You,” which is due out April 16.

Five stars out of five.

Simon & Schuster provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.