It Had to Be You is every bit as riveting as the previous installments of the series penned by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke.
This story is absorbing and kept me guessing all the way to the end. I loved it!
The pacing is perfect, the story is compelling, the mystery is a real puzzler, and is written by two of my favorite female mystery writers.

Thank You NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was my first Mary Higgins Clark book and despite starting with a book mid-series, the author did a good job at giving context so the reader would not feel lost. The dialogue was dramatic and was cheesy at times. The ending was a bit predictable and fell a little flat. I did enjoy reading about the investigation from the perspective of a true crime producer instead of the police. It felt like I was trying to solve the mystery along with the characters. Overall, this book was okay, not my favorite but not bad.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196018873

Laurie Moran and her team from the Under Suspicion crime tv show are asked to investigate a cold case by the daughter of the victims. Ten years ago, Richard and Sarah Harrington were found shot to death in their vacation beach home. Police suspected that one or both of their identical sons, Ethan & Simon were involved, but there was no proof, so they were never charged. Since then, the remaining family has imploded, with the twins estranged from one another, and Frankie wants answers, hoping closure will bring her family back together. The more digging the Under Suspicion team does, the more it casts doubt on the twins' guilt, as well as bringing things to the surface that were meant to stay buried.

This is the 8th installment in the Under Suspicion series. I love these books. They keep me guessing until almost the very end. Laurie & her team do a great job with the investigations and Laurie makes a wonderful female protagonist. If you love mysteries then you will love this fun, quick read.

This isn't the first, and certainly won't be the last, book by this author duo. Another hit, they never miss. A murder involving one of the twins propels this story, when there are a few possibilities to make you question their validity, and who is who. A truly well-written thriller engaging until the very end.

It Had to Be You
by Mary Higgins Clark; Alafair Burke
Pub Date: 16 Apr 2024

The latest Under Suspicion Novel #8, "It Had to Be You" is about Laurie Moran, a dedicated producer of a true crime television show committed to unraveling cold cases. Laurie is approached by a young woman seeking assistance in solving the long-unsolved murder of her parents. Her identical twin brothers were the subjects of that murder but were never formally charged.

This a a great suspense/mystery book. Although it is the final book in a series it can be read in any order and you can read them without knowing anything about the previous stories. However, the relationships among the characters do evolve over time.

This is a book I found very easy to read, it was a quick read, great characters with a solid story line. A must read for suspense and mystery fans.

Many thanks to #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster and #ItHadtoBeYou for providing me with an E-ARC of this fantastic 5 star read!

The 8th book in the Under Suspicion series was another good addition to it. Two identical twins were accused separately of killing their parents, but each has said the other one did it. Their sister, Frankie, was 12 when it happened, now fixing to be 22 she contacts Under Suspicion True Crime show to find out what really happened. Laurie Moran and her team decided to do a special on the crime. I thought half way through that it was for sure someone else, then toward the end I changed my thinking to somebody else, and right before the end I thought oh it's this person.

Clark & Burke capture the reader at the beginning and keep them engaged. The main characters of the book continue to grow, so that it's not the same ol same with them. As prominent as True Crime shows are, the behind the scenes fictional glimpse gives True Crime enthusiast a chance to see how True Crime docs may be made.

I have read all the books in this series and enjoyed them all. I do think they could be read as stand-alones, but you could get confused about past stuff. Though, really, it probably wouldn't be that confusing. I recommend this book and series.

Tentative Publishing Date: April 16, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and the authors for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

#netgalley #simon&Schuster #maryhigginsclark #alafairburke #ithadtobeyou #arc #readaway2024 #serieslove2024

Laurie was the producer of the television show Under Suspicion, where she investigated cold cases. Frankie had contacted her because her parents, Richard and Sarah, had been killed and her twin brothers, Simon and Ethan, were the ones accused of the murder. The brothers had accused each other. Their murders had occurred 10 years prior. Frankie, Simon and Ethan's father, Richard, was a founding lawyer in his law firm. The other lawyer, Walter, and his wife Betsie, took Frankie in after the murder, as she was only 12 years old. They also had a son, Dennis, who was a year younger than Frankie.

Betsy and Sarah, Frankie's mother, we're best friends. When they were younger, they had purchased matching pearl bracelets for each other. During the murder, one of the bracelets have been broken and it was assumed it was Sarah's. The police had picked up all the pearls from the bracelet and had taken pictures of them. Betsie had given Frankie the remaining bracelet.

During the filming of the episode, Simon and Ethan got into a big fight which upset Frankie to the extent that she fled. She went back to Walter and Betsie's house where she went out back to sit on a rock and read her book. She told her brothers she needed time away to think things through. Before she knew it, she was kidnapped. She decided to break her bracelet to leave clues. All the while Frankie had been doing her own investigating and believed that she had clues as to whom murdered her parents. In the meantime, Laurie was doing her own investigating and had come up with clues of her own. While Frankie was kidnapped, Laurie and Simon had received text messages from her saying that she needed time away. Once Laurie realized something had happened to Frankie, it was clear the text messages hadn't come from her.

I liked the way the story flowed. The author didn't give any clues away early. The bracelets were a huge clue, but that didn't come out until near the end and Laurie was the one who discovered it. All in all, I thought the author did a fine job with this mystery. I was able to identify with the characters and the storyline was easy to follow. I gave it five stars.

This is coincidentally the second book I’ve read in a week involving a 10 year old cold case murder being solved by someone unaffiliated with police who remain uninvolved. Had I not read the other one first, I might have given this more stars, however, although this is an excellent book, it missed many opportunities to be an exceptional one. Told through the lens of identical twin brothers who have been accused of the murders, each of whom believes the other did the deed, and a public which is unsure if one acted alone or both acted in concert, the stage is set. A younger sister who has finally attained adulthood contacts a TV producer of a show that re-examines cold cases to determine who really dunnit, in the hope of ending the fractured sibling relationships. There are twists and turns and others who have motives for murder but in the end, truth will out. A very good read.

Another book in the Under Suspicion series? Yes, please! I was so excited to learn there would be another book in the series written by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke.

Book #8 in the series focuses on a set of twins suspected of murdering their parents on the night of their graduation party. Police suspect they planned it together, but the twins each suspect the other. Years later, the estranged brothers are faced with reliving that night to finally find the truth!

Sometimes it takes me a few chapters to get involved in a book, but this one caught my attention from the very start. I really enjoyed the fast pace and the suspenseful, plot driven storyline. While I had my suspicions about the real killer, it was still a very satisfying conclusion to the story.

I liked that they addressed the changing landscape of media, and the plethora or True Crime podcasts that now exist. It is almost overwhelming and hard to stand out in that arena!

The only negative for me was the storyline regarding Laurie’s boss and the host of the show, Ryan and their machinations to try to either change or take over Laurie’s show. It seems like this is a storyline in every book of the series and it is getting kind of tiresome for me.

All in all, another solid, enjoyable addition to this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Ok, is there anything better than a Mary Higgens Clark mystery?! I was so excited about it and was not disappointed. Drew me in right from the start and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend!

Alafair Burke has done an amazing job of carrying on the Mary Higgins Clark Under Suspicion series. It's exactly what you would expect if Mary Higgins Clark were still writing the series, and that's a big compliment. Great characters, a fast moving plot, and enough red herrings to keep you guessing. I couldn't stop turning the pages and read late into the night. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader copy

A great addition to this series- it keeps you guessing until the end. Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke are a dream team!

This was okay, not great.
I didn't realise it was a series so it wasn't what I was expecting. However, it did have some of that MHC flair. Overall, not too bad. The mystery itself was pretty exciting though they could have made it less predictable.

3.5 Stars

My mom used to read Mary Higgins’s Clark books growing up, so I knew immediately when I saw this ARC that I wanted to read it.

It Had to Be You is book #8 in the Under Suspicion Series which follows TV producer, Laurie Moran, investigating unsolved mysteries. Each book is a standalone, revolving around a different unsolved case, but Laurie’s story is continued through the series. I have not read books 1-7, but I had no problem following along, and didn’t feel like I had to read the previous books to understand what was going on with the recurring characters. I will say though, that I now am interested in going back and reading the previous books to learn more about Laurie’s story and the other cases.

This installment focuses on two brothers accused of their parent’s murders 10 years prior. Each brother is convinced that the other one is the culprit, and Laurie and her team investigate through their TV show, Under Suspicion, to get to the bottom of what actually happened the night that all of their lives changed forever.

This was a really easy read for me and I was intrigued throughout the whole read. The ending was a bit predictable, but overall, I still enjoyed the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with the eARC of this book!

Absolutely loved this book as I have the others in The Under Suspicion series by the authors. It reminded me how much I miss books written by Mary Higgins Clark! Once again the crew is trying to find the truth behind a murder that was never solved. This time it’s a double murder and the twin sons were suspects. I truly enjoyed this story and think any fans of these two authors or anyone who loves a good mystery will too.

I've loved this entire series and this book is the same! Great facts, twists and turns. Couldn't put it down!

Another great read in the Under Suspicion series! Laurie Moran is at it again, investigating the unsolved murder of a married couple. Based on the evidence at hand, it appears that the murder was committed by one or both of the twin sons. However, there is not enough weight to the evidence for a conviction. The investigation into the deaths takes you on a ride and makes you question the validity of what is presented to you. Wonderful read. I hate to see the series end. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I really enjoyed this book! For me it was the perfect pace and kept me interested the whole time! Loved alllllll the characters. Thanks Netgalley and to the publisher.

I really liked this book! I couldn’t put it down! I loved the uniqueness of the story. I had no clue who actually committed the murders and was surprised in the end. Leading to the end, there were a few things in the end that seemed a little too stretched, meaning the way clues were pieced together. I also felt there were a lot of characters. Even in the epilogue, there were names that I had no clue who those people were. I still really enjoyed the book.

It Had to be You is the eighth book in the Under Suspicion series, but also works fine as a standalone. Alafair Burke and Mary Higgins Clark began this series, and I'm so happy that Burke has been able to continue it after Clark's death. The main character of the series is Laurie Moran who is the producer of a true crime television series that investigates cold cases in which the main suspect is still "under suspicion."

In this book, the sister of the "Deadly Duo", identical twins accused of killing their parents, contacts Laurie asking her to look into the case from ten years ago. Some think the twins were working together, but each brother claims he's innocent and blames the other one. Laurie and her team learn there were many things the police never looked at in the original investigation and think they may finally be able to get justice for the Harrington family.

I really enjoy this series and seeing Laurie and her team research the cases, conduct the interviews for the show, and face a killer on or off the air. The series also follows Laurie's personal life as a widow with a young son who is able to find happiness in her life. Laurie is a likeable main character. She is kind and compassionate, but isn't afraid to stand up for herself. This installment of the series has the perfect balance of Laurie with her family and on the job. The book alternates between Laurie's point-of-view and different members of the Harrington family, who I liked getting to know.

A string of dramatic events that helps Laurie get all the facts about the deaths of Sarah and Richard Harrington. I was surprised when the whole truth came out, but the aftermath of the revelation was a bit of a let down in how it affected some of the characters, but the overall ending was a good one. 4.5 stars

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.