Let me cut to the chase - I expected more from this one. Mary Higgins Clark's name on a cover used to be a guarantee for me, and I'd heard good things about the Under Suspicion series. But finishing this at 2 AM with Ranger snoring on his bed and my coffee long cold, I found myself thinking: that was... fine. Just fine. Which, for a murder mystery set at the Met Gala, feels like a missed opportunity.
A Body on the Met Rooftop Deserves More Heat
The premise grabbed me immediately. Virginia Wakeling - wealthy museum trustee, generous donor, older woman dating her personal trainer Ivan Gray - gets thrown off the Metropolitan Museum of Art's roof during the Met Gala. Three years later, Laurie Moran's cold-case TV show picks it up. That's a solid setup. The Met Gala setting alone should drip with tension and glamour, and the suspect pool of super-wealthy real estate families with secrets to hide is classic Clark territory.
But here's where it lost me - the pacing. At just over seven hours, this should've been tight as a drum. Instead, a good chunk of the runtime gets eaten by Laurie's personal life drama. Her on-again-off-again situation with former host Alex Buckley, her friction with his replacement Ryan Nichols, her father Leo's involvement as a retired NYPD first deputy commissioner. I get it - this is the fifth book in a series, and these threads matter to loyal readers. But for someone jumping in here (guilty), the soap opera elements diluted the murder investigation when I wanted the investigation cranked to eleven.
The actual mystery mechanics are competent. The Wakeling family dynamics - Virginia's adult children who may or may not have resented her relationship with Ivan, the financial entanglements around Ivan's boutique gym Punch that Virginia bankrolled - these threads kept me engaged. Clark and Burke know how to scatter suspects effectively. Every time I thought I had the killer pinned, another angle opened up. That part works.
Heather Lind Behind the Mic
Heather Lind's narration is... serviceable. I don't have strong feelings either way, which in audiobook terms is probably a C+. She handles the large cast adequately - you can follow who's speaking - but there's a flatness to the delivery during what should be high-tension moments. When Laurie starts connecting dangerous dots and realizes witnesses are in jeopardy, I wanted the narrator to shift gears, to let me feel that tightening in the chest. Instead, the emotional register stays pretty level throughout.
At 1.25x, the pacing actually improved. Lind's natural pace is measured, maybe a touch deliberate for my taste, and bumping the speed gave the dialogue more energy. If you're a speed listener, this one benefits from it.
The Clark Formula - Comfort Food or Comfort Rut?
I had an interesting realization about halfway through, sitting in my truck outside a client's office in Round Rock waiting for a meeting. This book isn't really trying to be a thriller. It's a cozy mystery wearing thriller clothes. The violence is kept at arm's length. The danger to Laurie feels manufactured rather than visceral. Nobody's getting their hands truly dirty here.
And that's okay - if that's what you're after. Linda would probably enjoy this more than I did. The Clark brand has always been about accessible suspense with likable protagonists navigating both personal and criminal puzzles. This delivers exactly that. The problem is I came in expecting the screws to tighten in a way they never quite do. Brad Thor's No Fortunate Son is what I reach for when I need those screws actually cranked - the kind of book where the danger never feels manufactured and I'm genuinely not sure who's walking out alive.
The resolution lands cleanly enough. The killer reveal made sense when I thought back through the clues, which is the minimum requirement for a mystery. But I didn't get that gut-punch moment where everything clicks and you think "how did I miss that?" It was more of a head-nod. Yeah, okay, that tracks.
One thing that did work - the depiction of how money insulates people from consequences, how Virginia's wealthy circle closed ranks while simultaneously pointing fingers at the outsider (Ivan, the personal trainer boyfriend). That class dynamic felt authentic and gave the story its best tension.
Who Gets the Green Light
If you're already invested in the Under Suspicion series and Laurie Moran's world, this is a solid continuation. The series-level character development seems meaningful based on references to earlier books. If you want a breezy, low-stakes mystery for background listening during housework or a short commute cycle, it fits the bill.
But if you're looking for something that's going to keep you white-knuckling the steering wheel? This isn't your mission. Ranger slept through the climax, and honestly, I can't blame him.
Worth your time? Here's the debrief: it's a competent, comfortable mystery that never quite rises to the occasion its Met Gala premise promises. Not a waste of seven hours, but not one I'll think about next week either.
