All spoilers for previous Under Suspicion novels will be unmarked
Every Breath You Take is a 2017 crime suspense novel by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. It is the fifth Under Suspicion novel.
Laurie Moran is searching for her next cold case to investigate for Under Suspicion when the show's host Ryan Nichols presents her with a compelling unsolved mystery: the suspicious death of Virginia Wakeling, the incredibly wealthy widow of a real estate mogul and a prominent member of the board of trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Three years ago, Virginia was attending a glamorous fundraiser gala at the Met, which ended with her being thrown - or possibly jumping - to her death from the museum's roof.
The chief suspect is Virginia's much younger boyfriend, private gym owner and personal trainer Ivan Gray, whom Virginia's family never trusted, believing he was taking advantage of Virginia's generosity. However, both Ivan and Ryan protest his innocence, with Ivan suggesting that one of Virginia's own family members could've been responsible; her son Carter, daughter Anna and son-in-law Peter all inherited Virginia's vast fortune, but they may have become aware Virginia had been considering changing her will to leave most of her money to charity. There's also Virginia's nephew Tom, who has never quite fitted in with the family and resented his wealthier aunt and cousins, though they all appear tight-knit now. Another potential suspect is Penny Rawling, Virginia's secretive and ambitious secretary who also benefitted financially from her employer's death.
While Laurie pursues new leads in the case, she also finds herself contemplating what her future holds, in particular whether her ex-boyfriend and former Under Suspicion host Alex Buckley will be part of it. But as Laurie gets closer to the truth behind Virginia's death, someone may be willing to cut her future short to keep their secrets hidden.
Tropes found in this novel include:
- 20 Minutes into the Past: The book was published in 2017 and is set two years earlier in 2015, about two months after the events of The Sleeping Beauty Killer (set in late 2014).
- Age-Gap Romance:
- Virginia Wakeling and Ivan Gray had a gap of twenty-one years; she was in her mid sixties and he was in his late forties when they began dating. Ivan is only nine years older than Virginia's son Carter and eleven years older than her daughter Anna, who pointed out that Virginia was old enough to be Ivan's mother. Virginia's family didn't approve of her dating a man so much younger, though the couple were happy together and Virginia wished everyone would just mind their own business. Virginia initially thought of the relationship as just light fun, but shortly prior to her death she was seriously contemplating marrying Ivan, while Ivan states he'd already bought an engagement ring and popped the question.
- It's revealed that three years ago, Penny Rawling had been in a secretive relationship with Carter Wakeling; he was eleven years older than Penny - then in her late 20s - and had already been married and divorced once in his early 30s, several years before he and Penny started dating. It's implied near the end of the novel that they will rekindle their relationship.
- The Alibi: Besides Tom Wakeling and his date Tiffany Simons - who both stated they were together the whole night and nowhere near the roof - none of the other potential suspects - Carter Wakeling, Anna Wakeling, Peter Browning, Ivan Gray and Penny Rawling - have confirmable alibis for Virginia's death. The Under Suspicion team note that it's improbable Anna or Penny personally killed Virginia, as they weren't physically strong enough to have lifted Virginia up and thrown her over the roof ledge (the ledge and the shrubbery atop it are too high for someone to be simply shoved over). However, it doesn't completely rule them out, as they could've had an accomplice such as Anna's husband, brother or both, or Penny's secret lover. And then it turns out Tiffany and Tom both lied about being together the entire time; they were briefly separated and Tiffany triggered a silent alarm by stealing a bracelet on the second floor, so she can't confirm where Tom was at that time.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- The dresses of the First Ladies that were being displayed at the Met the night Virginia died, specifically the Jackie Kennedy display. The team discovers that a charm bracelet displayed with the dress is missing; at the time no one noticed and it was merely assumed to have been lost, especially as it wasn't particularly valuable and people were more focused on Virginia's death, but the team realises that someone at the gala stole the bracelet, tripping a silent alarm that distracted the security guards around the same time Virginia fell from the roof.
- It's mentioned that Laurie, Leo and Timmy are all able to track each other phone locations in case of emergencies, which they implemented after Greg was killed. In the climax, Leo is able to track Laurie's phone to where she dropped it outside Tiffany's house, enabling him to launch a rescue operation.
- Continuity Nod: When Charlotte offers to help Laurie with her investigation, Laurie is initially apprehensive, pointing out that the last time Charlotte helped her with a case Charlotte was nearly killed by the perpetrator, referencing the climax of The Sleeping Beauty Killer. Charlotte dismissively says that Laurie ended up saving her life and that this time things will be a lot safer, as she's going to be meeting a person of interest in her office with Laurie present, rather than getting unwittingly trapped alone with the killer.
- Driving Question: Was Virginia Wakeling thrown from the roof of the Met or did she jump herself? If it was the former, who did it and why? If it was the latter, then what drove her to it?
- Fake Alibi: It turns out Tom and Tiffany both gave each other fake alibis on the night Virginia was killed, albeit for different, unrelated crimes; Tiffany (who is a bit ditzy) is also initially unaware she's also Tom's fake alibi and is horrified when she realises. Tom and Tiffany both snuck up to the Met's second floor, with Tom saying they should split up to head back downstairs to avoid being caught by security. Tiffany stole a bracelet from an exhibit on the second floor and when she saw all the commotion downstairs due to Virginia's body having been discovered, she panicked and told Tom about the theft. He assured her he wouldn't tell anyone and they both told investigators that they were together on the second floor when Virginia was pushed off the roof. With the revelation that Tom wasn't with Tiffany the whole night, it puts him back into the spotlight for Virginia's murder; the fact Tiffany had committed a crime too meant Tom felt confident his alibi was safe.
- Foreshadowing:
- When Ryan and Laurie question Penny about rumours she was having a relationship with a man close to Virginia, she says it's "ridiculous" because Virginia's friends were "three times [her] age", only for Ryan to point out that Virginia's son Carter and son-in-law Peter were both closer to Penny's age. Penny gets annoyed and snarky over the insinuation she had an affair with Peter. Notably, she doesn't say anything to refute having a relationship with Carter, who actually was her lover.
- Shortly before Virginia fell from the roof, the security guards were distracted by a silent alarm going off on the second floor. The team thinks it's too much of a coincidence, speculating that whoever killed Virginia may have had an accomplice who set the alarm off an distraction, especially as nothing appeared to have been stolen. Laurie does think it's strange that the alarm went off in the middle of the room rather than at the edge, the latter of which would make more sense if you wanted to create a distraction then make a quick getaway. The alarm - triggered by the theft of a not-especially-valuable bracelet - isn't directly related to Virginia's murder, though the killer did take advantage of the theft to avoid the guards and create a fake alibi.
- It's mentioned by both Tiffany and the Wakelings that Tiffany's grandmother supposedly had an affair with Jack Kennedy back in the day and he gave a charm bracelet that was later lost. Tiffany was heard to remark her grandmother had been romantically entangled with so many presidents, she deserved an exhibit at the museum too. After having a few too many drinks at the gala, Tiffany impulsively stole a charm bracelet similar to the one her grandmother described from the Jackie Kennedy display, knowing her grandmother would like it. Tiffany unknowingly tripped an alarm that distracted the security guards; as she was alone when she took the bracelet, it also means she can't fully account for Tom's whereabouts that night.
- Tiffany - who claims to be psychic - tells Laurie that she noticed she's not wearing a wedding ring, but that it's relevant to a decision she'll be making soon. At the end of the novel, Alex proposes to Laurie over dinner and she accepts.
- Gory Discretion Shot: We're not given a detailed description of Virginia's body after she fell to her death, but based on the reactions of the people who saw the aftermath, it was not pretty (she fell from the roof of the Met and was found lying in Central Park, which is a height of about 150 ft).
- Hostage Situation: The climax sees Laurie and Tiffany being taken hostage inside Tiffany's house by Tom. His plan isn't to use them as hostages but rather to kill them because They Know Too Much and make it look like a burglary gone wrong, but Laurie manages to contact her father and the police and alert them to what's happening. Leo, Charlotte and the police devise a plan to get Tiffany and Laurie out safely without turning it into a genuine hostage situation, as at this stage Tom doesn't realise the cops are onto him and they're concerned it will further complicate an already dangerous situation, or cause Tom to panic and kill Laurie and Tiffany sooner. When Laurie makes a run for it through the front door and Tom tries to shoot her, the police end up shooting Tom dead.
- Humble Parent, Spoiled Kids: Robert "Bob" Wakeling founded his own real estate business and worked hard to make it a success, with his wife Virginia supporting him throughout their decades-long marriage. Virginia understood and appreciated putting in time and effort to earn your fortune rather than just coasting by on inherited wealth. She was also heavily involved in charitable causes, wanting to meaningfully give back to society. Her children, having been born into immense wealth, don't appreciate this as much. While daughter Anna isn't a layabout and is devoted to the family business, she can be snobby towards those she sees as lesser. Son Carter has never had much interest in the business and lives an indulgent lifestyle, with his mother at one point saying he was almost as bad as his cousin Tom with his entitled and blasé attitude towards money. It's rumoured and confirmed that Virginia had intended to change her will to keep her children humble and hard-working; while they'd keep their father's business to run, she would leave her millions to charities.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Ivan is 6'3" and heavily muscled, while his girlfriend Virginia was 5'4" with a slight build. This is Played for Drama, as it's noted it would've been extremely easy for Ivan to have picked up Virginia and thrown her from the roof of the Met.
- Inheritance Murder:
- Ivan claims that Virginia told him she was considering changing her will; while her children and son-in-law would still inherit the real estate business founded by their father, she may have planned to leave most of her vast fortune to charity, wanting her children to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and work hard at maintaining the family business instead of slacking off and living on their inheritance. Her secretary Penny says she found scribbled notes backing up Ivan's claims, leading the Under Suspicion team to consider if Virginia's own children and son-in-law killed her before the new will was written. While Anna, Peter and Carter were aware and concerned about the will, (especially Carter) none of them killed Virginia for her money.
- The team considers if Penny Rawling could've killed Virginia to get her hands on the money Virginia intended to bequeath her, just in case she was fired and written out of the will due to her poor work performance. They start to realise it's unlikely though, as Penny only received $75,000 in the will; while it is a lot of money for some people, it's made clear Penny wanted to move closer into Virginia's inner circle and be part of her upper-class lifestyle, so she lost more than she gained via Virginia's death. When it comes to light her secret lover was someone close to Virginia, the team speculate whether Penny had plotted Virginia's murder with him to share in his inheritance, only to be dumped. Penny did tell Carter about Virginia's intentions to change her will, but she was just trying to help him and never imagined it would give him a motive for murder (plus he's not the killer).
- It's revealed Virginia's nephew Tom killed her after they argued about Tom's share of the inheritance and his involvement with Wakeling Development; Tom tried to persuade Virginia to let him have a role at the company, but Virginia didn't trust him because of his lack of responsibility and gambling debts. She'd already greatly reduced his inheritance from $125,000 to $50,000 following her husband's death and had been planning to further alter her will to leave all the money to charities (her children would keep control of Wakeling Development, but Tom would likely be left nothing). Tom ending up murdering Virginia in a blind rage when she refused to change her mind.
- Intrafamilial Class Conflict: Virginia's late husband Bob Wakeling had a falling-out with his brother Kenneth "Ken" Wakeling over the family real estate business, Wakeling Development; Bob and Ken both founded the business, but within five years Ken left to pursue his own career in architecture because the business wasn't making money, with Bob buying his brother out. However, eventually Wakeling Development began thriving, with Bob becoming a multi-millionaire and entering New York's high society. Ken tried to get a slice of the pie but Bob refused to let him back in, saying that Ken had given up on their dream and left him to do all the work himself; Ken saw his brother as greedy and selfish for refusing to share. The brothers' estrangement extended to the next generation, with Ken's son Tom resenting his cousins for excluding and looking down on him when all they'd done was be born into wealth, while Virginia and her children saw Tom as a lazy freeloader who felt entitled to his uncle's fortune despite not putting in the work to earn it. Tom and his cousins have since reconciled and work for Wakeling Development together, though it's implied there's still some tension beneath the surface.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: Tom doesn't want to risk Tiffany potentially revealing he doesn't have an alibi, so he drives to her house intending to force her to overdose on pills, hoping that people will just dismiss it as an accidental overdose given how eccentric Tiffany is. However, when he arrives he discovers Laurie has already beaten him there, prompting him to improvise a Plan B by taking her and Tiffany hostage.
- Multiple Gunshot Death: A police SWAT team shoots Tom several times when he tries to shoot Laurie; he only misses because the police get there first when they see him pointing the gun at Laurie and he dies at the scene.
- Relationship Upgrade: After four books of Unresolved Sexual Tension (which continues for a lot of this book too), Alex and Laurie finally become an Official Couple at the end of the novel, with Laurie accepting a marriage proposal from Alex.
- Rooftop Confrontation: The most likely explanation for Virginia's death is that someone followed her up to the Met's roof, they had some kind of argument and the other person got angry enough to fling her off the roof to her death. It's eventually revealed that Virginia's nephew Tom went up to the roof with her and aggressively tried to persuade her to let him work for the family company, only to be coldly rebuffed. Tom did not take this well. Tom tries to claim Virginia fell by accident, but his version isn't physically possible based on the architecture of the roof.
- Suicide, Not Murder: It's brought up that Virginia could potentially have thrown herself off the Met's roof to intentionally end her life, with it being noted she'd seemed upset shortly before her death and had told her assigned security guard she wanted to go up to the roof alone for "fresh air". However, just about everyone the Under Suspicion team talks to insists that Virginia wasn't depressed, let alone suicidal; her behaviour and thoughts in the prologue also don't remotely suggest she's on the brink of suicide (much the opposite). The only person of interest who independently brings up this theory is Tiffany, who isn't a terribly reliable character witness given she barely knew Virginia (though she remarks that after spending just a short time with Virginia's family, if she were Virginia she might've chucked herself off a roof just to get away from them).
- Swat Team: Leo calls one in to rescue Laurie and Tiffany when he learns they're being held hostage by Tom. After Charlotte volunteers herself as bait to lure Tom out of Tiffany's house, the SWAT team shoot Tom dead when he attempts to kill Laurie as she flees through the door.
- Time Skip: The prologue is set three years before the main events of the story, during the Met gala where Virginia Wakeling dies.
- Useless Security Camera: One of the reasons the police got stuck on investigating Virginia's death is because despite it taking place in the Met during a huge gala, there's no surveillance footage available that might tell them who followed Virginia up to the roof. The head of security explains to Laurie that because the gala was being held on the first floor and the higher floors were closed off to the guests (as a trustee of the museum, Virginia could go where she liked), the cameras on those floors were turned off to run systems maintenance.
