All spoilers for previous Under Suspicion novels will be unmarked
You Don't Own Me is a 2018 crime suspense novel by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. It is the sixth Under Suspicion novel.
Five years ago, Dr Martin Bell - a brilliant, beloved neurosurgeon and father of two - was fatally shot as he pulled into the driveway of his luxurious Manhattan home. No suspects were ever formally identified, but it's been widely speculated that Martin's troubled wife, Kendra Bell, hired a hitman to kill her husband. Laurie Moran had attempted to persuade Kendra to appear on Under Suspicion and tell her side, but Kendra refused to participate, citing concerns over her privacy and her children's well-being. Four months later, Martin's parents, Cynthia and Robert Bell, approach Laurie and demand she investigate, insisting that Kendra killed their son and they want her exposed so they can get custody of their grandchildren. When Laurie realises the Bells are under the impression Kendra was willing to cooperate with the show, she becomes determined to solve the case, questioning why Kendra would lie to her and her former in-laws.
Laurie soon discovers that Martin was not the perfect husband and father he presented himself as, with his treatment of Kendra being particularly disturbing. Nor was his professional life as scandal-free as it appeared, with rumours Martin was being sued for malpractice by disgruntled patients and relatives, one of whom could've been angered enough to end Martin's career for good. Martin's mistreatment of Kendra and controlling ways gives her a strong motive to want him dead; her regular, unexplained cash withdrawals before and after Martin's death also raise questions. Her boss and close friend Dr Steven Carter is eager to defend her, but his obvious affection for Kendra and hatred for Martin places him under suspicion, too. Then there's local senator, Daniel Longfellow, whose wife Leigh Ann was rumoured to have been Martin's lover; was the combination of romantic betrayal and the risk of a scandal derailing his career enough to provoke him to murder?
As Laurie sets about unravelling the Bell case, she becomes increasingly aware she is being followed by a bitter, vengeful stranger who may well wish her harm... but is he connected to the case or someone closer to home?
Tropes found in this novel include:
- 20 Minutes into the Past: The novel was published in 2018 and is set three years earlier in 2015.
- The Alibi:
- Kendra couldn't have killed Martin personally because she was asleep inside the house when he was gunned down in the driveway, with the nanny Caroline shaking her awake after calling 911. However, it doesn't rule out that she could've hired someone to kill Martin for her.
- Daniel Longfellow says he and his wife Leigh Ann were both in Washington D.C. on the night Martin was killed in Manhattan, though this doesn't rule out the possibility of a hired hit, albeit the police found no evidence of suspicious financial activity. Daniel later reveals that he can only account for his whereabouts, as Leigh Ann wasn't with him in D.C. on the night of the murder; he lied at the time because he was truly convinced Leigh Ann couldn't be involved, so he saw no reason to get Leigh Ann needlessly drawn into the investigation and potentially expose her affair.
- All for Nothing: Leigh Ann killed Martin, paid off Brenner for five years and then attempts to kill Brenner, all to prevent anyone finding out about her affair with Martin, as it could ruin her political ambitions via her marriage to Daniel. When her crimes are exposed, she is set to go to prison for many years, potentially the rest of her life, and her career and reputation are destroyed. Daniel's political career is also potentially going to be ruined by the scandal, far worse than if it had merely been revealed his wife cuckolded him (given that Daniel's attempt to cover his wife's infidelity gave her an alibi for her lover's murder).
- Awful Wedded Life: Kendra and Martin's marriage started well, with Kendra saying Martin "swept [her] off [her] feet", but it quickly went downhill after their first child was born and Kendra developed depression and was forced to give up work. When Kendra proved a 'disappointment' to Martin, he revealed his true colours, blaming Kendra for her mental health issues and giving her no support, while claiming she was the one who duped him into marriage. Kendra's condition only worsened because of Martin's cruelty and controlling ways, and she became convinced he was cheating. She began sneaking out to go on spending sprees or binge drinking at a dive bar just to regain some control. Martin's parents say the only reason he didn't divorce Kendra right away was because he believed he wouldn't be able to get custody of their children. As a result, it's not a stretch that Kendra could've arranged Martin's death to finally be rid of him.
- Bittersweet Ending: Kendra is proven innocent of killing Martin and with Joe Brenner arrested, she is no longer going to be blackmailed, finally allowing her to move on. It's implied Robert and Cynthia will develop a better relationship with Kendra, although they will still have to deal with their 'perfect' son being exposed as a fraud and an adulterer. Daniel has to deal with finding out his beloved wife is a cold-blooded killer whom he unknowingly covered for; it's all but stated their marriage is over and it's possible his political career will be ruined in the fall-out. Laurie survives her stalker's attempt to kill her unscathed, although the situation is still a bit tragic given that Willie Hayes was a desperate man driven to evil by bitterness, with Alex pointing out that his son will now have to visit him behind bars and he only made things worse for himself. At least Laurie and Alex find the perfect apartment for them to live in with Timmy once they're married.
- Blackmail:
- Ever since her husband's murder, Kendra has been blackmailed for thousands of dollars by a man she met at a dive bar known only as "Mike". He threatens to harm her and her children if she doesn't cooperate or lets anyone else find out about him. When Laurie finds out and confronts Kendra, she admits that Mike - whose real name is Joe Brenner - first approached her at The Beehive bar shortly before Martin's death and acted as a shoulder to cry on while she ranted about Martin's cruel treatment of her and how she wished to be rid of him. Brenner secretly recorded their conversations, then threatened to make the recordings public and get Kendra arrested for arranging Martin's death despite her being innocent. Kendra also feared that Brenner could even have killed Martin to blackmail her, which Laurie starts to suspect too.
- It turns out Brenner has been blackmailing Leigh Ann Longfellow for five years too, threatening to expose her affair with Martin to both her husband and the media, which could ruin her marriage and her political ambitions (as Brenner puts it, "Future first ladies don't get caught kissing someone else's husband"). Leigh Ann was unaware that Daniel already knew about the affair, he having been the one to hire Brenner in the first place; Brenner instead told Leigh Ann that Kendra hired him to investigate her husband's infidelity.
- Caught on Tape: This proves to be the killer's undoing. After Leigh Ann unsuccessfully tries to kill Joe Brenner and they are both surrounded by the police, Leigh Ann tries to play innocent, saying that Brenner confessed to killing Martin Bell, has been blackmailing her (which is true) and kidnapped and tried to kill her. Leo and Laurie both know she's actually the killer, but have no hard evidence... until Brenner reveals he had been recording he and Leigh Ann's conversation, the way he does with all his conversations, including Leigh Ann admitting to having murdered Martin and her intention to kill Brenner too. At this point, Leigh Ann drops the act, knowing there's no way for her to wriggle out of this one.
- Chekhov's Gunman: It's mentioned a few times that Alex Buckley recently defended a controversial client, an investment banker named Carl Newman who was accused of running a Ponzi scheme that lost his clients millions of dollars in savings. He was unexpectedly acquitted due to the prosecution mishandling the evidence, resulting in widespread outrage due to the lives Newman ruined; Alex was concerned the scandal could derail his appointment as a federal judge and says he understands people's anger as even he privately thinks Newman should've been convicted. It turns out Laurie's stalker, Willie Hayes, isn't connected to the case she's investigating for Under Suspicion, but was one of Carl Newman's victims; he blames Alex for Newman's acquittal and seeks to kill Laurie to get revenge.
- Custody Battle: Who gets custody of young Bobby and Mindy Bell is a source of conflict.
- Robert and Cynthia tell Laurie the only reason Martin hadn't filed for divorce from Kendra was because he believed he wouldn't get custody of Bobby and Mindy, believing the courts would automatically favour the children's mother; the Longfellows also say he half-jokingly asked if they knew any good divorce lawyers. Kendra is certain that Martin was gearing up to have her declared an unfit mother to take full custody of the children, with the team noting this would give her a motive to kill him. Leigh Ann confirms that Martin wanted her to help him get custody, as she was a lawyer and he believed she would make a good maternal figure (despite Leigh Ann's expressed dislike of children).
- Robert and Cynthia want Under Suspicion to prove Kendra arranged Martin's murder so they can file for custody of their grandchildren; while they grudgingly agree Kendra can no longer be called an unfit parent, they're adamant Kendra had their son killed and they don't want her raising the children. Kendra is terrified that her children will be taken away and turned against her, which is one of the real reasons she didn't want to go on Under Suspicion.The custody case never gets escalated because it's uncovered that Kendra wasn't involved in Martin's death, with Cynthia and Robert trying to mend bridges with Kendra instead.
- A Deadly Affair: Due to Kendra's claim that Martin was having an affair with Leigh Ann, it's speculated that Kendra or Leigh Ann's husband Daniel could've had Martin killed for revenge, although everyone but Kendra and Steven insists there was no affair. Leigh Ann and Martin were having an affair, but while Martin treated the relationship seriously and wanted to leave his wife for Leigh Ann, she only viewed the relationship as a temporary distraction because she was bored and lonely; she had no intention of leaving her husband, nor any interest in playing stepmother to Martin's kids. Martin didn't take this well and kept pushing Leigh Ann to leave her husband, including threatening to tell Daniel and the media (the latter of which could've derailed Daniel's political career and Leigh Ann's own ambitions). This prompted Leigh Ann to permanently silence Martin and let his wife take the blame.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: As Laurie and Leo are tailing Joe Brenner and Leigh Ann Longfellow following the sting operation they set up for the former, Laurie mentally replays some of his conversation with Kendra and thinks there's something odd about how he responded to Kendra's accusation he killed her husband: "You mean to tell me you didn't have anything to do with taking out your husband?" Laurie realises this means Brenner genuinely thought Kendra had killed Martin and he had nothing to do with it, leaving Leigh Ann as the only other plausible suspect. It's confirmed moments later when Leigh Ann pulls a gun on Brenner and he correctly deduces the same thing.
- Foreshadowing:
- Laurie's stalker fixates a lot on Laurie's recent engagement to Alex and his bitterness over his own failed marriage. The real reason he's targeting Laurie is to get at Alex, whom he blames for the loss of his wife and son due a recent case where Alex represented a defendant who had ruined the stalker's life; he believes Alex doesn't deserve to find love and happiness for himself. Laurie's investigation into Martin Bell's murder is completely incidental to the stalking.
- Laurie and Jerry have doubts that Leigh Ann and Martin had an affair or that Martin would seriously have left his wife for her, because their personalities are like "oil and water"; Martin wanted a submissive housewife devoted to the home and children, standing on the sidlelines making him look good, but Leigh Ann is a driven, career-focused woman who takes an active part in her husband's political career and doesn't like children. It turns out they were having an affair, but their opposing personalities and ambitions did cause major problems; namely, Leigh Ann wasn't interested in the lifestyle Martin wanted to push her into if they left their spouses, but he wasn't willing to take no for an answer.
- Maybe Ever After: In the epilogue, it's indicated that Kendra is finally ready to give Steven a chance romantically and that they will end up in a relationship, with Laurie in particular rooting for them to find happiness together.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Kendra is convinced Martin was having an affair and that she would "bet [her] life" on Leigh Ann Longfellow being the other woman, as they were constantly spending time together, much more so than the time Martin spent with his wife and kids. Martin, the Longfellows and Martin's parents all adamantly denied there was an affair and the police found no evidence of one either, with Leigh Ann explaining she and Martin were childhood friends who both began working together on their school's alumni board and that's why they were so frequently in contact. It's then subverted when it's confirmed they were having an affair, with Leigh Ann and Daniel having separately gone to great lengths to conceal this and Martin trying to gaslight Kendra into thinking she was just being paranoid.
- Shout-Out: When discussing her marriage with Laurie, Kendra brings up the movie Gaslight, saying that being married to Martin was much like the relationship depicted in that film; Laurie says she's familiar with it and the play it was based on, as the movie was one of her mother's favourites, so she understands what Kendra is trying to say about Martin's behaviour.
- Time Skip: The prologue takes place on the night of Martin Bell's murder, then skips ahead five years to the present day events. The final chapter takes place two weeks after the main story is concluded.
- Too Much Alike: The affair between Leigh Ann and Martin and subsequent fall-out is a dark example of the pairing of two ruthlessly ambitious, self-absorbed people with narcissistic tendencies. Leigh Ann wasn't interested in a serious relationship with Martin and definitely wasn't keen on standing in his shadow. Martin wasn't willing to accept her refusal and tried to manipulate her into caving to his demands, prompting Leigh Ann to respond with violence.
- Trashy True Crime: Caroline complains that true crime fanatics touring infamous Manhattan murder sites keep showing up at the house where she works as a live-in nanny; five years ago her employer Dr Martin Bell was shot dead in the driveway, with it being suspected but never proven that his wife was involved. When Caroline confronted one touring group, saying that they were being disruptive and disrespectful as a family - including Martin's young children - still live in the house, the tour guide's response was to reveal Caroline was the one who first found the murder victim and encouraged people to ask questions and take pictures.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The epilogue reveals what happened to the characters two weeks after the main story wraps up.
- Leigh Ann Longfellow and Joe Brenner are both in custody and are likely going to be sentenced to many years in prison, Leigh Ann for murder and attempted murder, Brenner for extortion.
- Daniel Longfellow publicly apologises for giving his wife a false alibi and makes it clear he's going to cooperate with the prosecution against her; it looks likely he'll resign as senator, though it's speculated he may be able to ride it out thanks to his popularity and contrition.
- Laurie's stalker Willie Hayes has also been charged with robbing and attempting to kill Laurie; they may not be able to prove he mugged Laurie, but the latter charge is more likely to stick given the evidence.
- Kendra Bell is willing to testify about Brenner's blackmailing her and threatening her children. She, Caroline and the children are in a much better place now they no longer have Martin's unsolved murder and Brenner's blackmail scheme hanging over them; it's also implied Kendra may start a new relationship with Steven Carter.
- Robert and Cynthia Bell have been more cordial with Kendra now they know she didn't kill their son.
- Laurie, Alex and Timmy are preparing to move into their new apartment, looking forward to starting their lives together as a family.
- Who Murdered the Asshole: The Under Suspicion team soon realise the late Martin Bell had made several enemies, some of whom would potentially have wanted him dead.
- He was awful to his wife Kendra and had been planning to divorce her and get custody of their children; Kendra also suspects he was having an affair. This would give her a significant motive to arrange his death. She says that while she loved him once, she doesn't deny her life has improved now that Martin is no longer in it and she was overheard going on drunken rants against Martin at a dive bar she frequented.
- Steven Carter makes no secret of the fact he's been in love with Kendra since medical school and despised Martin, who not only married the woman he loved but treated her like dirt. He also vehemently defends Kendra against those who speculate she was involved in Martin's death. This leads some to wonder if he killed Martin out of revenge and for a chance to be with Kendra.
- George Naughten blamed Martin for his beloved mother's death, saying that he over-prescribed her pain medication that ruined her quality of life and led to her accidentally overdosing.
- Daniel Longfellow was aware of the rumours his wife was having an affair with Martin and the scandal could potentially have derailed his political career if it became public knowledge, especially if he refused to divorce Leigh Ann (whom he obviously adores).
- It turns out Martin was murdered by his lover Leigh Ann Longfellow, because he refused to let her end their affair and demanded she leave her husband for him. When he threatened to make their affair public to force her hand, Leigh Ann decided he needed to be silenced permanently.
