I’ve Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark

Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: April 2014

Five years ago, Laurie Moran’s life was cruelly turned upside down when her husband was gunned down in front of their three-year-old son. Known only as Blue Eyes, the killer’s parting threat haunts her family, “Tell your mother she’s next, then it’s your turn.”

Determined not to let fear rule her life, Laurie is confronting death yet again. This time as the producer of a true-crime show that will feature unsolved cold cases. The series will premiere with the 20-year-old murder of socialite Betsy Powell. Mr. Powell discovered his wife suffocated in her own bed following a gala celebration, honoring the graduation of her daughter and three friends.

Now, Laurie is reuniting the suspects in the very place where the ghastly murder occurred. Convinced she has a hit show in the making, Laurie hopes to unearth the identity of a cunning killer who has eluded capture and justice for two decades. Little does Laurie realize that the man who wants her family dead stands nearby, plotting and setting into motion the final stages of his evil plan.

Mary Higgins Clark returns in I’ve Got You Under My Skin with another promising mystery that offers motives and suspects galore. Clark has been my favorite author for years, and I always eagerly await diving head first into her latest novels. That being said, I experienced very mixed emotions with this story.

Clark masterfully built up the mystery and kept me guessing until the last minute. While the identity of Betsy Powell’s killer didn’t shock me, I did wonder what direction the author would take right up to the end since they all seem equally guilty and possessed ample reasons to want the woman dead. However, the ending did prove anti-climactic. The resolution to Betsy’s death is so swift, the reader will miss it if s/he blinks. Also, once Blue Eyes’ motives for revenge surface, they seem a bit absurd after such an elaborate, nail-biting scheme.

The storytelling in I’ve Got You Under My Skin definitely didn’t live up to her earlier novels, coming across as weak and repetitive on multiple occasions. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading this book and hope to see many more. I love the way the author integrates several plot lines to eventually bring them around in full circle and tie them all together. However, if this is your first encounter with Clark, I wouldn’t suggest starting with this novel or you will miss the full effect of her writing and her incredible knack for taking ordinary characters and dropping them into extraordinary situations that keep the readers riveted until the last word drops off the page.

Review copy provided by publisher. Thanks!

**Originally posted on Fiction Addict.