All Dressed in White

4.5 stars.

All Dressed in White is the latest addition to Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke's Under Suspicion mystery series. In this outing, the cast and crew of the cold case TV show are profiling the unsolved disappearance of a bride who vanished five years earlier.

Television producer Laurie Moran is about to pitch her latest ideas for the next episode in her popular television show when Sandra Pierce drops by her office in hopes of convincing Laurie to feature her missing daughter's case. Dubbed the Runaway Bride, Amanda Pierce vanished without a trace the day before her destination wedding and no one has seen or heard from her again. Despite a thorough investigation, the police could not say with any certainty that foul play was show more involved in her disappearance, but Sandra remains convinced Amanda's fiancé Jeff Hunter murdered her for financial gain. Once all of the members of the wedding party and Amanda's family agree to participate in the show, Laurie, along with her cast and crew, head to Palm Beach to reenact the events leading up to Amanda's disappearance in hopes of solving the case.

Laurie is no stranger to losing a loved one to murder and she understands better than anyone Sandra's need for answers about her daughter's disappearance. Laurie's preliminary research supports the theory that Amanda did not leave under her own volition but with a plethora of suspects, which includes not only Jeff, but his current wife (and Amanda's best friend) Meghan White, and Amanda's sister Charlotte, Laurie still has a lot of work ahead of her. New clues emerge after reviewing the security footage from the hotel, but there is still very little evidence as to the perpetrator's identity. During the course of the investigation, it also becomes apparent there are several members of the wedding party who are harboring secrets they are reluctant to have revealed.

The pool of suspects is vast and the information that Laurie uncovers does not help narrow down her list or their possible reason for murdering Amanda. Jeff is a natural suspect since he stood to gain a vast fortune in the event of Amanda's death. His rather quick marriage to Meghan also paints him in an unflattering light but does that also make him a killer? Meghan also falls under suspicion considering her marriage to Jeff but Laurie also discovers the two women were quarreling in the days leading up to Amanda's disappearance. Close friend Kate Fulton is afraid a secret she is keeping will be exposed but does this have any bearing on what happened to Amanda? Jeff's groomsmen are obnoxious and seemingly harmless but their actions are also closely scrutinized throughout the investigation. A surprise suspect emerges after the wedding photographer remembers his assistant was not initially questioned after Amanda's disappearance. News about the murder of a student from the same campus where several of the key players attended college piques Laurie's interest but is there any connection between that long ago homicide and Amanda's case?

Intricately plotted with a fantastic cast of characters, All Dressed in White is a cleverly written whodunit. This engaging and fast-paced mystery will stymie readers as Laurie and her team investigate their latest cold case in hopes of discovering the truth about what happened to missing bride Amanda Pierce. Another excellent collaboration from Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke that old and new fans of the Under Suspicion series are sure to love. show less

“All Dressed in White” by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

“All Dressed in White” is the second book in the Under Suspicion series co-authored by the much esteemed Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke.
Laurie Moran’s wildly popular crime show, Under Suspicion, features profiles of cold cases in hopes of finding a resolution. Missing persons is not their usual forte, but when the mother of Amanda Pierce asks Laurie to help her uncover the truth about her daughter’s mysterious disappearance, Laurie agrees to look into the case.
Amanda and Jeff were the golden couple, all set to begin their life together. But, on the eve of their wedding, Amanda vanishes without a trace. Had she simply walked away or did someone murder her? show more Who stood to gain from her death? Who were her enemies? What secrets will float to the surface once Laurie and her team start digging around in the past? Will they find Amanda dead…or alive?
I love cold case mysteries more than any other type, so after reading “The Cinderella Murder,” I knew this series was for me. While the first book was very good, this second installment is even better.
It’s bad enough when someone is murdered and years pass without justice being served, but when someone disappears for five long years, it’s unlikely they simply ran away. Still, by now the details are murky, there is no body, no proof of a crime, and people have moved forward with their lives. But, bringing all the players back together to tape the show reveals a few cracks in the armor within Amanda’s own family, her friends, and with the all too perfect fiancé.
This story is absorbing and kept me guessing all the way to the bitter 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. This is a clean mystery, without graphic details and the language is very mild, making this a story everyone can enjoy. 4.5 stars.

Reviewed by Julie Whiteley for Suspense Magazine show less

I've been going through my eARCs and the best part is when I discover that my audiobook service has books I have had for a long time to read. Like this one. Confession, I have never read a Mary Higgins Clark book before, despite that she has written A LOT of books. So, this one was my first and I quite liked the book.

The book feels a bit like reading Murder she Wrote episode if you know what I mean. A crime has been committed and someone in the group around the person has committed the crime. Now the person investigating the crime, in this case, Laurie Moran who has a cold case TV series. I liked Laurie Moran, she is a good character and I liked how bringing all the people to a reenactment of the wedding finally gave some answers to the show more missing bride question.

This is not the most complex kind of story, but it's very pleasant. The narrator was good and I quite enjoyed this not too long story about a missing bride. Frankly, this book was so pleasant that when I found a Mary Higgins Clark book in the library at work, where we can leave and take books, did I bring it home with me. I liked the structure of the book and I definitely will read more Mary Higgins Clark books when I feel like I want something between heavier and more draining books. show less

Laurie Moran and her team have been researching and preparing pitch ideas for the next Under Suspicion television show. They've narrowed their choices down to three unsolved cases when the mother of the so-called "runaway bride" comes in and asks that they find out the truth about her daughter's disappearance. Laurie is sure that this case is the case for Under Suspicion to investigate in All Dressed In White by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke.

Normally Laurie and her team has weeks, if not months, to prepare and investigate a case for their television show. All that changes with the impromptu visit of Sandra Pierce, on behalf of her missing daughter and bride-to-be Amanda Pierce. Now the team has less than a week to do the show more background on each member of the wedding party, obtain everyone's permission to appear on the show, and book the Florida resort the wedding would have taken place at five years earlier. It doesn't take long before Laurie realizes that not everyone saw Amanda in the same loving light as her mother. Amanda's sister had and continues to have jealousy issues? Amanda's best friend and maid of honor is now married to Amanda's fiancé. And Amanda's fiancé stands to gain a couple of million dollars in her will despite an ironclad prenuptial agreement. Did Amanda get cold feet and simply walk away from her fiance, job, and family or was her disappearance due to more deadly motives?

I found All Dressed in White to be a fast-paced and enjoyable read, as well as a great addition to the Under Suspicion series. This story provides just a little more background and insight into Laurie and Alex's growing relationship, adding a little bit of a romance element to this mystery. I found the characters to be well-developed, realistic and likable. The authors provide just enough information to the reader that almost every member of the bridal party becomes suspicious until the bitter end (no, I won't reveal whodunnit...read the book!). The story takes a few twists and turns along the way, but that only added to my overall enjoyment. If you enjoy reading mysteries or simply are looking for something a little different to read this fall, then I suggest you grab a copy of All Dressed in White. show less

A little bit of a hot mess, to be honest. Having read both Burke's and Mary Higgins Clark's works, their voices really don't fuse well. And the epilogue clearly had some pieces edited out as it didn't make solid sense. That said, enough twists to keep it interesting. I'll keep on reading this series.

I've heard great things about both Mary Higgins Clark AND Alafair Burke, and when I saw this new item (something I could check off my 2016 Reading Challenge list--namely, "an item published this year"), I jumped at the chance to read it!
I really loved the premise of this story--it's about a gal who is a TV Program producer, who specializes in bringing cold cases to light and attempting to solve them on video. This is the second in a series, but it didn't seem to hurt me, not having read the first one. There are obviously characters that had been introduced before, but they were reintroduced in such a way that it didn't seem redundant to me. (It's important to me, when I jump into the middle of a series, to be able to pick it up without show more feeling like I've missed anything; but I also don't want to feel like I'm being patronized by the author striving hard to bring me up to speed--this book was the perfect balance, in that respect.) show less

“Under Suspicion” is a true crime television reality show that investigates unsolved cold cases. Guided by producer Laurie Moran, the case currently being investigated focuses on Amanda Pierce, a bride who disappeared from a hotel the night before her wedding.

The suspect list is long and includes Amanda’s fiancé and her best friend who are now married to each other. Despite the scrutiny, Jeff and Meghan claim they had no interest in each other until after Amanda’s disappearance. Others on hand for the reenactment of the weekend the bride disappeared include the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and Amanda’s brother and sister. Conflicting stories and the suggestion by several of the suspects that the bride intentionally disappeared all show more serve to complicate the investigation.

With more than enough deceit, suspicion, and intrigue to script a soap opera, this mystery will keep readers guessing right up to the unexpected reveal.

Recommended. show less