You Don't Own Me

October 22, 2018
In MWA Grand Master Clark and Burke’s formulaic fifth novel starring Laurie Moran (after 2017’s Every Breath You Take), Laurie, who works for a reality TV show, Under Suspicion, investigating cases that have stymied the police, is put in a difficult position by Robert and Cynthia Bell. Five years earlier, the Bells’ physician son, Martin, was gunned down in the driveway of his Manhattan townhouse. Though Martin’s wife, Kendra, reputed to be a substance abuser, became the main person of interest, she was never charged. The Bells beseech Laurie to revisit her initial refusal to look into Martin’s murder, in the hope of proving Kendra guilty. Despite some suspicious equivocation, Kendra consents to be interviewed, even as her kids’ lives are under threat from an unidentified man. Laurie comes to believe that there are other leads worth pursuing, and, predictably, she ends up in harm’s way. Character depth isn’t the series’ strong suit, and this entry is most likely to appeal to series fans who are invested in the lead character. Agent: Bob Barnett, Williams & Connolly.