Seamless writing, sympathetic characters (and a few scoundrels), and brisk plotting. . . . Clark and Burke are entirely formidable on their own, but this new partnership proves that there’s something to be said for double trouble, which is a real treat for readers. . . . The Cinderella Murder is a winner.
The snappy pace, layered characters, and many plot surprises will keep readers guessing in this fascinating mystery by two talented writers.
A layered mystery that is sure to keep readers guessing until the end. . . . A surefire puzzle.
The combination of Clark’s talent for suspense and Burke’s harder edge proves successful in this hot read about a cold case.
The snappy pace, layered characters, and many plot surprises will keep readers guessing in this fascinating mystery by two talented writers.
11/09/2015
The prologue of Clark and Burke's scintillating sequel to 2014's The Cinderella Murder introduces bride-to-be Amanda Pierce, who vanishes the day before her wedding in Palm Beach, Fla. More than five years later, the fate of the so-called "Runaway Bride" is still unknown. It's another intriguing cold case for producer Laurie Moran to recreate for her investigative TV series, Under Suspicion. In classic detective fiction style, Laurie and her crew, including Alex Buckley, a defense lawyer who's also Laurie's boyfriend, reassemble the whole wedding party for a re-enactment at the original venue, Palm Beach's posh Grand Victoria Hotel. Secrets, some worth killing for, emerge quickly and entertainingly as the suspicion spotlight falls on, among others, the groom, the maid of honor, and Amanda's sister. Clark and Burke's collaboration is as smooth as rum and coke, with just enough kick to make the reader thirsty for another. Agent: Robert B. Barnett, Williams and Connolly. (Nov.)
Praise for All Dressed in White
“An explosive mix of family drama, secrets, rivalry, money and deception….A dandy whodunit with numerous plausible suspects, skillful misdirection, an exotic setting and smooth prose, it combines Clark’s skill at plotting romantic suspense with Burke’s edgier take on the genre. For those who enjoy escaping into a fine mystery, it’s the perfect hot read for chilly nights.”
—Richmond Times Dispatch
Praise for The Cinderella Murder
"Fans of MWA Grand Master Clark will find plenty of intrigue and excitement in this contemporary thriller...Clark keeps readers guessing and in suspense."
—Publishers Weekly
"The snappy pace, layered characters, and many plot surprises will keep readers guessing in this fascinating mystery by two talented writers."
—Booklist
"This serendipitous series launch, or continuation, will satisfy Clark's legion of fans and may well win her some new ones."
—Kirkus Reviews
2015-10-18
Laurie Moran and the crew of Under Suspicion (The Cinderella Murder, 2014, etc.) revisit the 5-year-old case of the bride who vanished hours before she was supposed to walk down the aisle. Despite some understandable last-minute jitters on both sides, Amanda Pierce had been looking forward eagerly to joining hands in marriage with attorney Jeff Hunter at the splishy Grand Victoria Hotel in Palm Springs. Instead she went down in tabloid history as the runaway bride who disappeared the night before the ceremony. Now her mother, Sandra Pierce, wants Under Suspicion, which specializes in dramatizing, and incidentally solving, cold cases on television, to reopen the mystery. Producer Laurie gets Walter Pierce, Sandra's workaholic ex, on board, along with bridesmaids Kate Fulton, Meghan White, and Charlotte Pierce, the bride's older sister, and groomsmen Nick Young, Austin Pratt, and Henry Pierce, the bride's brother. Complications have already arisen before the Under Suspicion crew even arrives in Florida. Jeff is now married to Meghan, whom he had dated briefly before she introduced him to Amanda back at Colby College, the school the wedding party had all attended. Bill Walker, the wedding photographer, suddenly recalls that the police never questioned his intern, Jeremy Carroll, who, then as now, seemed a little bit off. Laurie can't quite satisfy herself why Amanda would have left her modest belongings to Sandra Pierce, Henry's daughter, but her $2 million trust fund to the fiance she'd just gotten to sign a prenup. And news about the strangling of Colby student Carly Romano back in the wedding party's college days hangs like a dark cloud over the increasingly tense Grand Victoria. Methodical, efficient, brand-name genre thrills guaranteed not to frighten the horses.