Martin Bell is an up-and-coming physician and bestselling author who is being touted as a miracle doctor in the area of pain management via holistic and natural remedies. When he is shot to death outside his luxury 19th-century carriage house in Greenwich Village, it's a scandal that's immediately featured on the pages of every tabloid in town.

Although the murder itself is noteworthy, the fact that Martin’s wife, Kendra, and two children, Bobby and Mindy, were in the house at the time of the killing adds an extra touch of horror to the event. Instead of the media lending its sympathy to the widow and her kids, they immediately crucify Kendra, branding her as a woman with a substance abuse problem and speculating that she was responsible for her husband's death.

Also in the house while the crime was being committed was 60-year-old Caroline Radcliffe, the Bell family's nanny who was caring for the children. When she heard the gunfire, she immediately ran outside to find Martin already dead inside his BMW.

"[R]eaders will find themselves holding their breath as they wait impatiently to see who's guilty, who's innocent, and who makes it to the finish line alive and well."

Now it's five years later, and Martin’s parents, Robert and Cynthia, are desperate to find their only child's killer. Actually, they're determined to prove that their daughter-in-law is responsible for the loss of their son, and they're looking to Laurie Moran, producer of “Under Suspicion,” to feature the incident on her popular crime-solving television show and to succeed where the police haven’t.

While Laurie was very interested in featuring Dr. Bell's murder on the program a few months back, Kendra had refused to cooperate, effectively stopping the project in its tracks. Now, however, knowing that the Bells would love nothing more than to wrest custody of Bobby and Mindy from her and raise the kids themselves, Kendra has no choice but to cooperate with the show in a last-ditch attempt to clear her name, find her husband's killer and hang on to her children.

Initially, Laurie felt sympathy for Kendra, as she also lost her son's father, Greg, to murder, which her son witnessed. Laurie, though, was never a suspect. However, when she finds out that Kendra lied to Martin's parents about Laurie’s willingness to proceed with the show, Laurie immediately wonders what Kendra has to hide.

Now, in spite of the tragedy in her past, Laurie is moving on with her life. She is engaged to the former star of “Under Suspicion,” Alex Buckley, a newly confirmed federal judge, and planning their upcoming wedding and honeymoon. Laurie and Alex are also looking for a new place to live in New York City with her son, Timmy, after they tie the knot. While everything in Laurie's future seems to be coming up roses, there's someone out there who doesn't want her digging into matters they consider best left alone. They'll do anything that's necessary to stop her from finding the answers to the questions surrounding Martin’s murder, no matter how they have to go about it.

YOU DON'T OWN ME is every bit as riveting as the four previous installments of the series penned by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. The suspense is woven through the stories of both new and recurring characters in such a way that readers will find themselves holding their breath as they wait impatiently to see who's guilty, who's innocent, and who makes it to the finish line alive and well.