Customer Reviews

The Fourth Victim (The Chapman Files)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I didn't think the books in The Chapman Files series could get any better than Ms. Quinn's The Third Secret, but her current release, The Fourth Victin surpasses her previous work in masterful suspense. This story is about psychologist Kelly Chapman, and even when she's been kidnapped and is out of commission, the suspense and intrigue move up a notch.

Briefly, the story centers around Kelly Chapman, a thirty-one-year-old national expert witness and psychologist. Kelly in-line skates to relieve tension, a habit she does almost daily. When she ventures out on the skate track one cold December morning in the Rust Belt town of Chandler, Ohio, she is assaulted and awakens in a dark, cold place, hands and feet bound.

Because she is involved with a number of cases, past and present, the FBI is called in. Enter agent Clay Thatcher, whose dedication to finding missing persons becomes personal the more he learns about Kelly.

Determined to find her alive, he leaves no stone unturned, enlisting special agents and local law enforcement officers who include one of Kelly's close friends.

This is not only a thriller, it delves into a complicated plot as the reader learns about the Witness Protection Program, cops gone bad, upstanding citizens who are anything. The story is up-to-date and dynamic, and you learn about characters from previous books as well as the flawed protagonists. Kelly has issues, particularly with being on the victim end of a case, as does the damaged Clay Thatcher. However, these are likable characters who you will cheer all the way to the end.

As in The Third Secret, Ms. Quinn keeps you guessing right until the end. Her story is exciting, dynamic, and very, very well done.

Highly recommended.

BLURB: Kelly Chapman, psychologist and expert witness. She's unattached, but 100 percent committed to her clients, her foster child, her friends. Clay Thatcher, FBI special agent: Missing Persons. A loner and, like Kelly, he too is unattached but 100 percent committed to his job--and only his job. That's why he's in Chandler, Ohio. Kelly Chapman has disappeared. Is it because she testified against someone who now wants revenge? Or is she the fourth victim of a killer responsible for three recent deaths? Searching for her, Clay has to work against the clock. And Kelly soon becomes more than just another case to him....

As well known as Tara Taylor Quinn is, this is a first read for me. I really enjoyed her writing style. She inspires riveting characters, deep plots, and emotions. I loved the psychological parts of the book, and the way you walk away from reading knowing about the witness protection program, bad cops, the system. The book was fast-paced, plus it opened and closed with a bang. Kept me guessing. My only fault is I think I needed to read the other books, and in order. I was lost a few times and don't feel I got as much out of the read as I should.

In Chandler, Ohio psychologist Kelly Chapman keeps her distance from everyone including her patients though she diligently tries to help them and the community, which is why she is called the "Fix-it lady". Still even she is surprised when she agrees to be a foster parent to fourteen year old troubled Maggie Winston. While musing about being a loner who cares, Kelly exercises by in-line skating when a car thumps her.

Because Dr. Chapman has been an expert witness on numerous trials, the FBI investigates her disappearance. A loner like Kelly, Missing Persons Special Agent Clay Thatcher leads the inquiry. The more he digs into the life of Dr. Chapman the more he sees the female version of himself. Diligently working the case, he fears the woman he never met but who he is attracted to has become the 4th Victim of a serial killer.

The key to the super fourth Chapman Files thriller (see The 1st Wife, the 2nd Lie and The 3rd Secret) is that the potential romance between the lead couple is treated throughout the suspenseful story line like the early part of the movie Laura. Different in tone from the previous files but action-packed from the moment that the in-line skating shrink is snatched. Fans will relish this entertaining entry as Kelly is the victim and the frantic Fed knows this case has turned personal as he likes what he knows of Dr. Chapman, but fears she is dead.

Harriet Klausner

THE FOURTH VICTIM is a gritty, emotionally charged story filled with rich characterizations and a page turning plot.

Tara Taylor Quinn continues the Chapman Files saga, weaving the lives of psychologist Kelly Chapman and her young ward, Maggie, with a sinister new threat that could potentially destroy them both. Familiar characters from the first three books are re-introduced in such a way that readers will have no difficulty understanding their relationship to the heroine.

As THE FOURTH VICTIM opens, Maggie struggles with feelings between her incarcerated parent and the kind psychiatrist who has offered her refuge. While she respects the biological connection between her and her mother, she cherishes the new life she has found with Kelly. As her hard edges soften, she tries to rationalize why her mother would sell her as a mule for transporting drugs.

Maggie appears to be a mature young adult dealing with issues far beyond her fourteen years. Inside, however, she is still a misguided teenager who clings tenaciously to what she believes is true love from the pedophile who robbed her of her virginity.

Kelly Chapman's training has enabled her to see past the many veils erected by her foster daughter. But the good doctor is human, after all, and experiences doubts as to her ability to be a single mom to a precocious teenager.

Their relationship is put to the test when Kelly's mysteriously abducted while inline skating on a remote road.

Kelly awakens in a dark cave after being knocked unconscious. Her hands are bound, her head aches and she has no idea who abducted her or why. Much of the first chapters detail Kelly's emotional battles and her concern for the welfare of Maggie.

Clay Thatcher is a salty FBI agent brought in to find Kelly. Her listing on the National Expert Witness Registry tells him that she's acquired a legion of enemies from her courtroom testimonies. One look at the photograph of the petite, blue eyed blonde turns his investigation into a personal quest. Clay is strangely drawn to the woman he's never met and it bothers the hell out of him.

As the story unfolds, we're fed several possibilities as to the identity of Kelly's abductor. Was it arranged by Maggie's real mother, who is jealous of her daughter's relationship with Kelly? Or could it be the park worker who conveniently supplied details of the location where she was kidnapped? Perhaps it was choreographed by one of the many criminals Kelly put behind bars with her expert testimony. Or was it Maggie's lover, a much older man with a well respected public profile and a beloved father and husband?

Ms. Quinn allows the reader to accompany Clay as he diligently researches each lead. It is his perseverance and finely tuned instincts that finally lead him to Kelly's hiding place. He takes the half dead woman back to his home and nurses her to health, not trusting his coworkers to keep his secret about her rescue.

Together, Clay and Kelly form a daring plan to trap the kidnapper. In the process, they discover more than they bargained for...both in the seedy drug business overtaking their town and in the unexpected desire sparking between them.

Tara Taylor Quinn is quickly seeding her place on my list of favorite authors. Her ability to spin a fast paced tale rich with interesting characters and page turning plots is sure to keep her books in demand for years to come. If you enjoy Lisa Jackson or Allison Brennan's suspense/thriller novels, you mustn't miss this exciting read!

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I could not finish this book even I tried extremely hard. I did not know why the book is full of conversation of one person, the main character Kelly. It was the most boring suspense book I have read so far. The plot was empty with all noises and false leaks that do not even come close to have any logic. The plot and the noises all mingled together as nonsense. I will give 0 stars if available.

It's hard to give this book five stars since I'm unfamiliar with the previous three books: The First Wife (Harlequin Larger Print Superromance), The Second Lie (The Chapman Files), and The Third Secret (The Chapman Files). Much of The Forth Victim brings in characters from the previous books which makes it hard to follow as a stand alone book. Putting that aside, it's an entertaining book. Kelly Chapman is a psychologist and expert witness that goes missing. The detective in charge of finding her feels a strong connection to her even though he's never met her before. He is convicted in finding out who kidnapped her and keeping her safe. The reader is kept guessing until the end and has several twists and turns in the plot throughout the book. I kind of wish I had the other three books to read now.

The 4th Victim is the fourth book in Quinn's series surrounding psychologist Kelly Chapman. In this latest installment, Kelly has recently become guardian of 14 year old Maggie. Kelly is trying to give Maggie the stable home life she never had with her incarcerated mother.

When Kelly is abducted, the search ensues to find her before time runs out. FBI Agent Clay Thatcher is brought in to search through Kelly's cases and friends.

The story changes point of view between Maggie, Kelly, and later, Clay. This is well done and gives great the reader insight into the characters while helping to move the story along.

The story itself is a real page turner. You have a building excitement as we try to find the kidnapper, lots of possible suspects to work with, and main characters with secrets to reveal. It was easy to get into and held my interest to the end.

The only thing that I think would have made this book an even better read, is if I had read the earlier stories first. The author writes very good characters, but doesn't spend a lot of time on background. While this story CAN stand on it's own, I would have liked to know more about the characters - especially around Maggie's past and how she ended up with Kelly. Guess I will need to go back and read earlier books to catch up.

Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to read the first book in this 4 book series but I did read the last 3. I thought the 3rd book in the series was really good but the 2nd book and this 4th book, The 4th Victim, were just OK.

To me, this book lacked excitement and romance. It's categorized as a Romantic Suspense book but the only romance was the hero & heroine being attracted to one another (which was only mentioned a couple times) and a date being set-up on the last page. Was hoping for a bit more.

The storyline sounded very exciting to me but it just never really took off for me. It wasn't very exciting and certainly not an edge of your seat book as I had hoped. I enjoyed catching up with these characters and although I hadn't read the first book in the series I think it would've helped.

Overall this story wasn't bad but it just wasn't great either. If you've been following along with this series I'd say read the book. If you're interested in this series, it didn't do much for me overall. I think I'd pass. Not sure I'd recommend this as a stand-alone book at all though. I feel that you need to be familiar with this series to really have a good understanding of who is who.

I started with the 4th victim, sometimes a book in it's sequels will be hard to read but this one felt I could drop in and pick up with the characters and personalities and not feel I missed too much. The mystery was good, not until the end did I know "who did it" The book was well written and interesting enough for me to go back and read the first three.