Customer Reviews

The Third Victim

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Having read "The Perfect Husband," and "The Other Daughter," I was well ready to pick up "The Third Victim," when I saw it on the shelf in my store. I gobbled the book in a single night, and have to say that this is definitely of higher calibre writing than the other two.

For one, the character depth of the heroine and the villain is much more complex: I was three-quarters of the way through the book and still unsure of who I could trust, who might be the killer, and why this was all happening. Starting with a contemporary ugly reality: the school-shooting slaying of two students and a teacher, this book takes off from there and continues with a semi-manic pace throughout.

Gardner allows you into the mind of the killer without giving who the killer is away, which is a rewarding experience, but it is in Lorraine, a sherrif in the town where the shooting has happened, that the truly good writing occurs. A woman with a somewhat shady past of her own, this shooting may be about her in some way, and it's a great ride finding out just how.

The only quibble I had with the book was the occasional plot wrinkle that made me blink in confusion. There were a few passages I had to read twice to understand - not many, mind you, maybe only twice, but it did call a minor break in my reading.

Regardless of those minor stumbles, grab this book. It's a thriller perfect for those of us that like a healthy mix of mystery tossed in to our edge-of-seat-reading.

'Nathan

School killings are on the increase these days, but it is certainly not a subject one could say makes for "enjoyable reading." This is a work of fiction, not a true story where the facts and real-life situations are beyond the author's control. Taking that into consideration there are an endless number of other plots the author could have developed; one based on a school killings was simply not my cup of tea. For that reason alone, I simply could not give the book higher than a three star rating.

Much to the book's credit is a consistent writing style and a plot (whether you like it or not) filled with suspense. The characters of both FBI profiler Pierce Quincy and Officer Rainie Connor intrigue the reader and grab your attention from the start. From a psychological point of view and based on the information given, there was clearly some very accurate and in-deepth research work undertaken on the profiling of mass murderers during the writing of this book, and that is also worthy of merit.

Overall, if you do not mind the subject matter, you will probably enjoy the book. It does have drama and action.

I had not read any of the reviews or blurbs about "The Third Victim" before I read the book. When I was reading it and realized it was about a school shooting, I almost put it down, feeling that we have had enough of this subject in the news, I didn't need to read it in ficton.

I'm very glad I didn't leave it. "The Third Victim" is about so much more than 'another school shooting'. I promise you will never see the news in the same light again.

Another surprise for me, was the author's reference back to "The Perfect Husband". This is not a series book however, the reference is made and dropped. I was also surprised that I remembered the previous book so vividly after reading it more than four years ago. That alone is testament to Lisa Gardner's writing ability.

"The Third Victim" is a well plotted mystery with characters who are flawed, but very real. Once started this book is very hard to put down for annoying things like work and sleep.

A horrific school shooting brings us the best and the worst in the sleepy little town. The sherriff's son may be involved. In comes Rainie, "primary cop" on this investigation. With the help of FBI agent Quincy, will she be able to prove that Shep's 13 year old son did not go on a killing spree?

I had never read any of Lisa Gardner's books before. This book is a hard to put down thriller. I enjoyed the narrative and thought that all the characters were well developed. Gardner moves her characters at a good pace and there is not alot of "useless chatter".

All of her characters are flawed in some way and this makes them even more interesting.

The story itself is quite intense and frankly, I didn't figure out the ending until the author chose to tell me.

Very good book.

"The Third Victim" is Lisa Garnder's best novel she has written. I loved "The Perfect Husband" and "The Other Daughter" but this one was better. If you are a teacher or work for a school district, then you might find this book disturbing and offending since the big massacre takes place at the school. Rainie Connor, who is the small town'sherrif, is an amazingly developed character who does a fantastic job of discovering who the murderer is. If you like Tami Hoag, Iris Johansen, or Mary Higgins Clark, then you'll love Lisa Gardner.

I have read three of Lisa's other books and this one didn't disappoint me at all. She kept me guessing all throughout the book on the identity of the "real" murderer in the book. Whoo hoo. I love a good guessing game ... and guess what? She doesn't reveal it on the last page either ... so if you're like me and skip to read the last page ~~ the secret isn't out of the bag!

Danny, the sheriff's son was found by Rainie, the local deputy, holding two smoking guns in his hands. There were two girls ~ best friends since childhood laid dead a few feet away. And the computer teacher was also dead ... and Danny soon became one of those caught up in the school shootings that has been in the news recently. Only things didn't appear like they should ... and Rainie races to catch the real murderer before anyone else gets hurt. While working on this case, she also comes to grips with her ulgy past.

It's a wonderful read ... just don't read it at night alone in a big house. I made that mistake one night while I was home. You get nervous at every creak in the house. And Lisa does it again ... she grips you with her fascinating attention to details and to the story ... keeps you guessing till the end. What a read!!

2-11-02

A story guaranteed to send a chill up anyone's spine whether they are a parent or not is the news of another school shooting. And we all look around and think "it couldn't happen here." In Lisa Gardner's latest, The Third Victim, the people of sleepy little Bakersville, Oregon are subjected to the unthinkable when a shooting occurs at their elementary school. Rainie Connor, local girl and police officer, becomes the primary investigator when the suspect in the shootings turns out to be the sheriff's son. Rainie, who is battling her own demons having been accused of shooting her alcoholic, abusive mother 14 years old, is torn between wanting to make sure justice is served and making sure an innocent boy isn't railroaded. With the help of FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, she uncovers a deadly truth about this and other school shootings that will almost cost her her life. Gardner has created a spine-chilling look at our youth that will leave you breathless when she brings it to its conclusion.

I had never read Lisa Gardner before, so I had no idea what to expect. I was not disappointed. It had me on the edge of my seat from the very first chapter. I read The Third Victim in one seating, and immediately logged on to Amazon to buy all of her books. This book doesn't pull its punches, it has you gripped until the last page, and leaves you deflated when you've finished. Not for the faint hearted!

A small, quiet town, Bakersville, Oregon takes care of their own. It's a small community where everyone knows everyone and looks out for each other. But this small town is about to be torn apart when a school shooting claims the lives of one popular teacher and two small girls. Lives are destroyed and Bakersville will never be the same again.

Officer Rainie Connor receives the call to get to the school. She is made primary since the sheriff has two children at the school. When she arrives, she walks into mass chaos. Without experience in this kind of crime, she does the best she can gathering evidence. However, due to circumstance beyond her control, she inadvertently contaminates the crime scene. Into the scene enters Abe Sanders, an investigator for the state. Sanders is a perfectionist who thinks he has the case wrapped up regardless of what Rainie feels. The FBI enters the picture by sending Pierce Quincy. Quincy is a behavioral specialist who is running a study on school shootings. He quickly picks up thread that both Rainie and Abe have missed. Threads that show everything are not as it appears.

Don't let the subject matter put you off this book. Yes, it is hard to read because it concerns school shootings. But the story is so much more than school shootings. Lisa Gardner has truly taken a plot and put so many twists and surprises in it that even the most hard core suspense reader will have trouble figuring out just exactly who is guilty, what is happening, and how it all connects. The characters are fully developed with complex characteristics. Ms. Gardner definitely did her homework on the subject matter and as a result has an extraordinary story that will keep you glued to the story line.

In Bakersville, Oregon, instead of himself, Sheriff Shep O'Grady surprisingly places Deputy Raine Connor in charge of the mass murder scene at the elementary school. The killer cleanly shot in the head information technology teacher Melissa Avalon. Two little girls were also killed but with multiple bullets. Much of the physical evidence is already damaged due to the chaos that occurred before Raine arrives on the scene, but more contamination follows. Raine arrests Danny on suspicion of murder. He confesses to the shootings. His father further contaminates the crime scene before Raine can get him to leave.

The State sends Homicide Detective Abe Sanders, a methodical cop, to take charge of the case. FBI Special Agent Pierce Quincy leaves his dying daughter to also join the investigation. Quincy tells Raine he has some doubts about Danny being the killer because of the precise way the teacher was murdered. As the trio works together, a town wonders why a good little boy would do such a bad thing. Overwhelming evidence points towards the lad but some items lead to a more professional murderer yet no clear suspect surfaces.

Though everyone struggles with the shock of school children murdering their peers in schoolhouses, this novel is a taut well-written thriller. The characters are well constructed so that readers can understand how they react to events during the murders and its aftermath. Still, this is a difficult topic to read a fictionalized account on true events such as what happened in Colombine. Still, as with the author's previous novels such as THE PERFECT HUSBAND and The Other Daughter, Lisa Gardner provides an exciting, non-stop thriller.

Harriet Klausner