The Third Victim [Mass Market Paperback]

Monday, April 2, 2012

The Third Victim [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Details

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (January 30, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0553578685
ISBN-13: 978-0553578683
Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

By : Lisa Gardner
Price : $7.99

Customer Reviews

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.