Lisa Gardner’s thriller The Third Victim incorporates a cast of well-developed and intriguing characters as it deftly probes the hot social issue of school shootings. The central protagonist is Bakersville, Oregon, deputy sheriff, Lorraine (Rainie) Conner, who finds herself in the position of primary investigator when the sheriff’s son, Danny (age 13) confesses to the school shooting that resulted in the death of one teacher and two young girls. Rainie soon finds herself in the middle of a controversial investigation dredging up ghosts from her past and causing her to question her own psychological stability.
With the community and the media demanding answers Rainie finds the pressure intensified when State Police Detective, Abe Sanders, tries to take over the case and FBI Profiler, Pierce Quincy arrives on the scene. Fortunately, Rainie finds solace in the arrival of the gentlemanly, FBI agent and the duo eventually reach the conclusion that a discrepancy in methodology proved that there is more than one shooter involved and reinforced the assumption that someone recruited the boy to do the shootings.
The suspense is increased, however, as Gardner incorporates several delays and dead-ends in the process of finding out who the ‘other’ shooter is and then along with that the author introduces several subplots including:
- Is Lorraine hiding something regarding her Mother’s homicide fourteen years earlier? Will she end up having to ‘tell all’ or won’t she?
- State homicide detective Abe Sander’s is trying to undercut Lorraine and steal her case from her. Will he succeed?
- FBI Profiler Pierce Quincy finds Lorraine fascinating. Will they end up in bed?
- One of the victims comes from a family with nasty secrets to hide. What lengths will other members of that family go to, to ‘protect’ their past?
One of the most refreshing things about this book is that nothing is predictable and not one of these subplots will be resolved with a normal
Hollywood ending.
This book is more than just a thriller as Gardner responsibly presents a tragedy that has become all too familiar in our society and boldly gives the reader a candid picture of the human emotions and social dilemma caused by such an incident. However, Gardner goes even one step further as she explores how society copes with school shootings and gives the reader a fascinating glimpse into the world of disturbed psychology, particularly that of children.
Overall, the book is so well done that while it takes us immediately into a scene of devastation that turns this peaceful, trusting community into a mass of pain and terror – the fact that one of their own is responsible propels the reader on a mind-bending, emotionally heart-wrenching journey. It’s a thriller perfect for those of us that like a healthy mix of mystery tossed in to our edge-of-seat-reading.
[tags]book report, the third victim, lisa gardner, fiction, school shooting, mystery, thriller, mass shootings. police thriller, free[/tags]