Rating: 
Summary: WOW, THIS AUTHOR CAN WRITE!
Review: "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.
Rating: 
Summary: New Author
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: New Author
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A Psycholigical Thriller That Brings The Headlines Home!
Review: A mass shooting in a primary school brings terror to the peaceful community of Bakersville, Oregon. Thirteen year-old Danny O'Grady, son of the town sheriff, has confessed to murdering two young children and his computer teacher, but evidence points to another killer. Police Officer Rainie Connor, a lifelong resident of Bakersville, leads the homicide investigation, her first. She is a close family friend of the O'Grady's and has watched Danny grow up. Dealing with the boy's rage, which provoked the terrible tragedy, brings back excruciating memories from her past, and terrible secrets that she can never reveal. Supervisory Special Agent Pierce Quincy, of the FBI, (or SupSpag as Rainie calls him), is an expert profiler who comes to this town in turmoil to assist Rainie. What they discover together is absolutely chilling. It certainly makes for a non-stop read. I wouldn't ordinarily have chosen to read a book dealing with school shootings and mass murders, but this novel came highly recommended and I am glad I gave it a try. Lisa Gardner, like many Americans, has been extremely disturbed by the terrible shootings that have taken place in our schools. This novel is a result of her attempts to understand why these mass murders of young innocents occur, and what can be done to prevent them. The quality of psychological analyses and research that went into "The Third Victim" are impressive. Gardner's characters, especially Rainie, Quincy, young Danny and his family are well developed and realistic. I am impressed that Ms. Gardner did not demonize Danny or stereotype his parents, but instead wrote a compelling profile of a young man on the brink and a family in crisis. The novel is riveting - an excellent psychological thriller with an unexpected ending.
JANA
Rating: 
Summary: The Secret behind School Shootings
Review: A school shooting brings out the best and the worst small town people. The sherriff's son is incremenated from the start. Officer Rainie Conner, leading her first homicide investigation, stands at the center of the controversy. And she has a secret pass, which is coming back to haunt her. With the help of FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, Rainie comes closer to a deadly truth than she can imagine. Because out there in the shadows a man watches her and plots his next move. Will she be able to prove that Shep's 13 year old son did not go on a killing spree? All of the characters are flawed in some way. A very interesting villian. Even though you do not figure out the ending. I had it all wrong.
Rating:
Summary: THIS AUTHOR GETS BETTER, AND BETTER!
Review: A shooting has happened at the K-6 School in Bakersville, Oregon, leaving 3 dead, and one young boy admitting his guilt. Officer Rainie Conner is leading her first homicide investigation on this case, and even though the boy appears guilty, she questions if he really is. Is this case as cut and dry as it seems, or is there something far more sinister happening? With the help of FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, Rainie must stop a madman that has brought terror to their quiet town, but what the pair does not know is that this man will be lurking in the darkness, following their every move, and he will not stop until he has destroyed Rainie. "The Third Victim" is the third great novel from this author, and she keeps getting better with each new book. The pages turn fast as the reader races along to see the outcome. Lisa Gardner is in the ranks of Tami Hoag. Her books are UP-ALL-NIGHTERS complete with interesting characters, suspenseful plots, and loads of thrills. If you have not discovered this author yet, do yourself a favor and READ her, she is THAT good! Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: Touchy Subject Matter but Extraodinary Plot!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story!
Review: Again this writer has turned out another excellent story. Not everyone is whom they seem and the denouement is pretty shattering. What I admire about this author is she has a real sense of time and place whether its 20 years ago or the present day.Another winner!
Rating:
Summary: Can The Slaughter Be Stopped???
Review: Although the story was well written and the plot is taken right off the front pages of today's newspapers "School shootings - children killing their peers and teachers". I had a hard time with this novel, not because the story was slow paced (it wasn't) or uninteresting (it was) but because of the plot itself (the sadness and the pain). I can't say that I enjoyed it as I actually didn't (it hurts too much). The story did however open my eyes to some of the reasons behind these killings but I don't think we can ever actually understand the whys and we simply don't know how to stop the carnage. I truly liked Officer Lorraine Conner, FBI man, Pierce Quincy, as well as the other characters involved. Officer Lorraine Conner has a secret past which the entire town of suspects but their theories are completely off the mark. I felt the pain of families and the outrage which comes from losing a child in such a senseless fashion. Lisa Gardner is a very talented author and she impressed me to no end with "The Perfect Husband" but unfortunately "Third Victim" just didn't do anything for me aside from introducing victim "Amanda Quincy" in the next installation of "The Next Accident" which I am looking forward to. In my opinion "The Third Victim" is one novel you can definitely pass on but judge for yourself.
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