Originally published in 2001, Lisa Gardner’s The Third Victim has now been released in audio format, performed by Teri Schnaubelt. It’s a solid narration, making the main protagonist, Rainie Conner, sympathetic. This was Gardner’s second published novel. She has now published over 25 novels since 1997. She is known for her psychological thrillers.

Rainie is a cop in small town Oregon. She is very talented but she hasn’t moved on to a more prestigious position. What keeps her there? Is it to do with her own personal trauma, being the daughter of an alcoholic mother who got murdered? She still lives in the same house her mother died in, a recovered alcoholic who sits with a beer every day on her back porch, just pouring the liquid out on the ground in some personal ritual. She is a loner, uninterested in forming a long-term relationship with a man. What secrets does she hold about her family life?

Rainie’s life is turned upside down when there is a school shooting. Three people are killed but there are no witnesses. An expert, Pierce Quincy, an FBI profiler is brought in, and she is at first not happy that she has to share her power. But it turns out his psychological expertise means he is able to understand her.

The investigation brings many people under suspicion or under scrutiny, including Rainie’s own boss. She is under pressure to solve the mystery, and there are rumors that she is protecting her boss. She needs to protect her reputation for integrity. 

The Third Victim is full of psychology — killers, traumatic childhoods, guilt, gender issues. There’s also a good amount of police procedure and some legal technicalities. The ending is not particularly satisfying — it is annoying even. But otherwise, this is a well told story. 

Christian Perring is editor of Metapsychology Online.

Categories: Fiction, AudioBooks

Keywords: detective fiction