Publication Date: February 4th 2020 by MIRA
Pages: 464
Source: Publisher
About the book:
New York Times bestselling author and gifted storyteller Allison Brennan's new standalone thriller features a troubled female police detective and an ambitious FBI special agent who wind up at the center of a ticking-clock investigation into a diabolical serial killer.
Brennan's novel will launch a book-a-year series featuring a fabulous cast of recurring characters. It’s the story of a troubled female police detective and an ambitious FBI special agent who wind up at the center of a ticking-clock investigation into a diabolical serial killer; and the bond they forge in this crucible sets the stage for the future books in the series.
Detective Kara Quinn is visiting her hometown of Liberty Lake, Washington, after being placed on administrative leave by the LAPD, when she comes upon the mutilated body of a young nurse during an early morning jog. The manner of death is clearly ritualistic; she calls it in. Meanwhile back in DC, special agent in charge Mattias Costa is meticulously staffing his newly-minted Mobile Response Team. One of his first recruits is the brilliant FBI forensic psychologist Catherine Jones. When word reaches Matt that the Washington state murder appears to be the work of the Triple Killer--it will be the first case for the MRT. Jones has done the only profile on this serial killer, but she is reluctant to join the unit, still shaken by the death of her sister a year ago under circumstances for which she holds herself responsible. But only she holds the key to understanding the killer's obsessive pattern--three murder victims, three deep slashes a piece, each three days apart, each series beginning on a March 3rd--3/3, then a three-year hiatus before he strikes again.
This time they have a chance to stop him before he claims another victim strikes, but only if they can figure out who he is and where is is hiding.
My
Thoughts:
The Third to Die is the first in a new series by
Allison Brennan, following the newly formed FBI Mobile Response Team, a team
set up to help small towns with limited policing resources to solve complex
crimes. Mathias Costa, the Special Agent
in Charge lands the first case before he even has time to fully staff the team,
but all that must be put on the back burner because this killer will murder two
more people unless they catch him quickly.
Undercover Detective Kara Quinn is on a forced vacation in her
hometown of Liberty Lake and while out jogging she catches sight of a body. Her
quick response and thinking yields useful information, and Mathias gladly
accepts her help as he’s short handed and in need of smart investigators. Kara
was a strong, intelligent investigator, with knack for reading people, and a
superb memory. She was a bit prickly, spoke her mind, and seemed to hold people
at arm’s length, which made her a complicated love interest for Mathias, but I’m
definitely rooting for them in the long-term. I’m looking forward to peeling back Kara’s layers
in the coming books and seeing her progress emotionally (I hope) in the future.
We get a little glimpse of Mathias’ past involving his
reluctant profiler, Catherine Jones. Not all is explained, but somehow a prior case
led to the death of Catherine’s sister who was involved with Mathias. It seems it was more of a superficial relationship
for Mathias, but not all the particulars were spelled out, so I’m not sure. I
think more will be revealed in future installments. Catherine is dealing with a
lot of guilt from the death of her sister, affecting her marriage and family
and had her questioning her decision to be a profiler.
After reading and loving Allison Brenan’s Max Revere series
and other mysteries, I was excited pick up her newest, and it did not
disappoint! Ms. Brennan excels at writing suspenseful, action-packed thrillers,
and this one had me on the edge of my seat so that, even though the story was a
little on the long side page-wise, I didn’t really notice it. Any fan of crime
procedurals with smartly written, and multi-layered characters should enjoy The
Third to Die, and really any of Ms. Brennan’s books. I’m a huge fan of her writing!
The immediate case was solved, but the character’s lives,
and past cases are not all wrapped up, leaving a lot of room for future stories. I’m eager to find out what’s next!
4 Suns
Excerpt:
Wednesday, March 3
Liberty Lake, Washington
12:09 a.m.
Warm blood covered him.
His arms, up
to his elbows, were slick with it. His clothing splattered with it. The
knife—the blade that had taken his retribution—hung in his gloved hand by his
side.
It was good.
Very good.
He was almost
done.
The killer
stared at the blackness in front of him, his mind as silent and dark as the
night. The water lapped gently at the banks of the lake. A faint swish swish
swish as it rolled up and back, up and back, in the lightest of breezes.
He breathed in
cold air; he exhaled steam.
Calm. Focused.
As the sounds and chill penetrated
his subconscious, he moved into action. Staying here with the body would be
foolish, even in the middle of the night.
He placed the knife carefully on a
waist-high boulder, then removed his clothes. Jacket. Sweater. Undershirt. He
stuffed them into a plastic bag. Took off his shoes. Socks. Pants. Boxers.
Added them to the bag. He stood naked except for his gloves.
He tied the top of the plastic, then
picked up the knife again and stabbed the bag multiple times. With strength
that belied his lean frame, he threw the knife into the water. He couldn’t see
where it fell; he barely heard the plunk.
Then he placed the bag in the lake
and pushed it under, holding it beneath the surface to let the frigid water
seep in. When the bag was saturated, he pulled it out and spun himself around
as if he were throwing a shot put. He let go and the bag flew, hitting the
water with a loud splash.
Even if the police found it—which he
doubted they would— the water would destroy any evidence. He’d bought the
clothes and shoes, even his underwear, at a discount store in another city, at
another time. He’d never worn them before tonight.
Though he didn’t want DNA evidence in
the system, it didn’t scare him if the police found something. He didn’t have a
record. He’d killed before, many times, and not one person had spoken to him.
He was smart—smarter than the cops, and certainly smarter than the victims he’d
carefully selected.
Still, he must be cautious.
Meticulous. Being smart meant that he couldn’t assume anything. What did his
old man use to say?
Assume makes an ass out of you and
me…
The killer scowled. He wasn’t doing
any of this for his old man, though his father would get the retribution he
deserved. He was doing this for himself. His own retribution. He
was this close to finishing the elaborate plan he’d conceived years ago.
He could scarcely wait until six days
from now, March 9, when his revenge would be complete.
He was saving the guiltiest of them
for last.
Still, he hoped his old man would be
pleased. Hadn’t he done what his father was too weak to do? Righted the many
wrongs that had been done to them. How many times had the old man said these
people should suffer? How many times had his father told him these people were
fools?
Still, he hoped his old man would be
pleased. Hadn’t he done what his father was too weak to do? Righted the many
wrongs that had been done to them. How many times had the old man said these
people should suffer? How many times had his father told him these people were
fools?
Yet his father just let it happen and
did nothing about it! Nothing! Because he was weak. He was weak and
pathetic and cruel.
Breathe. Focus. All in good time.
All in good time.
The killer took another, smaller
plastic bag from his backpack. He removed his wet gloves, put them inside,
added a good-sized rock, tied the bag, then threw it into the lake.
Still naked, he shivered in the cold,
still air. He wasn’t done.
Do it quick.
He walked into the lake, the water
colder than ice. Still, he took several steps forward, his feet sinking into
the rough muck at the bottom. When his knees were submersed, he did a shallow
dive. His chest scraped a rock, but he was too numb to feel pain. He broke
through the surface with a loud scream. He couldn’t breathe; he couldn’t think.
His heart pounded in his chest, aching from the icy water.
But he was alive. He was fucking
alive!
He went under once more, rubbed his
hands briskly over his arms and face in case any blood remained. He would take
a hot shower when he returned home, use soap and a towel to remove anything the
lake left behind. But for now, this would do.
Twenty seconds in the water was
almost too long. He bolted out, coughed, his body shaking so hard he could
scarcely think. But he had planned everything well and operated on autopilot.
He pulled a towel from his backpack
and dried off as best he could. Stepped into new sweatpants, sweatshirt, and
shoes. Pulled on a new pair of gloves. There might be blood on the ATV, but it
wasn’t his blood, so he wasn’t concerned.
He took a moment to stare back at the
dark, still lake. Then he took one final look at the body splayed faceup. He
felt nothing, because she was nothing. Unimportant. Simply a small pawn in a
much bigger game. A pawn easily sacrificed.
He hoped his old man would be proud
of his work, but he would probably just criticize his son’s process. He’d complain
about how he did the job, then open another bottle of booze.
He hoped his father was burning in
hell.
He jumped on the ATV and rode into
the night.
Excerpted from The Third to Die by Allison Brennan,
Copyright © 2020 by Allison Brennan. Published by MIRA
Books.
About the Author:
Allison Brennan is the New
York Times and USA Today
bestselling and award-winning author of three dozen thrillers and numerous
short stories. She was nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by
International Thriller Writers, has had multiple nominations and two Daphne du
Maurier Awards, and is a five-time RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense.
Allison believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids. Allison
and her family live in Arizona. Visit her at allisonbrennan.com
