Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Third Victim (Quincy & Rainie #2)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 9,490 ratings · 207 reviews

BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Lisa Gardner's Love You More and from the network that brought you Mad Men, and The Walking Dead, comes an addictive crime thriller with crushing twists. Get an exclusive peek at the script for The Killing, AMC’s newest original series, which tracks the murder of a Seattle teenager and the gripping investigation it sparks. April...more

ebook, 694 pages

Published September 28th 2004 by Bantam (first published 2001)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 22, 2013 Cphe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, police-procedural

In the small town of Bakersville, the unthinkable happens. the small town is rocked when a lone gunman opens fire at the local primary school. A young teacher and two little girls are killed. Thirteen year old Danny, the Sheriff's troubled and loner son is found holding the murder weapons.

Officer Rainie Connor is asked to act as Primary on the case and investigate the scene. The question arises, did Danny actually commit the crime although all evidence points to him?. When the FBI and State poli...more In the small town of Bakersville, the unthinkable happens. the small town is rocked when a lone gunman opens fire at the local primary school. A young teacher and two little girls are killed. Thirteen year old Danny, the Sheriff's troubled and loner son is found holding the murder weapons.

Officer Rainie Connor is asked to act as Primary on the case and investigate the scene. The question arises, did Danny actually commit the crime although all evidence points to him?. When the FBI and State police arrive and try to wrest jurisdiction from Rainie tempers flare. Pierce Quincy is the Supervisory Special Agent sent to investigate the killing but Quincy is a troubled man, nearly burnt out from his work and is suffering from his own personnal guilt and emotional baggage. He is drawn to Rainie, who isn't the easiest person to work with or get to know. Rainie knows her town and people but she also harbours a very dark secret.

I enjoyed this well paced thriller, although some parts were beyond plausibility. I really found it difficult to believe that is took so long for the investigators to get complete dossiers, background checks on everyone when such a tragedy had occurred.

I thought that the book was well written and the story did move along at a fast past. There was a lot of information regarding forensics and ammunition, guns. I have never heard of a sabot bullet before. The emotions of a small town struggling to process such an unthinkable act were brought to light.

Raine was an interesting character, the product of a broken home and her own trauma suffered as a teenager she had her own issues to be worked through. She never lost sight of the big picture. Rainie was tough and dogged in the pursuit of justice. She was certainly a very flawed, but compassionate character.

From reading the book my understanding is that Raine and Quincy are not finished as a couple as yet. This book was just the start of a relationship between them. I thought that Quincy was an excellent foil to Raine's more intense character and I'm hoping in the next book that more of Raine and Quincy's burgeoning relationship is revealed.(less)

like · see review

Aug 28, 2012 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This story was unlike any serial killer story I had ever read before. I didn't even know about this type of psychological behavior before in serial killers (won't go into detail as it would be the biggest spoiler ever). I also loved many of the things that she included about kids who commit school shootings and other serious crimes. For many years I have lamented that the criminal justice system conveniently forgets that even disturbed children are still children, and treating them as adults cri...more

like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Bill Garrison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE THIRD VICTIM is one of bestselling author Lisa Gardner's early novels, and one in which long time characters Quinch and Rainie Connor meet. Quincy is an FBI profiler and Rainie is a police officer in the small Oregon town of Bakersville. As I followed them in later Gardner novels, I always pictured them as older, so it was fun to get a glimse of Quincy in his forties and Ranie at 31.

The novel opens with a horrific event, a school shooting. Rainie is fifteen minutes away and drives like craz...more THE THIRD VICTIM is one of bestselling author Lisa Gardner's early novels, and one in which long time characters Quinch and Rainie Connor meet. Quincy is an FBI profiler and Rainie is a police officer in the small Oregon town of Bakersville. As I followed them in later Gardner novels, I always pictured them as older, so it was fun to get a glimse of Quincy in his forties and Ranie at 31.

The novel opens with a horrific event, a school shooting. Rainie is fifteen minutes away and drives like crazy to get there. Once on the scene, she sees bleeding, injured children. A national tragedy has come to their small town, just like Colombine. Gardner really evokes the horror of a shooting at a school, from the helplessness of all those involved to the fear of the parents, to the anger of the victims. Ranie is the officer put in charge of the case when Danny O'Grady is found in the school holding two guns. Danny is the 13 year old son of Shep, the chief of police and Rainie's mentor.

Quincy comes to town because he's been investigating the cause of school shootings and what causes these kids to act out. While in town, he gets close to Rainie as they try and find out why Danny did what he did, and if he acted alone.

The good: The third victim of the title refers to Ms. Avalon, a teacher at the school and a victim of the shooting. Was she a target? It was an really interesting premise. I don't want to give anything away, but the past of the villain of the novel is really interesting and probably should have gotten more attention in the novel.

The not so good: So much of the middle focuses on the aftermath of the shooting. We read about the frustrations of the investigation, and the pain Shep O'Grady and his family are facing. While we are deep into the lives of the people in the novel, the actual progress on what really happened moved at a glacier pace.

All of Gardner's recent novels have been great, but her early ones have been hit or miss for me. I liked THE OTHER SISTER, while THE PERFECT HUSBAND and SURVIVOR'S CLUB had issues. This novel fits somewhere in the middle. I really liked the story, but it seemed slow at times.
(less)

like · see review

Jan 22, 2011 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having read some of her other books and loved them, this one was such a disappointment and such a struggle to finish. It didn't have the suspense that her other books have had, which surprises me because the book right before this, The Other Daughter, was full of suspense.
Amazon says:
"Rainie Conner initially joined the small-town police force in Bakersville, Ore., to escape the ghosts of her past. When she responds to a call from the local school and discovers students screaming, bodies lying i...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 28, 2013 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have read several of Lisa Gardner's books and have enjoyed them all as I did this one. Her books are hard to put down and they always include some clever twist that helps solve the mystery. In this book the reader first meets Rainie Conner and Pierce Quincy who appear in several more books. Theirs is a complicated relationship right from the start. Rainie has a troubling past but has become a good cop in her small hometown. Quincy is an FBI profiler who has seen too much and brings personal ba...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Kat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jan 03, 2009 Discoverylover marked it as to-read · review of another edition

"A horrific shooting has ripped apart the peaceful town of Bakersville, and the residents are demanding justice. But although a boy has confessed to the crime, evidence shows he may not be guilty. Officer Rainie Conner is caught up in the controversy. It's hitting too close to home, bringing back memories of her own past and her worst nightmares. But she has to find the real killer...With the help of FBI profiler Pierce Quincy, Rainie comes closer to a deadly truth than she can imagine. Because...more

like · see review

Feb 19, 2013 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Eileen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another great read by Lisa Gardner. I love her style of suspense, mystery and intrigue. This is one of her earlier books that introduces Quincy, the FBI serial killer profiler, and Rainie, the small community sheriff. Together, they work through some of their past individual issues, while working together to solve a school shooting. The author's timing was pretty poor though. She had written this book and was just getting reading to send it to press when the Columbine shooting occurred. It's dis...more

like · see review

Sep 12, 2011 Alison Kennedy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not one of Lisa Gardner's strongest books but and enjoyable read nonetheless. Had the usual strengths in her books; fast pace, strong character development, an intriguing plot and the ability to keep key facts from the reader. However, this was weaker on the surprise element than other novels of hers that I have read. I guessed the outcome of the 'whodunnit' but then again I guessed a number of scenarios - and this is her strength in that she makes you constantly ponder the plausiblity of variou...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2013 Marcia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a great suspense novel with plenty of explanation about control-freak killers and how they work. The premise is that not all school killings by students are just the result of the rage of the killers. Also, according to the FBI agent Quincy and most psychologists, suppressed guilt and problems must be faced by some kind of confession to begin the healing process. Everybody in the novel has guilt about something, and none of them is coping with the knowledge well. Then, the school shootin...more

like · see review

Nov 23, 2011 Luan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel bad giving Lisa Gardner two stars. It isn't even her fault. I've decided it was the horrible, awful, no-good delivery of the narrator. I kept asking myself if perhaps I hadn't had enough sleep, or maybe I was just mad at the world, or the kids, but the truth was that it was the narrator. Now, I haven't had this same experience with other Gardner books so I went back to see if it was the same narrator (this was in my phase of thinking that perhaps it wasn't the narrator, but my own bad att...more

like · see review

Apr 15, 2010 Sheri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Third Victim (Lisa Gardner)
Another good psychological thriller from Lisa Gardner.

Rainie Connor is a police officer in a small town in Oregon. An unthinkable and tragic crime happens and Sheriff Shep is caught in this web. His son has confessed to the crime, but is he the perpetrator, or could he be a victim.

With the help of FBI agent Pierce Quincy, Rainie tries to solve the crime before it is too late. Having her friend Shep's son as prime suspect , does not make this easier. Soon she must...more

like 2 likes · see review

Dec 20, 2011 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hook, Line, and Sinker.....Lisa Gardner has me hooked on her stories. I can't get enough. Sick and twisted serial killers. Guns and violence. Suspense. These books have me holding my breathe. Just when i think i got it figured all out. Bam. Something else happens and i am trying to figure it all out again.

I love Rainie. And Rainie and Quincy together...OMG!! I so hope they end up together but that's the logical answer. So i'm sure it's going to be complicated and back and forth. I am burning thr...more

like · see review

Aug 11, 2009 Kjks333 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this one, but it might be because I've read so many of her books. She writes about these characters in several and I never realized that this was probably the first in the series - so I had read about Rainie & Quincy in several books, but didn't know their history until this book. I listened on my IPhone and it was a great book. The only reason I don't give it five stars is because it's about a school shooting and while it's a great light read - I just read Jodi Picoult's 19...more

like · see review

Mar 14, 2013 Tracy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-recommend-crime-mystery

This is the second book in the FBI profiler series and a wonderful read. If you like crime musteries than buy this book u will not be disappointed. The characters have grown on me and are easy to relate to the story line stirs the imagination and kept me wondering who the killer was right to the end... I love the fact the author managed to keep that a mystery although she did give subtle clues to the identity
I have the third book in the series The Next Accident on my kindle and can not wait to...more

like · see review

Jun 18, 2012 Sandra rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great book!
Reasons I liked this book:
1) had children in it
2) had more than 1 mystery in it
3) wasn't too easy to figure out
4) captured my attention right away
5) didn't have any boring spots throughout the book
6) loved getting to know Quincy better in this book
7) loved the character Rainie
8) liked the supporting characters; they were realistic
9) it sets itself up for a sequel in a way that makes you anticipate it
I could go on, but listing my "Top 10" would be predictable; I prefer a "Top 9" just...more

like · see review

Sep 23, 2012 Terri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a good book, and yet a bit disturbing to read...at least for me, coming from the point of view of a teacher...this is something we all wish we never have to deal with...and yet, it was so compelling to read...fiction or not, it could very well happen...

I like the lead character..a female sheriff with a history of her own, and the back bone to stand up for herself and the town she lives in...also nice to read a strong woman character that has brains too!

I recommend this book...keeps you...more

like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Brenda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-read

Another great Lisa Gardner thriller....it’s gritty, captivating, and extremely riveting! A very hard book to put down, once again!

Rainie Connor is a police officer in the small town of Bakersville in Oregon. Life is quiet and uncomplicated for the police and citizens...the odd drunk driver, a speeding car, nothing they can’t handle. Then an unthinkable and tragic crime occurs and Rainie’s boss and friend Shep, who is Sheriff of Bakersville, is torn between defending his son, and trying to do wha...more

like · see review

Jan 30, 2012 Carol MacInnis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense

Lorraine (Rainie)Connor is a police officer in the small town of Bakersville, Oregon and has just been called to a shooting at the K though 8 School where the Sherrif's two children attend. Two eight year old girls and a teacher have all been shot and killed and several other children wounded. As Rainie carefully and slowly moves through the halls, a classroom door opens and the Sherrif comes out with his hands up and his own thirteen year old son, Danny, is holding a gun in each of his hands. D...more

like 1 like · see review

Jan 30, 2008 stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: laura.

Shelves: 2008, trashythrillers

surprisingly good for how long it took me to read. Lisa Gardner says that she writes psychological thrillers, which i think i finally believe, but that does mean that often times the story drags a bit.

however, gardner is awesome at wrapping up all the loose ends in a very realistic way. i was so happy that there was no trite "happy ending" (which i really thought was going to happen) and that makes me want to read more of her stuff. i also want more of these characters, but i don't think there...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2007 LJ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: female_author, mystery, police_procedural, oregon, contemporary_post_1945

The Third Victim - G
Gardner, Lisa - 2nd in Quincy/Raine series

An unspeakable act has ripped apart the idyllic town of Bakersville, Oregon, and its once peacful residents are demanding quick justice. But though a boy has confessed to the horrific crime, evidence shows he may not be guilty.

Officer Rainie Conner, leading her first homicide investigation, stands at the center of the controversy. It's hitting too close to home, bringing back her worst nightmares, threatening to expose her secret sins...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 08, 2008 Reecie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The past isn't over....An unspeakable act has ripped apart the idyllic town of Bakersville, Oregon, and its once-peaceful residents are demanding quick justice. But though a boy has confessed to the horrific crime, evidence shows he may not be guilty.
Officer Rainie Conner, leading her first homicide investigation, stands at the center of the controversy. It's hitting too close to home, bringing back her worst nightmares, threatening to expose her secret sins. But with the boy's life at stake, sh...more

like · see review

Jul 04, 2012 Nguyen Phuong rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: criminal-minds, female-detectives, romance-thrillers

Not one of Lisa Gardner's strongest books but and enjoyable read nonetheless. Had the usual strengths in her books; fast pace, strong character development, an intriguing plot and the ability to keep key facts from the reader. However, this was weaker on the surprise element than other novels of hers that I have read. I guessed the outcome of the 'whodunnit'

With the help of FBI agent John Quincy. Rainnie will clash violently with her past as the shadow unsub proves to to know a great deal about...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Lee-Ann added it · review of another edition

I liked this book. I had read more recent Lisa Gardner novels first, so it was good to see how she introduced Rainie Conner and what the back story was. It's great to see how Rainie's relationship with Quincy starts off, too. The school shooting plot sent me off on a roller-coaster ride of assumptions, reminding me never to assume. I liked the emotional loose ends at the conclusion, reminding me of European mystery novels.

like 1 like · see review

Mar 01, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is really 3 1/2 stars, but I rounded up because I like everything else I've read of Lisa Gardner's. The only complaint I had about this book is that is was slow. I can usually devour one of her books, but this time it took me about twice as long to read the whole book. Now, don't get me wrong. I love Quincy, and I love Rainie. I really think she's a badass. BUT, the plot just seemed to take forever to develop. That being said, it's not enough to make me quit the series. Already I seem to be...more

like · see review

Sep 16, 2009 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Actually it's between a 3 and a 4 star rating. I'm looking to read more books by this author. I found it a good read. The ending looked to be open to possible positive action to clean up terrible situations in the lives of some of the major characters. The presence as a force in the story is an email relationship with the victim/perpetrator. Funny how even now, it feels a little outdated since technology is moving so fast.
Hard on authors....

like · see review

Aug 10, 2010 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Mar 11, 2012 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't like this one as much as the others in the series. There was too much explaining. Explaining why there are school shootings, explaining pent up anger, just explaining too much! I felt myself skipping paragraphs just to get back to the story. It did keep my guessing until the end though. And I will admit the ending was a surprise to me. Looking forward to reading the next one!

like · see review

Aug 30, 2012 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller

I loved every page of this book - it was heartbreaking, terrifying, exciting - a story unlike any other serial killer novels I have ever read. A school shooting sends Rainie back to a terrible afternoon when she was just seventeen, and forces her to face a dark secret she had tried desperately to forget. Great story that brings to light just how dark some human hearts can be - and, how strong.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (19)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

76 users

Suspense

37 users

Thriller

32 users

Mystery > Crime

24 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

21 users

Romance > Romantic Suspense

8 users

Mystery > Murder Mystery

7 users

Adult Fiction

4 users

Adult

4 users

Romance

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Lisa Gardner

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1) mystery & thrillers, suspense

aka Alicia Scott

New York Times bestselling crime novelist Lisa Gardner began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead. A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in po...more

More about Lisa Gardner...

Books by Lisa Gardner

Love You More (Detective D.D. Warren, #5)

The Perfect Husband (Quincy & Rainie, #1)

Live To Tell (Detective D.D. Warren, #4)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Third Victim

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: The Third Victim
avg rating	preview: The Third Victim Goodreads rating: 4.10 (9490 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7056434-the-third-victim?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360570631l/7056434.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7056434-the-third-victim?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Third Victim by Lisa Gardner[/url]

The Third Victim (Quincy & Rainie #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website