The Third to Die

December 16, 2019
At the start of this tense series launch from bestseller Brennan (the Lucy Kincaid series), Det. Kara Quinn, who’s on leave from the LAPD, is jogging on a trail in her hometown of Liberty Lake, Wash., when she comes across the mutilated body of a young woman. The victim is evidently a nurse, based on the green scrubs she’s wearing and the stethoscope wrapped around her neck. When FBI special agent Mathias Costa, the head of the agency’s new Mobile Response Team in Washington, D.C., learns that the Liberty Lake murder fits the profile of the serial killer known as the Triple Killer, he and his team travel to Washington State to join those, including Kara, investigating the murder. Since the Triple Killer strikes once every three years, Matthias and Kara must act fast to stop the unidentified fiend before he vanishes for another three years. The relationship between Matthias and Kara adds some romantic heat. Fans of Jeff Abbott and Karin Slaughter will find this crime novel hard to put down. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House.

December 15, 2019
In Brennan's (Nothing To Hide, 2019, etc.) new series launch, a hard-edged female LAPD undercover cop and an ambitious FBI special agent race to catch a serial killer before he strikes again. On paid administrative leave since an incident with a suspect went wrong, a restless Detective Kara Quinn is on an early morning run in her hometown of Liberty Lake, Washington, when she discovers the flayed corpse of a young nurse. In D.C., FBI Special Agent in Charge Mathias Costa is staffing the new Mobile Response Team, designed to cover rural areas underserved by law enforcement, when his boss assigns Matt and analyst Ryder Kim to Liberty Lake. The notorious Triple Killer, who murders three random victims, three days apart, every three years, has returned. With only six days to identify and catch the culprit, and only three days until he kills again, the team is "on a very tight clock." What should be on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense turns into a slog marred by pedestrian prose ("she heard nothing except birds chirping..."), a convoluted plot slowed down by a focus on dull bureaucratic infighting, and flat character development. The sole exception is the vividly drawn Kara. Smart, angry, defensive, complicated, she fascinates both the reader and Matt ("Kara Quinn was different--and he couldn't put his finger on why"). Inside this bloated novel is a lean thriller starring a strong and damaged protagonist who's as compelling as Lisbeth Salander.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 17, 2020

The first book in Brennan's ("Lucy Kincaid" and "Max Revere" series) new thriller series is a multilevel and multijurisdictional (police/sheriff/FBI) investigation involving a serial killer and the race to find and stop him. LAPD detective Kara is on leave and staying in her Washington state hometown when she discovers a body during her morning jog. It's a young nurse who was killed on March 3, and the MO echoes that of the "Triple Killer," who strikes every three years. DC-based FBI special agent Mathias, head of the newly formed Mobile Response Team, recognizes the signs. The elusive killer strikes in a series of three beginning with the first murder, then one on March 6, and a third on March 9. Other than the dates, they can find nothing else that the victims have in common except for the way they were killed. At times, the book gets repetitive as each agency is updated with the facts of the case, but the urgency of the story keeps the momentum going. VERDICT Brennan is well known for her psychological thrillers and this is another great addition that will be enjoyed by mystery and psychological thriller readers. [See Prepub Alert, 7/29/19.] --Cynde Suite, Bartow Cty. Lib. Syst., Adairsville, GA

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.