Publisher: Dutton
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 3rd, 2017
Challenges: COYER Blackout
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
FBI Profiler Pierce Quincy and Officer Rainie Conner return in a baffling cold case in this exclusive eBook short story by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner.
A young woman is found strangled in the stairwell of a college library, only her sneakers missing. With no physical evidence, no signs of sexual assault, and no witnesses, all the police have to go on are the three men who were in the library with her: her boyfriend and two campus security guards . . . all of whom have secrets, none of whom can be proven guilty.
Five years later, ex-FBI profiler Pierce Quincy and his wife, former police officer Rainie Conner, agree to consult on the still-unsolved case, delving into deep background to comb for any clue that will lead to the woman's murderer. But with no leads and the case colder than the body, will they be able to build a case against one of the three suspects, or is there a fourth man out there? And if the killer has eluded the police this long, how far will he go to ensure justice is never served?
With Gardner's singular ability to delve into the minds of criminals and law enforcement alike, The 4th Man is a shocking look at the reasons for taking a life . . . and just how far profilers need to go to learn them.
It also includes an early look at Gardner's next chilling thriller, Right Behind You, coming February 7, 2017.
This was my first story in the Quincy & Rainie series. "The 4th Man" is a crossover with Gardner's D.D. Warren series, of which I've read a few. Warren, Quincy, and Rainie have teamed up to work a cold case. After going through the original case files and looking at all the suspects, the team has narrowed down the suspect list to a handful. We sit in on the interviews, but lack the information that the police and FBI have. D.D. Warren has identified one or more lies that each suspect told. Using those lies in conjunction with the questioning, they zero in on the guilty party. While the identity wasn't a surprise, the motive was. The reveal left me going 'huh?' And then I read her note at the end where she states that it was inspired by a real case. And I went 'huh' again. Truth really is stranger than fiction.
The story is tightly written; at under 50 pages there's no room for detours or extraneous details. Despite that, the story didn't grab me right away; but I was pulled in as I read. I was left wanting to know more about Quincy and Rainie. They worked well together and seem like interesting people. That was helped by the excerpt at the back from their next book. "The 4th Man" has strong plotting and writing and interesting characters.
Sounds like a good series!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be. I want to read more at any rate.
ReplyDelete