The Third to Die: A Novel (A Quinn & Costa Thriller, 1)

The Third to Die by Allison Brennan is the first book in the Mobile Response Team series. I like how the story begins from the point-of-view of the killer. The POV switches throughout the book between the killer, Matt Costa, Kara Quinn and Catherine Jones. There is an extensive cast of characters in this mystery. We get introduced to Matt's team, officers involved in Liberty Lake, Kara's boss, Matt's boss, town citizens and officers in Spokane. It was a little overwhelming at times. I like that we are given background on the main characters who have their foibles and troubles just like real people. Kara is a strong, intelligent female who has been working undercover in Los Angeles since she became a detective. She is aware of her surroundings and notices details that others miss. She is frustrated on administrative leave (bored) and happy to help the Mobile Response Team. The Mobile Response Team is a newly formed unit of the FBI with Matt Costa in charge. He is still assembling the team when the Triple Killer strikes in Liberty Lake, Washington. The Third to Die is an intriguing mystery with this mysterious killer who strikes three times every three years (has a thing for threes). There is plenty of action as they search for the murderer. It is a police procedural type of story with forensic details and a psychological profile (red tape too). There is also small town politics and jurisdictional problems included (police seem to dislike the FBI swooping in and taking over a case). The one downside of the switching POV is the repetition of case details as well as information on various characters. The author is a descriptive writer who includes the tiniest of details (did we really need to know what Kara was wearing while jogging down to the color of the stripe on her pants). I do want to let you know there an extensive amount of foul language. The gore and violence is to be expected with this type of book. With a little tweaking, The Third to Die would have been a home run for me. There is some romance (and intimate relations) as Kara and Matt work closely together to catch the Triple Killer (I wish the author had not ventured into this territory). The ending has us wondering what Kara will do next after an unexpected turn of events when she returns to Los Angeles. We will have to wait for the next Mobile Response Team novel to find out. The Third to Die is perfect for those readers who enjoy traditional suspenseful action mysteries. The Third to Die has a conniving killer, alert agents, petty politics, frustrating fatalities, a puzzled profiler, and a perceptive detective.