Before diving into my review of Phillip Margolin's The Third Victim, I'd like to talk about my "process" (as if you care-insert eye roll here). How presumptuous to assume you give a crap about my "process". But... since you're here I might as well let you know.
As some may know, I write book reviews. I love writing book reviews because I love reading books. Admittedly, my reviews are far from any literary masterful analysis that is in abundance here on this site. I love reading those types of reviews and aspire to someday change someones life with my intellectual, insightful review. That ain't happening no time soon.
See? I'm already off subject. I'm supposed to talk about my process.
So...
I often find myself between books and it's usually because I have so many to choose from. After writing a review for a novel I thoroughly enjoyed, I began reading three books. This happened to be one of them. But since I feel my Goodreads currently-reading shelf is full at 4 or 5 books. I decided to do a couple soft starts. Soft starts are the ones I begin but don't commit to just yet on my currently reading shelf. Reviewers and book polygamist know what I mean. This is how I began The Third Victim. Ironically it was the third book I chose to soft start before committing to one.
That's my process in a nutshell. Although I didn't intend to commit to this novel next, I ultimately finished this book over the weekend which is unprecedented in my current life. Balancing full-time work, part-time student life, and just trying to live in between those moments, it takes me forever to read a book.
Margolin's The Third Victim is an easy read. It's seriously uncomplicated and my 3-star rating might be generous. It's more of a 2.5.
Why you ask?
Well... we're introduced to the third victim as she escapes the cabin of a deranged, sadistic nut job. She's taken to the hospital and tells her story. Meanwhile, Robin Lockwood has been hired after finished her clerkship to work for one of the toughest, most successful lawyers in Oregon. Regina Barrister is at the top of her craft and is named "The Sorceress" by those she slaughters in court.
Robin couldn't be happier to be second chair in a huge murder trial. Before long, that happiness turns to trepidation due to Regina's strange behavior. With a man's life on the line, Robin struggles with how to approach her boss' issues. To me, it's no-brainer but there's gotta be some sort of tension there.
Sure I read this book in a few hours and I admit it was entertaining enough but I felt like I was reading a book by someone like me. Someone who's unable to craft a masterful tale or just has too little time to devote to the project. This is not the first Margolin novel so I'm quite surprised at how dumbed down The Third Victim seemed.
As I write this review, I'm rethinking the generosity of my 3-stars. There is nothing complicated here.
To be more precise, there's nothing new here.
Every moment leads to another predictable moment, topped off with another helping of that same predictable flow. To make matters worse, the characters were as thin as... well... paper. See?
I'm no lyricist. I don't require that the books I read be complicated either. I swear I'm no book snob but I expect my legal thrillers to be just a tab bit more thrilling.
Either way it goes... I'll leave The Third Victim with 3-stars because it is an easy read. It's great as an in-between book. Something that can be read quickly and is entertaining enough to see through to the end. Although I wasn't thrilled with this novel, reading it didn't make me a long suffering victim nor deter me from reading more by this author. ***
Copy provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley
Oh shit! I almost forgot to mention there's a huge other story line going on that sort of just ends. I don't know what happened to it. My review was going to follow along the same lines. It could be that I kinda just skimmed the last 20 pages but seriously? What happened to the Prater story?
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