I expected this to read more like an Ann Rule book because that's normally what I look for. However, it incorporated a lot of the author's story and things that I didn't find terribly relevant.

A compelling story, The Third Rainbow Girl details a double murder that occurred in Appalachia and the long-term ramifications that still reverberate from it to this day. A good portion of the novel is dedicated to detailing the culture and history of West Virginia and how that plays into the locals reactions to the murders (or lack of reaction) - however the author also intersperses her own experiences with living in the area and working with the disadvantage, and this is where the story begins losing some of its steam. While the story of the three women were compelling, I found myself "thumbing" past a lot of the author's autobiography bits, unsure of how much of it fit into the overall story. However, I did enjoy the novel, so I would recommend it to anyone interested in true crime or stories about that area of Appalachia!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoy true crime and listen to many podcasts, watch many documentaries, and read true crime books. Unfortunately this book didn’t do a good job of holding my attention, and the constant switching to the history of the town and area was bordering on redundant and boring. It was incredibly distracting from the story that should have been about the crime and the girls, and not a history of a town with no relevance. I don’t think I’d recommend this one.

2 stars
Truly the strangest true crime book I have ever read. The author takes the reader on a long,rambling and at times bizarre trail of words. This book could have easily been cut in half. I wanted to know the story of the girls, their lives and the murder and not all the extra stuff jammed into the book for no real reason.
I cannot recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I will start off this review with the fact that I did find this book very intriguing despite the lower rating. After all, two women were murdered and one man is blamed. Does the evidence fully support his guilt? No. Which I find fascinating. However, this book shows you the intricate workings of a small town. When enough fingers point to someone, surely they must be guilty? If not, the story can absolutely be spun to encourage witnesses to come forward with their version of events.

This book is written in different perspectives by the author who also included her own story in the book. Her story shares why she found the murders so interesting and why she felt compelled to write the book. Not to mention she interviews those that were directly involved. Plus, there is a lot of history that is shared about West Virginia, most of which I had no clue about.

The story itself is pretty slow moving, but well done. I was easily able to paint a vivid picture of the characters and the surroundings. Over all, it was a good book. It was just a little slower paced than what I typically go for.

I recieved an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am such a sucker for true crime novels. I had never heard of the events that transpired in Pocahantas County in the summer of 1980. Nancy Santomer and Vicki Durian were hitchhiking to the Rainbow Gathering when they dissappeared. Emma Copley Eisenberg is a brilliant writer and it shows in this book. This story kept me interested and I even spent hours after finishing the book researching this interesting but tragic story!

The book is set up as a memoir of sorts. We hear the story of how the author, Emma, lived and worked in Pocahontas County years decades after the murder. She paints a vivid picture of life there. The people are struggling to get by or at best blue collar. Life is simple. And try as they might, those who live there find it hard to escape. They may want better but there is a type of magnetism that holds them in their home.
In 1980, two women hitchhiking through the area were murdered. No one really knows what happened. The only close to witness, was the third rainbow girl. A friend who had been traveling with them, but changed her mind and headed home just a day before the women were brutally murdered. The girls weren’t sexually assaulted.
At first, it was suspected that a group of local men had picked them up and murdered them when it became clear the girls weren’t going to have sex with them. But there were holes with that story. One of the men was convicted and sent to jail, several others pass away during the time between the murders and the trial.
It didn’t matter that the farmer was released years later when it appeared a serial killer passing through the area may have murdered them. The damage was done. Lives were lost or forever changed. It’s a commentary on what happens when nothing is stable and the shadow that suspicion can cast on every single corner of your life.
I was interested in the story, but it was a really hard book for me to get through. It just didn’t hold my attention. I think sometimes with true crime, it can read like a long article or series of articles rather than a complete book. This one just jumped around a lot and I didn’t feel as invested in the characters as I would like.
Still, Eisenberg creates a compelling portrait of the life led by those living up in the Appalachian mountains. I’d recommend this book to anyone with a particular interest in that geographic area, or true crime fans.
Special thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This review will be published on my blog, Women in Trouble Book blog on December 27.

I requested this book from Netgalley for an honest review. The synopsis sounded good about two girl's murders that I knew nothing about.

I found this book interesting at first when it talked about the murders and also the history of West Virginia. The writer has a gift for writing and the details made you feel as if you were there. Eisenberg also talked about her life which made me feel as though the murders were a back story and the book was really a cathartic memoir for the author.

I liked the interviews toward the end of all the players involved in the investigation or part of the crime itself. The book was an ok read for me but wasn't what I was expecting.

Thanks to Netgalley for a chance to read this book.

Very talented writer. Keeps the reader involved. The writing style encourages the reader to pay attention to details because you know they are going to be important. Wouldn't mind reading more from this writer. The genre is true crime. For that reason I won't tell too much of the story. Innocent girls are killed and for obscure reasons.

Expected Publication January 1, 2020, Hachette Books

*Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review*

I have never included spoiler information in a review, and I'm not about to start here, so I will just give you the publisher's description:

In the early evening of June 25, 1980, Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, were killed in an isolated clearing in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. They were hitchhiking to a festival known as the Rainbow Gathering but never arrived. For thirteen years no one was prosecuted for the “Rainbow Murders,” though suspicion was cast on a succession of local men. In 1993, a local farmer was convicted, only to be released when a known serial killer and diagnosed schizophrenic named Joseph Paul Franklin claimed responsibility. With the passage of time, as the truth seemed to slip away, the toll became more inescapable–the unsolved murders were a trauma, experienced on a community scale.

Emma Copley Eisenberg spent five years re-investigating these brutal acts, which once captured the national media’s imagination, only to fall into obscurity. A one-time New Yorker who took a job in Pocahontas County, Eisenberg shows how a mysterious act of violence against a pair of middle-class outsiders, has loomed over all those involved for generations, shaping their identities, fates, and the stories they tell about themselves. In The Third Rainbow Girl,

Eisenberg follows the threads of this crime through the complex history of Appalachia, forming a searing portrait of America and its divisions of gender and class, and of its violence.

(From the publisher's website)

This was an interesting book. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it. Eisenberg weaved together an interesting narrative that crossed back and forth between true crime and memoir. I felt like
everything fit together, except when it didn't. Sometimes the presence of the memoir felt a little bit forced. I think that both stories are fascinating, but I think I would have rather read them
separately.

With that being said, her research into the "Rainbow Murders" was clearly extensive and well done. She never tries to force the reader into believing one thing or another, but instead presents the information as it was presented to her, as well as presenting her conclusions at each stage, and
allows the reader to reach their own decision.

Overall I give this book a solid 3 out of 5 arbitrary items of rating. Like I said, I wasn't in love with it, but I'm definitely in like. It was solidly researched and well-written, even if I don't think that the memoir bits always fit in like Eisenberg wanted them to. Every aspect of this case, and what happened to Vicki and Nancy just really, really sucks - that's not part of my review, but I felt like I needed to say it.

I am a new fan of true crime, and prefer a more narrative telling of the crimes. Unfortunately I did not finish this title. Just a little too dry/historical for me.

I really enjoyed this book! I've heard this story numerous times on true crime podcasts (which I love). This book gives you more details & puts you right there.
Will recommend to others who would enjoy this book.

A fascinating look at a crime in the context of time and place. The cultural and social factors that influenced the investigation and subsequent trial were more interesting than the crime itself. The prose was a little stilted, but I stopped noticing as the story drew me in.

A true crime narrative , and fascinating look into Appalachia. When two young women are found shot to death in rural Pocahantas County, it takes days to identify them, and even longer to catch their killers. Emma Copley Eisenberg takes a look into these crimes, more interested in who pulled the trigger than looking down on the community where it happened. A very interesting read, masterfully written.

While this book was definitely well written it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I came into this story thinking it was more true crime but it was more a history of the area where the crime occurred. I think I was the wrong audience for this book. Would be better if it was marketed toward people more interested in the history. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my chance to read this one in exchange for my review!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This definitely wasn't what i expected. I expected MORE about the actual crime and less about the history of the town/etc. This just didnt' work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
While I enjoyed the storyline, the writing fell a bit flat for me. I would buy this book just for the story, but wish it had been told a bit better. The pacing was slow.

Where have I been? I can’t believe I have never heard of this story. I was scrolling through Netgalley looking for a book to request, and this one grabbed my attention . Growing up in neighboring SW Va, I was interested and intrigued, as I had never heard of the Rainbow Murders. I was engrossed in the book from the beginning, the authors description of West Va was very accurate, and it was surreal recognizing all the county, and city names, as I have traveled through these places so many times. WVa, just like the SW part of Virginia, is a beautiful area, the mountains are breathtaking. Pocahontas County in particular, has always been etched in my memory from when I was in school, because in the winter if we had snow, the crawl on the TV, always had Pocahontas County closed, as it’s so high in elevation, and gets pounded. I remember thinking they will be in school until July!! The author does an excellent job in describing the people of this area. Most I have encountered have been “good ole county boy” types of people, hard working, and simple, but as many small towns, there is corruption, and you do encounter some backwards people in the hollers, as I did when I assisted with taking food, and clothing over certain areas were a huge flood devastated the area a few years back. Ok, I have rambled. *****The story is about 2 free spirited young women, hippies if you will, Vicki Durion of Iowa, and Nancy Santomeros, of NY, who met by chance in Arizona, and decided to hitchhike to WVa to a peaceful Woodstock type of event, called The Rainbow Gathering. Sadly, neither one would make it, as their bodies were found, shot, in a field in a remote area called Briery Knob on June 25, 1980. The book goes into detail about the background, and upbringing of both women, and the case, which is still basically unsolved to this day, even though several people have been suspects, and even arrested/jailed for the murders. I can’t imagine the pain the parents and families of these women have endured. The author does a fantastic job with the research of this book, but skims a lot of the courtroom proceedings, thankfully, 🙏🏻, (because I truly dislike books that have so much focus on courtroom proceedings). The book doesn’t read like a typical crime book, it’s entwined with the background of the author, and her personal ties with the area, which I found unique. I truly loved the book!!!
I will leave my review on Twitter @StefaniReads (Booked-up22)
Goodreads @ Booked-up22
Instagram @Booked-up22
Amazon @Bookedup22

Thanks so much @Netgalley @Hatchettebooks . The book will release in Jan 2020.

As a true crime fan I appreciate the author telling the story in detail as well as her attempt to bring to light the topic of indigent women being murdered in Canada. I was never aware of this issue prior to reading this book. A week after I read this book I saw on the current news that another indigent woman was found dead in Canada. Apparently this is still happening in the area.
The author’s ability to get the reader to understand the people and environment at that time in history.
I would recommend the book to others. Bringing more attention to this subject will get it more into the media where it can be reviewed and hopefully remedied.

Honestly I couldn’t get into the story. It was well written but it just lacked the something to keep my attention.