Rating 2/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Books, and Libro.fm for the Galley and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Note: The author identifies as queer and I am not sure of their correct pronouns, so I will be using they/their.

Synopsis wise, I will be sharing what the true crime portion of the book is about:

June 25, 1980, Pocahontas County, West Virginia: Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, were found shot in an isolated clearing. The two women had been hitchhiking together from Arizona to West Virginia to get to the Rainbow Gathering (a counterculture gathering) in the area and had last been seen alive in Richmond. Immediately suspicion was thrown onto local men because no one from out of town would know the isolated field.

Multiple men were arrested during the investigation of the slayings, and eventually one man was convicted. However, when a convicted serial killer confesses to the murder, the conviction of Jacob Beard is called into question.

The author tells you from the beginning who is currently in jail for the murders. I’ll let you read to find out who.

First and foremost: this is not a true crime book and should not be characterized as such.

It’s more of a hybrid of a memoir and true crime book where the author uses their personal life in Pocahontas County, West Virginia to say why they had the right to write a book on the Rainbow murders.

It was about 1/3 facts on the Rainbow murders and 2/3 a memoir on their life of moving from New York to West Virginia to work for VISTA after graduating college.

What I liked about The Third Rainbow Girl: The author went into the misuse of power by the cops and the prosecution misconduct that went into the wrongful conviction in the murder of Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, when they were on their way to the Rainbow Gathering in the area.

What my rating boils down to: I was expecting a true crime book on two murders that I haven’t read or heard much about, but instead I got a memoir of reasoning as to why she looked into the murders after living in West Virginia.

Trigger Warnings: Gang rape, murder, drug use, sexual assault, animal abuse, unexpected pregnancy