2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #2 discussion

The killer calls himself The Survivor. Was that clue helpful in figuring out his identity before the actual reveal? When were you certain it was related to the Delacroix case?

In hindsight, yes the name was totally a clue. Although the Delacroix case and the information concerning the details were only trickled to reader at intervals through the book. So getting the complete picture wasn't really an option for me till quite near the book's end. The number 12 being the number of jury members also was a bit of clue in hindsight. And when the victims were all linked to the case which came right at the end.

I figured he survived something but I didn't know what. I didn't catch on at all.

Yes, it helped me figure out the motive, especially once I realized that the victim pairs were jurors (this was really heavy-handed foreshadowing).

I spent the rest of the book trying to figure out which one of my suspects was the Survivor (Joey Legittel) and was kind of annoyed at the end that he wasn't any of them.

Lauren wrote: "Yes, it helped me figure out the motive, especially once I realized that the victim pairs were jurors (this was really heavy-handed foreshadowing).

I spent the rest of the book trying to figure o..."

When they mentioned the kid brother and there was that scene where he pleaded with Reed to help I knew it was him. I guessed he was a survivor of abuse. But I didn't realise he had killed his family. I thought what happened had pushed him over the edge to revenge. But that was fairly late in the book.

Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "But I didn't realise he had killed his family. I thought what happened had pushed him over the edge to revenge. But that was fairly late in the book..."

Yes, it was only after that scene toward the end with Reed and the Leggitels that I began to suspect Joey might have killed his family.

I really wish the info provided hadn’t been trickled into the story (thanks for the excellent verb, Lisa), mostly at the end. However (grrr), I went back and they mentioned fairly early on that Delacroix had murdered Carol, Becky & Marlin and severely injured Joey.

But, I put each suspect I selected through a survivor filter. That eliminated many of them but I never thought of Joey until that scene in the book where Reed visited the family and he begged him to do something.