Love, sex and the IRS lead to kidnapping

This week’s book was a bit of a disappointment. I selected “Third Degree” by Greg Iles. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I will tell you about it and you can decide.

All her life, Laurel Shields longed for stability. She found it when she met Warren Shields in college. They married, and she taught special education while Warren was in his medical residency. Sadly, he agreed to return to Athens Point, Louisiana, to help care for his dying mother. Once there, he became a partner with Dr. Kyle Auster, and Laurel returned to teaching.

When Warren’s mother lived far beyond predictions, she begged for a grandchild. Against her better judgment, Laurel agreed, and soon Grant was born. When Warren’s mother died, the family was settled in Athens Point. In the following 12 years, Laurel did her best to be a good wife and mom to Grant and little Beth, but she knew something was missing in her life.

For almost a year, Warren had been acting strangely. He was always quiet, but now he seemed to be shutting her out. He was often short with the children, too. That was when Laurel met Danny McDavitt. His son, Michael, was one of Laurel’s students, and she was impressed with his devotion to his care.

Danny had been a Marine helicopter pilot in Afghanistan earning several awards for bravery, but now all he wanted was a quiet life and a loving family. He’d made a terrible mistake in marrying Starlette. He’d asked for a divorce, but Starlette threatened to take Michael with her when she left, and Danny couldn’t bear to be away from his special-needs son.

Things all came to a head in a most unexpected way. Laurel knew that Warren was concerned about a planned IRS audit, but this was something more as he swept books from the shelves in a frenzied search for something. She doesn’t dare tell him that she’s pregnant. She and Danny had broken up five weeks ago, and she’d only been with Warren twice in the past two months. So either man could be the father.

After a terrible day at work, Laurel returned home to find Warren in a murderous state. He’d been tipped off that there was a love letter hidden in the house, and he’d found it. His confrontation was severe as he bound her hands and feet, demanding to know who her lover was.

He’d found bonds and ledgers indicating that she was involved with Kyle Auster. The more she denied it, the angrier Warren became. As he held her hostage, the situation at the medical office was coming to a head.

Unbeknownst to Warren, Kyle and office manager Vida had been defrauding insurance companies and Medicaid. Now the IRS was about to shut them down. They’d hoped to pin it on Dr. Shields, but that wasn’t going to work now so Kyle went to the Shields home to retrieve the hidden items. Little did he know what he’d be walking into.

Soon a full-blown SWAT type team is assembled, and Danny must fly the sheriff to the site. He knows a little of what’s happening because he and Laurel communicate by secret cellphones, but he doesn’t dare tell the sheriff the truth. As the situation devolves, they learn that Warren has a fatal brain tumor that may be affecting his behavior. Danny goes in to try to talk Warren into letting the children go, but when Warren learns that Danny is Laurel’s lover, things go very bad.

An attempted rescue fails miserably. While Laurel lies wounded, Warren forces Danny to fly him and Grant to Laurel’s mother’s where he leaves Grant. Then he demands they fly high over the river. The final action there is almost anti-climactic. Danny survives; the sheriff has suspicions. Will their relationship survive the guilt they both carry to make a life together?

AT A GLANCE
BOOK: “Third Degree”
AUTHOR: Greg Iles
PUBLISHER: Scribner
PUBLISHED: Nov. 6, 2007
PAGES: 433