1st to Die

A wedding is the culmination of months of planning, worry, and excitement, beginning a couple’s life together with a promise to always love and support one another. The novel’s murderer kills couples just after this moment and takes their wedding rings as a trophy—a symbolic statement of power and sadism. The killer targets couples at an emotional high, taking pleasure in terrorizing them into a psychological nadir.

The novel echoes this juxtaposition of high and low elsewhere. Inspector Lindsay Boxer also rides a roller coaster of emotions. When she learns from her doctor that she has a blood disorder that can be fatal, Lindsay in at a very low point: divorced, lacking family support, and with only one friend. Her only source of self-esteem is her career, but this illness might mean she won’t live to see the end of her next case, let alone anything else. Lindsay feels so alone and desperate that she has a surprisingly emotional reaction to the scene of the Brandt murders.

The novel’s introduction of Chris Raleigh begins to change Lindsay’s emotional trajectory. As she gets to know him and gives in to her attraction, she experiences deep emotional fulfillment—the two are an excellent match for one another professionally, personally, and sexually. At the same time as Lindsay and Chris begin their relationship, Lindsay seems to have solved the case: Nicholas Jenks has been arrested and a large collection of evidence points to his guilt. However, this high point does not last. Just like the newlywed victims, Lindsay plunges into despair when Chris is shot to death in the line of duty. Her psychic distress is severe enough that she considers suicide.

However, unlike the newlywed victims, Lindsay survives her ordeal because of the support of her friends. She will translate her experiences into even better police work during the rest of the series.