Third To Die

Avalon #3

by Carys Jones

Aiden's adventures in Avalon continue in Third to Die. This time he is left chasing demons from his past who refuse to stay in the shadows. Can the death of an old friend have the power to shake the foundations of Aiden's life?

Some secrets are better left buried as once learned they can never be unknown...

Genres: Contemporary Romance

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2015

About the author

Carys Jones is a thriller writer based in Shropshire where she lives with her husband, daughter and dog.

When she’s not writing she can often be found either walking round the local woodland or catching up on all things Disney related.

Carys also writes speculative thrillers with Harvill, Vintage as Carys Green. Always on My Mind is out now and The Other You will be released in March 2026.

Her favourite authors are Megan Abbott, Amy Engel and Taylor Jenkins Reid.

Carys is represented by Liza DeBlock at Greenstone Literary.

For more information about Carys please visit www.carys-jones.com or follow her online; @CarysJAuthor

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series set in Avalon. Aiden wants to save his marriage - but is his wife deceiving him? Some of the residents still want them to leave. Others, including his boss are extremeley grateful for what he's done for the town.

He's investigating what happened to his college friend and he returns to his childhood home to see what he can unearth.

These are great easy reading mysteries with a slant on the relationships going through tough times.

I can't wait to see where the characters go next!

Many thanks to Carina Uk and Net Galley for a copy of the book.

[Debra Wheater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

Loved this story. The lead character is a strong good man, even though he doubts it sometimes. This little girl is a sweetheart. The story line is good and mostly realistic. Hoping there is a book 4!

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(actual rating 4.5)

Posted here http://www.reviewedthebook.co.uk/2015...

Third to Die is book three in Carys Jones’ wonderful Avalon series, and it’s my favourite so far. Though I have loved both First to Fall and Second to Cry, the third instalment had much more depth to it and dare I say, our main character Aiden has started to win me over a little… Third to Die combines several genres into one, with different strands of storyline all combining into one gripping novel. There’s the romance, if you can still call it that, between Aiden and Isla which has developed into quite the page turner as the series has progressed. We’re also given the mystery in another enthralling case as Aiden investigates the death of an old friend. And as always, this book is full of suspense as we’re provided with a story full of twists and one which could simply go anywhere. I have become a massive Carys Jones fan.

Like the previous two books, I can’t go into the case too much because it’s strongly written, complex and way too easy to give away if I try and talk about any of it. Reading the case has always been my favourite part in the Avalon series, however, and I love how different each one has been. Though I don’t think any will top the case in First to Fall for the wow-factor, I thought this one was the most well-written, something a little different and very fascinating. The case weaved in perfectly with the other themes in Third to Die and introduced us to some new characters like Aiden’s old friends Alex and John, who I liked reading from. I loved how the plot naturally transpired to make me care for a character in Aiden who could do nothing right for me in the first two books. The themes in Third to Die are moving and more emotional than I had expected and this really brought out a side to Aiden that I liked – his caring and thoughtful side and a bit more loyalty than I had associated him with. I always enjoy books more when I can connect with the main character and though I know with Aiden that could change at any moment, it really helped to make Third to Die my favourite book in the series.

The characters in Avalon do not have lead straightforward lives and there’s always something about to unfold. I love this for entertainment’s sake, always knowing it’s going to kick off at some point soon and there have been plenty of unkind characters in this series willing to make that happen. Having said that, the characters in Third to Die all felt a little more multi-layered and with motives not all that easy to predict. It’s been interesting seeing the development in everyone throughout the series, not just the main characters but the more minor ones too. Carys leaves nothing to be forgotten. This book either had me quickly turning the pages, eager to see what’s next, or reading with a slight lump in my throat at one or two particularly sad scenes. Throughout, it was a great read. Towards the end, the pace felt like it slowed down a little, as things were being linked together and though I prefer the plot when it’s at its relentless fast pace, I did enjoy the moment where I could sit back and appreciate how much has been put into this novel. Even though it’s close, I don’t want this series to end. But I will shout and recommend it plenty of times until Carys brings us book four.


*Book received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW - a very different and powerful story that combines several genres seamlessly and effectively. If you like murder, mystery, romance, crime, lawyer stories then this has elements of them all running through it! I hadn’t realised this was the third book in the series, following on from “First to Fall’ and ‘Second to Cry’. I suspect that reading the others first would make this book even better though background information from these is included throughout so it does work as a standalone, too.

The main character throughout the book is Aiden Connelly, a lawyer from Chicago who has moved to Avalon with his wife, Isla, and their young daughter, Meegan. He is developing a reputation for fighting to find out the truth, regardless of the consequences but at the start of this story he is asked by an old school friend to investigate the tragic death of another friend that happened just before Aiden left their hometown of Greensburg. Aiden still loves and misses Brandy, who was his last major client, but is working to save his marriage. Isla hates living in Avalon. Something is seriously wrong with the owner of the law firm. Some people in Avalon - especially the Sheriff and his brother - want to get Aiden to leave Avalon because he found out and revealed the truth about their nephew/son . . . . The combination of story lines, strong characters, emotional interactions make this a roller coaster ride, complete with unexpected twists, turns, uphill stretches and unexpected falls. This is certainly a story that, once you start riding along with it you’ll not want to get off till the end - and even then you’ll still want to read the next book in the series (assuming there will be one - and if there isn’t, there should be!).

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Avalon series and even though the characters are the same, the stories are all so different which keeps it interesting. My only complaint with this book and the reason I did not give it 5 stars are the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Aiden is back in Avalon and he and Isla are trying to repair their relationship. She tells him she is pregnant and he decides that he needs to stay with her and contacts Brandy to tell her that he can no longer see or call her. As well, his mentor, Edmond Cope is sick with cancer and his health is deteriorating fast. Edmond jokes and tried to tell Aiden that he will be back to work soon, but everyone knows that is not going to happen. Out of the blue, Aiden gets a visit from a childhood friend who wants him to head back to Greensburg to investigate the death of their friend 10 years ago as the whispers are that his motorcycle accident was not really an accident. While he is gone, Isla gets angry and when he returns she tells him she was not really pregnant and that she wants a divorce. You can't leave out Buck, his brother and Clyde White. They make appearances in the story and show us another side of Aiden. Even though there seems to be several plotlines, they all tie together nicely and tell Aiden's story as he continues to grow in Avalon. This book is hard to pick a genre for, there is some mystery, some romance, and some drama. I enjoy this series and look forward to starting Fourth to Cry.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.