The Third Rainbow Girl

The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia

By: Emma Copley Eisenberg

Narrated by: Emma Copley Eisenberg

Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

A stunning, complex narrative about the fractured legacy of a decades-old double murder in rural West Virginia - and the writer determined to put the pieces back together.

In the early evening of June 25, 1980 in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, two middle-class outsiders named Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, were murdered in an isolated clearing. They were hitchhiking to a festival known as the Rainbow Gathering but never arrived. For 13 years, no one was prosecuted for the "Rainbow Murders", though deep suspicion was cast on a succession of local residents in the community, depicted as poor, dangerous, and backward.

In 1993, a local farmer was convicted, only to be released when a known serial killer and diagnosed schizophrenic named Joseph Paul Franklin claimed responsibility. As time passed, the truth seemed to slip away, and the investigation itself inflicted its own traumas - turning neighbor against neighbor and confirming the fears of violence outsiders have done to this region for centuries.

In The Third Rainbow Girl, Emma Copley Eisenberg uses the Rainbow Murders case as a starting point for a thought-provoking tale of an Appalachian community bound by the false stories that have been told about it. Weaving in experiences from her own years spent living in Pocahontas County, she follows the threads of this crime through the complex history of Appalachia, revealing how this mysterious murder has loomed over all those affected for generations, shaping their fears, fates, and desires.

Beautifully written and brutally honest, The Third Rainbow Girl presents a searing and wide-ranging portrait of America - divided by gender and class and haunted by its own violence.

©2020 Emma Copley Eisenberg (P)2020 Hachette Books

Critic reviews

"[Eisenberg] reconstructs the case with a brisk pace and a keen sensitivity...offers a nuanced portrait of a crime and its decades long effects. A promising young author reappraises a notorious double murder-and her life." (Kirkus Reviews)

"In The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia, Emma Copley Eisenberg uses the unsolved 1980 murders of Vicki Durian, 26, and Nancy Santomero, 19, in Pocahontas County, WV, as a lens through which to consider the effects of violent acts on the communities where they occur." (Library Journal)

"Eisenberg has crafted a beautiful and complicated ode to West Virginia. Exquisitely written, this is a powerful commentary on society's notions of gender, violence, and rural America. Readers of literary nonfiction will devour this title in one sitting." (Booklist, starred review)

A debut book that appears to be written by a veteran writer.

This book is a wonderfully written and compelling story of a tragedy and those who touched it in numerous ways. A gifted author’s first book. Amazing. Buy it and see for yourself.

This is one to read

Interesting story, interesting personal insights. i usually enjoy hearing the author read, but this is an exception Should have gotten an actor to read.

Narration is...odd

Sometimes the author is the best narrator, but often times I find that they're unfortunately not. In this case, the narrator (author) sounds bored and disconnected, which is odd knowing she wrote the book. I think it'd be great to read a physical copy, but I wouldn't recommend the audio version.

More than I was expecting

True crime plus sense of time and place plus memoir equals totally enthralling tale of the ways our real lives intersect history. I couldn’t stop listening. Eisenberg’s story has given me much to ponder.

all over the place

If you were a resident or even familiar with this area of WV it is interesting. It has a lot of garble that is unnecessary for the story. It if almost as if she had taken a story, didn't have enough to create a book, so she throws in a bunch of details about her life. Details that have nothing to do with the story. She has mentioned people in her book without asking for their permission or even as a courtesy to inform them they are mentioned.

So well written

I was first mainly interested in the murders and investigation but the personal journey was the better part. I would usually not be very interested in a story of personal journeys but it was so honest and compelling. I had to write a review. Especially in the heightened climate of cultural appropriation. This story was told in a way the honors both the people and the author. Well Done

unique.perapective dry in parts

worth the read . I just found some insights to be redundant. however , overall, I can appreciate the author's insight from personally working in that unique part of West Virginia , and it's local culture .

Outsider defining my home state better then I could and justifying why!

Emma does a great job of detailing every feeling and emotion that comes with living in any small town Appalachia! Rather your from Pocahontas County, or the eastern side, near DC, she easily explains why this mighty state is so precious, yet so, unusual. Read and change my mind!!!

more than just true crime

I loved this book. I thought the narration was well done. I loved the combination of "true crime" and memoir that somehow expands/explodes open both genres. I learned a lot about West Virginia which is an often forgotten but really important state! Highly recommend.

psychologically twisting

this book is so well written and read. excellent! provides plethora of erroneous expectations! just when you think you know you realize there is so much more left unanswered.