Bad things always happen in threes, they say.

Oh, the superstitions humans dream up. But are they actually superstitions? One person’s opinion might be. However, if you were to ask each of the three narrators in THE RULE OF THREE, the answer will be a resounding no. This is very real. But why do they believe so fervently? After doing much research, Ila begins to wonder if it’s not a mere rule, a curse or even fate. Could it be a serial killer?

Ila attends college where a student named Amy, who also was researching the rule of three, died several years ago. Amy had lost her sister to an accident; three years later, both of her parents killed themselves. She then began to believe that she was next. She had learned of and obsessed over the rule of three. She even kept a journal, writing religiously in it, hoping to save whoever read it after she died. And she knew she was going to die. Because of the rule of three.

"THE RULE OF THREE is a mind-boggling mystery that will show you how obsession and fear can manipulate perceptions and skew logic."

Years later, Ila catches wind of the rule of three, maybe from her boyfriend or someone on campus, and it begins to nag at her. Could it be that she, too, might be cursed by this horrible…well, whatever it is? The parallels in her life and Amy’s are eerie. Her parents died in an accident, and then her little brother had a heart attack three years later. Ila doesn’t really believe in the rule of three, but it makes one think. When an idea like that gets into your head, it’s hard to get it out. And once inside, it festers. Ila begins studying Amy’s journal, looking for clues she can follow in an effort to save her own life. (Yes, she finally falls into the trap of believing.) Assuming she’s next, can she figure it out in time?

A few years later, Eve picks up the story. She discovered a pattern to the deaths of Amy’s and Ila’s families, and now her parents and sister have died on similar timelines. A freaked-out Eve is armed with both girls’ journals, so she’s confident she can solve this. Given enough time, at least. Her life depends on it. The clues are all there, well detailed by the victims before her. She has been given names and can follow up where Amy and Ila left off. It is true that many of the people Eve suspects as the killer are now ancient. But there has to be one common person in all of their lives who was around and cunning enough to carry out their devious plan.

THE RULE OF THREE is a mind-boggling mystery that will show you how obsession and fear can manipulate perceptions and skew logic. The human brain can blind itself to common sense, leading a person down a path of fantasy. Amy, Ila and Eve were normal young women thrust into tragic circumstances, looking for answers where they weren’t to be found. Sam Ripley has written a tale that will have readers scratching their heads for days after they close the book for the final time.