The Printed Page

“What’s she like”? Archie repeated softly. He put his hand on the trooper’s shoulder and leaned forward, so his face was inches from his. Gretchen was a beautiful, sensual, charismatic manipulative bitch, the object of Archie’s sexual obsession, his torturer, and the person who knew him best in the world. “She’s a serial killer,” Archie said. He smiled and gave the trooper’s shoulder an avuncular pat. “If you ever lay eyes on her, shoot her.”
Evil at Heart, pages 18-19

Gretchen Lowell and Archie Sheridan. The Beauty Killer and the BK task force lead Detective. A toxic relationship like nothing I’ve come across before. Hands down some of the best psychologically intense story telling I’ve read this year. Having just finished all 3 books in this nerve rattling series with Evil at Heart newly released as of September 1st I’m already carving a book 4. It’s not often that one comes across a female serial killer and that’s just one aspect that makes this series standout in the crowded field of psychological suspense. That and Gretchen is evil personified. I read these books back-to-back-to back and couldn’t tear myself away before turning the very last page on Evil at Heart. Ms. Cain does a wonderful job of creating truly warped and depraved characters in Gretchen and Archie. It’s rare that a new-to-me author lands on my auto-buy list but Ms. Cain has earned that right with honors.

* I suggest you read these books in order so that you get the best understanding of the dynamic between Gretchen and Archie.

Title: Heartsick (book 1)
Author/website: Chelsea Cain
352 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: September ’07
Genre: Psychological thriller
Would I recommend it: Definitely

Det. Archie Sheridan led the Beauty Killer Task Force for ten years, before the Beauty Killer (Gretchen Lowell) caught him, tortured him for ten days and then mysteriously let him go and turned herself in. Now it’s two years later and Archie, addicted to pain pills and still obsessed with Gretchen, is called off medical leave to hunt a second serial killer. Pink-haired girl journalist Susan Ward is assigned to profile Archie. She knows he’s hiding something. But what? (It’s bigger than a breadbox.)

Title: Sweetheart (book 2)
Author/website: Chelsea Cain
336 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: September ’08
Genre: Psychological thriller
Would I recommend it: Definitely. Though not quite as good as book 1 you can’t skip it.

Damaged detective Archie Sheridan is back home in Portland, Ore., trying to resume a normal life. Archie’s ties to serial killer Gretchen Lowell still run deep, even if he’s stopped their weekly visits in prison. Meanwhile, reporter Susan Ward is finishing an article accusing a beloved U.S. senator of seducing his children’s 14-year-old babysitter a decade earlier. When three bodies are discovered in a local park—where Archie’s team found Gretchen’s first victim 12 years earlier—Archie worries another serial killer is at large. After the senator’s unexpected death, Susan discovers links between the sex scandal and the bodies in the park. When Gretchen escapes from prison, Archie knows he’s the only one who can stop her from killing.

Title: Evil at Heart (book 3)
Author/website: Chelsea Cain
306 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publication date: September ’08
Genre: Psychological thriller
Would I recommend it: Definitely

Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose. These days, she’s more of a cause célèbre than a feared killer, thanks to sensationalist news coverage that has made her a star. Her face graces magazine covers weekly and there have been sightings of her around the world. Most shocking of all, Portland Herald reporter Susan Ward has uncovered a bizarre kind of fan club, which celebrates the number of days she’s been free.

Archie Sheridan hunted her for a decade, and after his last ploy to catch her went spectacularly wrong, remains hospitalized months later. When they last spoke, they entered a détente of sorts—Archie agreed not to kill himself if she agreed not to kill anyone else. But when a new body is found accompanied by Gretchen’s trademark heart, all bets are off and Archie is forced back into action. Has the Beauty Killer returned to her gruesome ways, or has the cult surrounding her created a whole new evil?