Evil at Heart

July 20, 2009
Gretchen Lowell strikes again—or does she?—in bestseller Cain's grisly third thriller to feature the female serial killer who takes sadistic pleasure in taunting Portland, Ore., detective Archie Sheridan (after Sweetheart
and Heartsick
). A violent attack that leaves body parts in a rest stop bathroom, along with Lowell's signature heart design, persuades Sheridan, a recovering Vicodin addict, to leave rehab and rejoin the hunt for Lowell. As he and newspaper reporter Susan Ward dig deeper, they discover that while the corpses cropping up around town are reminiscent of Lowell's nasty handiwork, they might also point to one of the myriad fan clubs dedicated to the killer, who has become a media sensation since she escaped from prison in Heartsick
. Even though readers may wonder how much longer this extended game can play out, Cain delivers her usual blend of organ-ripping, blood-soaked gore and compelling flawed heroes—and antiheroes.

This third in the series featuring gorgeous serial killer Gretchen Lowell begins two months after she's escaped from prison. Gretchen's become a media darling, with fan clubs and passionate admirers. Detective Archie Sheridan is emotionally wrecked after escaping from her vicious clutches--twice--in HEART SICK and SWEETHEART. When body parts begin turning up with a heart carved into the torso, Archie is lured back into the hunt. Carolyn McCormick's narration provides exactly the right background for Gretchen's gory grimes. Or is there a copycat killer out there? McCormick makes the monstrous murderer a sexy beast, and Archie's well-earned neuroses are appropriately self-pitying. Author Chelsea Cain zeroes in on our culture's hunger for sensationalism with another very bloody, very scary outing for Archie and Gretchen. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine