Heartsick

Detective Archie Sheridan maintains a relationship with serial killer Gretchen Lowell, whom he sent to prison, but not before she tortured and nearly killed him. Now he joins a task force that is looking for a new serial killer in Portland, Oregon. Flashbacks to Archie's suffering at the hands of Lowell wrap the two sadistic killers together in a horrifying package. Carolyn McCormick's narration contrasts the brutality of the killers with their otherwise general ordinariness. She also accentuates the tension in the complex relationship between Lowell and Archie, and its impact on his relationships with the other characters. McCormick's skillful control of the suspense is gripping. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Starred review from July 16, 2007
In this outstanding thriller, the first in a new series, Cain (Confessions of a Teen Sleuth
) puts a fresh spin on a scenario familiar to fans of Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs
. When someone starts dumping the bodies of teenage girls around Portland, Ore., after soaking them in tubs of bleach, Archie Sheridan, a police detective addicted to pain killers, turns for help to Gretchen Lowell, an imprisoned serial killer who once tortured him (the big scar on his chest “was shaped like a heart”). Covering the crimes is reporter Susan Ward, a smart-alecky punk with pink hair and authority issues. The suspense builds as the narrative shifts between Sheridan’s new case and his ordeal with Lowell, who in her own way is as memorable a villain as Hannibal Lecter. The damp Portland locale calls to mind the kind of Pacific Northwest darkness associated with Ted Bundy and Kurt Cobain. A vivid literary style lifts this well above the usual run of suspense novels. 200,000 first printing; author tour.

October 29, 2007
McCormick delivers an uneven performance in her reading of Cain’s bestselling debut thriller. Gretchen Lowell, “The Beauty Killer,” was one of the most prolific serial killers in history, claiming over 200 lives. Her only surviving victim was Archie Sheridan, the lead detective on the task force set up to apprehend her. Archie was tortured for days until Lowell inexplicably turned herself in. Two years later Archie is still a victim, on leave from the force, estranged from his family, addicted to pain pills and obsessively visiting Gretchen weekly. When a new killer begins murdering teenage girls, Archie is called back into action. By his side is an ambitious, pink-haired news reporter who may become her own page-one headline. The usually reliable McCormick has a rocky start with the first few chapters. Her clipped, overarticulation of each line keeps listeners at a distance instead of immersing them in the mesmerizing events taking place. However, she does improve as the story moves forward, and her rich, throaty portrayal of Gretchen Lowell is the perfect blend of predator and seductress. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin’s Minotaur hardcover (Reviews, July 16).

November 1, 2007
Police detective Archie Sheridan has been on sick leave for almost two years after being kidnapped and tortured by serial killer Gretchen Lowell. The appearance of a new killer brings Archie back to work. While Archie attends to the new case, he continues to visit Gretchen in prison; her psychological hold over him remains as she doles out the names of her 200 victims, one by one. Then a local high school teacher is found dead. Was he the new killer committing suicide, or is it a setup? Cain ("Confessions of a Teen Sleuth") resides in Portland, OR, where her story is set, and this gives richness to her descriptions. Her characters are spooky, with lots of quirks and human failings. Well read by Carolyn McCormick, "Heartsick" is recommended for general fiction collections. [BBC Audiobooks America also has a version available: 9 CDs. unabridged. 13 hrs. 2007. ISBN 978-0-7927-5022-2. $89.95.Ed.]Joanna M. Burkhardt, Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Univ. of Rhode Island, Providence

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