Detective Archie Sheridan is still haunted by Gretchen Lowell, the seductive serial killer who once kidnapped and tortured him. Gretchen is in prison, but Archie has continued to see her on a regular basis. He tells himself it's to get details to help identify at least some of Gretchen's many victims and that he must do it because he is the only person Gretchen will talk to. Archie avoids too much examination of the darker, less noble motives for his visits, even as his morbid fascination with this beautiful woman slowly destroys his marriage, his health, and possibly his sanity.

Reporter Susan Ward worked with Archie on a previous case, and they are brought together again when one of her fellow reporters is killed, along with a U.S. Senator, in a suspicious accident. The accident occurs just as Susan is about to break a story about the senator's affair with an underage girl named Molly Palmer, who has grown up and is ready to tell her story. When Molly is then found dead, Susan enlists Archie's help to find the killer even as she fights to get the truth out about the senator, who is now being mourned as a respected public figure.

But then Gretchen Lowell escapes from prison and the entire game changes. She wastes no time in coming after Archie's family and friends -- including Susan, who is drawn into danger by her insatiable reporter's curiosity. Gretchen always seems to be just beyond the reach of the police, but Archie puts a plan in motion using the one lure that he knows Gretchen finds irresistible... himself.

I loved Chelsea Cain's first book, HEARTSICK, which introduced these characters. New readers might not fully understand the strange relationship between Gretchen and Archie (as much as such a thing can be understood) without that background. However, I think this book will still satisfy readers with a wild ride through some dark and disturbing places, and just enough humor to allow a breath before the next twist. I also find it intriguing that even though Gretchen Lowell has been a major player in two books now, there is much about her that remains a mystery. Chelsea Cain definitely deserves a place on any thriller lover's shelf!

Book Summary

With HEARTSICK, Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can't be one of Gretchen's — she’s in prison — but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman's identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can't focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn't seen her in two months; he'd moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he's relieved. He knows he's the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

Chelsea Cain has topped her own bestselling debut thriller with this unputdownable, unpredictable, edge-of- your-seat read.