Quick Read, engaging story | Sweetheart

Scary, compelling detective fiction | Sweetheart | Chelsea Cain

books:


	• Sweetheart Chelsea Cain St. Martin's Minotaur, 2008 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 169 reviews view larger image
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If you like suspense and murder, check this out.

I liked Heartsick more, but this book was interesting. I love murder mystery books and I enjoyed this read. I've never been one to write long reviews about books, like so many have above me for Sweetheart. If you like gruesome, suspense novels, this book is for you. I like Chelsea's writing style and whatever books she comes out with next, I know I'll be buying.

Quick Read, engaging story

Sweetheart is a sequel in a story detailing the relationship of a detective, Archie, and a female serial killer, Gretchen. It begins with a cliched worn out, run down, tortured detective who was allowed to live so that this woman could essentially torture him emotionally and mentally for the remainder of the book.

In many ways, the book was easy to read through and the story line was engaging enough to keep the reader interested. However, it had several premises that were difficult to swallow. The prime one of these is its dependence on "Stockholm Syndrome" or a captive's ability to romanticize and side with his abuser, even after the physical torture had ended. It was hard to swallow Archie's dependence on Gretchen after heinous torture, even though the author continued to remind us of how "sick" our detective remained. It was also hard to believe that anyone would be as omniscient as Gretchen. She wielded uncanny abilities to lure men in, and get them to help her escape or kill for her. By the end of the story, she was nothing more than a mythical siren, constantly pulling unsuspecting males to their death...except for Archie, who was, of course, miraculously saved each time.

If you are into the crime mystery/detective/horror genre, this is a fast book and will draw you in. Be prepared for graphic descriptions of torture.

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Scary, compelling detective fiction

This is the sequel to Heartsick, in which the further evolution of one of the most demented relationships in fiction continues to be explored. Gretchen is unusual for a fictional serial killer in that she is a female; her foil is a more typical male detective. Writing is taut and skillfull, but does not completely make up for a somewhat unplausable plot. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly for suspending my disbelief, and once you have done that, you are repaid with some genuine chills. Overall, this is an especially scary police procedural, certainly worth the time for those who appreciated the first book, but I'm not certain if she is going to gain new fans here.

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Not as good as the first

I enjoyed this book, but just didn't feel that it had as much suspense as the first. Hope the next installment of the series is better, but I will wait for it to release in paperback.

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.

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