Evil at Heart: A Thriller

Chelsea Cain

Sep 2009 · Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell Book 3 · Minotaur Books

About this ebook

Chelsea Cain's novels featuring Portland detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell have captivated fans through two nail-biting entries, Heartsick and Sweetheart, both of them multiweek bestsellers in The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.

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?

Chelsea Cain continues to deliver heart-stopping thrills and chills in the latest entry in this dynamic bestselling series.

Ratings and reviews

The third book in this _Silence-of-the-Lambs_-esque series felt short. The plot wasn't as detailed and there was only minimal character growth. And considering the ending, it doesn't look like this will be the last we hear of the Beauty Killer. I will look out for the fourth book, but I must admit that I was a little disappointed with this one. The resolution was loose and there were a lot of flashbacks that seemed more like filler than anything else...

This is a VAST improvement from the second book. It had the same amount of suspense and thrills like Heartsick and it went up one more notch. It felt a little strange though, since Archie was out of the picture for a while, until he’s forced back in. The process in forcing him back was insanely creepy. The phone calls, the text messages, even the staff and inmates where Archie was staying at for treatment made a hair raising experience. You just couldn’t trust anyone and any new character introduced into the scene, you had to wonder if they were under Gretchen’s influence or not. I really loved the text messaging and phone calling moments. Those really creeped me out. I thought this part of the story was very well written and gave you enough chills yet not so much that it’s overdone and cheesy. The mind games played between Gretchen and Archie are really good and that also keeps you reading through the book. The underlying main plot of the book was good and only makes sense that a possibility of a copycat killer would come into the picture. The outcome of this mystery is really good and was also pretty thrilling as well. The pace of the plot was also well done and the sudden revelations with the twists and turns are also really good. Gretchen is still, an evil manipulating witch that you can’t ignore. There are still unanswered questions to Gretchen, and I’m wondering how long this is going to be. You can only stretch this storyline with Gretchen so far without making it look silly. That being said though, I’ve picked up Night Season already and am hoping it’s just as good. Thrilling, with a “can’t put down” feeling, fans of Archie and Gretchen will definitely be satisfied with this one. Those that are new to this should read this series in order. Be advised, there is quite a bit of gore in the book those that aren’t into that should stay away.

This book actually gave me the chills. I've read them all in order and I'm looking forward to the next three.... uh Maybe not tonight though Lol

About the author

Chelsea Cain is the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Season, Sweetheart and Heartsick. Both Heartsick and Sweetheart were listed in Stephen King's Top Ten Books of the Year in Entertainment Weekly. Chelsea lived the first few years of her life on an Iowa commune, then grew up in Bellingham, WA, where the infamous Green River killer was "the boogieman" of her youth. The true story of the Green River killer's capture was the inspiration for the story of Gretchen and Archie. Cain lives in Portland with her husband and daughter.