nomadreader

The backstory: One Kick  is the first contemporary thriller in a new series from Chelsea Cain, author of the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell serial killer series (my reviews: Heartsick , Sweetheart , Evil at Heart , The Night Season , Kill You Twice , and Let Me Go .)      The basics: When she was five, Kick Lannigan was kidnapped by Mel. He changed her name and birthday, and she came to know him as her father. As Beth, she became a famous child pornography star. She was rescued after six years and returned to her family. Now 21, Kick obsesses over children who go missing and tries to track them down to save them from child predators. My thoughts: I love Chelsea Cain for her bold, dark characters, particularly the female ones, and Kick Lannigan is certainly both. The novel's prologue details the day of Kick's rescue, then the action jumps forward ten years. Kick is, unsurprisingly, a deeply scarred woman, both emotionally and physically. But she's also a remarka...

narrated by Christina Delaine The backstory: Let Me Go  is the sixth novel in Chelsea Cain's Gretchen Lowell and Archie Sheridan series. My reviews of the first five: Heartsick , Sweetheart , Evil at Heart , The Night Season , and Kill You Twice . If you haven't read this series (and like a compelling serial killer story), all of them are on sale for less than $7 for Kindle , and the first is only $2.99 . The basics: It's Halloween in Portland. It's also Archie's birthday. And Gretchen is still on the loose. Archie dreads the holiday and fears how many will dress as Gretchen for Halloween, giving her the perfect opportunity to blend in and make an appearance. My thoughts: This series is one of my favorites. It is dark and disturbing, but Cain infuses these characters with so much humanity and has built this world so well that the violence and psychological terror are never cheap ploys; they're compelling insight into the mind of a brilliant, flawed vill...

The backstory: Kill You Twice  is the fifth novel by Chelsea Cain featuring Gretchen Lowell and Archie Sheridan. My reviews of the previous four: Heartsick , Sweetheart , Evil at Heart , and The Night Season . The basics: When a grisly murder happens in Portland, incarcerated Gretchen Lowell claims to have inside information on the killer. Does she really? Or is she simply playing mind games with Archie Sheridan again? My thoughts: After The Night Season , which was a departure for the series, I was curious where Cain would take this newest novel. Those who thought there wasn't enough Gretchen in it will likely be thrilled with her return to co-star in Kill You Twice . The move was mostly successful, but the first half of this novel suffered from too much set up. It was filled with Cain's characteristic grisly details, but the plot struck me as loose and familiar: Archie struggles with normalcy, mysterious woman who looks like Gretchen moves into his building, Gretchen wa...

The backstory: The Night Season  is the fourth book in Chelsea Cain's Gretchen Lowell and Archie Sheridan series. (My reviews of Heartsick, Sweetheart , and Evil at Heart .) My thoughts: After enjoying Evil at Heart  the most of the three books, I was eager to see how Chelsea Cain continued the series. This book begins differently than the other three by opening with a the story of a crippling flood in Portland in the 1940's. When the story shifts to the present day, flooding is rampant in Portland again. We don't get to see a glimpse of a returning character until the second chapter, and the action picks up from Susan's point of view as a reporter. This novel really is about Susan and Archie, and I enjoyed Susan propelling the story personally and professionally. This novel is a real departure for the series. It doesn't focus on Gretchen, but past events are indeed referred to. Archie is finding a sense of peace in his life. I have thoroughly enjoyed Susan'...

Evil at Heart  is the third book in Chelsea Cain's Gretchen Lowell series. I enjoyed the first two, and this one did not disappoint either. Gretchen Lowell is on the run, and Archie is staying in a psychiatric ward by choice. To many, many people, however, Gretchen has become a hero. There are fan sites, "Run, Gretchen!" t-shirts, and a Beauty Killer manicure (like a French one, but with blood red tips instead of white). There's even a fake fan site , and it's fantastic. The book gives us the perfect set-up: there are bodies with Gretchen's signature, but no one can tell if she's killing again, manipulating people to kill for her, or if it's purely the work of her fans trying to emulate her. "Portland seemed divided into two groups of people these days--people who wanted to get as far away from Gretchen's crime scenes as possible, and people who wanted to rub up against her corpses" (p. 122). Chelsea Cain infuses her characters with j...

I read Heart Sick on the recommendation of Stephen King, with whom I don't always agree. He had these two novels as one slot in his Top 10 of 2008. I'm also intrigued by female serial killers, especially given their statistical rareness. Heart Sick introduces readers to brilliant and beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell. Gretchen managed to kill 200 people, mostly in Portland, itself almost a character in these books. She posed as a psychologist helping the task force, and she managed to kidnap and torture Det . Archie Sheridan, the task force leader. Mysteriously, Gretchen held Archie for ten days but did not kill him. In fact, she called 911 to turn herself in. Archie is physically, emotionally and psychologically scarred from the encounter; Gretchen is in prison. Quirky reporter Susan is doing a profile piece on Archie for the Portland newspaper. Archie and Susan both offer first-person narratives. These damaged characters are emotionally compelling, and although there ar...