Sweetheart - (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell) by Chelsea Cain (Paperback)

About the Book

In this follow-up to "Heartsick," Detective Archie Knox's latest murder investigation is derailed by a shocking development: beautiful yet sadistic killer Gretchen Lowell has escaped from behind bars, and Archie is the only one who can find her.

Book Synopsis

Gretchen Lowell, the world's most beautiful serial killer, has escaped from prison in Chelsea Cain's unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat story, Sweetheart.

Portland detective Archie Sheridan, the former head of the Beauty Killer Task Force, hunted Gretchen Lowell for years before she kidnapped him, tortured him, and then let him go. Now that she is behind bars, Archie is finally piecing his life back together. He has returned home to his ex-wife and their two children and sworn off visiting Gretchen. Though it should feel like progress, being away from Gretchen makes him feel worse.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be Gretchen's first victim, and Archie's first case. The body can't be one of hers. She's in prison.

Then the unthinkable happens: Gretchen escapes and, while the city is on edge, Archie is secretly relieved. He knows he's the only one who can capture her, and once he does he now has a twisted plan to get out from under her thumb for good.

Each new novel in Chelsea Cain's scorching bestselling series--Heartsick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart, and more--is a dark, thrilling, and unparalleled tour de force.

From the Back Cover

"Sensual and engulfing...keeps us turning the pages."
--"The New York Times Book Review"

Portland detective Archie Sheridan, the former head of the Beauty Killer Task Force, hunted Gretchen Lowell for years before she kidnapped him, tortured him, and then let him go. Now that she is behind bars, Archie is finally piecing his life back together. He's returned home to his ex-wife and their two children. But no matter how hard Archie tries, he just can't stop thinking about Gretchen...

"Sweetheart"

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the first corpse he discovered there a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer's first victim, and Archie's first case. Then, the unthinkable happens: Gretchen escapes from prison, and once the news breaks, all of Portland goes on high alert...but secretly, Archie is relieved. He knows he's the only one who can capture Gretchen--and now he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all. Even if it means becoming her last victim...

""Sweetheart "is not afraid to explore damage too severe to be undone."--"Los Angeles Times"

Review Quotes

"This is one of the best series in the contemporary thriller genre." --USA Today

"We've been down Hannibal Lecter Avenue many times, and these two books shouldn't work . . . but they do. Chalk it up to excellent writing and Cain's ferocious sense of humor." --Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

"Cain skillfully recruits us as moral caretakers as Archie struggles to overcome his sexual Stockholm Syndrome. . . . She invents Gretchen in wanton, wide-screen glory. . . . The novel is sensual and engulfing." --The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Chelsea Cain is the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Season, Evil at Heart, 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.