Evil at Heart (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell) [Hardcover]

Chelsea Cain (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 2009 | Series: Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell (Book 3)

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gretchen Lowell strikes again—or does she?—in bestseller Cain's grisly third thriller to feature the female serial killer who takes sadistic pleasure in taunting Portland, Ore., detective Archie Sheridan (after Sweetheart and Heartsick). A violent attack that leaves body parts in a rest stop bathroom, along with Lowell's signature heart design, persuades Sheridan, a recovering Vicodin addict, to leave rehab and rejoin the hunt for Lowell. As he and newspaper reporter Susan Ward dig deeper, they discover that while the corpses cropping up around town are reminiscent of Lowell's nasty handiwork, they might also point to one of the myriad fan clubs dedicated to the killer, who has become a media sensation since she escaped from prison in Heartsick. Even though readers may wonder how much longer this extended game can play out, Cain delivers her usual blend of organ-ripping, blood-soaked gore and compelling flawed heroes—and antiheroes. (Sept.)
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Review

Praise for Chelsea Cain

Sweetheart

“Cain’s debut Heartsick had even the most jaded thriller fans sleeping with the lights on. She tells an equally frightening story in Sweetheart. . . . This is one of the best series in the contemporary thriller genre. Only downside: waiting for Cain’s next novel.”
---USA Today

“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

“The forces that conspired to make Cain’s Heartsick a bestselling page-turner last year have reunited in its sequel. . . . With her preternatural grasp of pacing and ability to create vivid characters with astonishing economy, Cain expertly drives her narrative.”
---Los Angeles Times

“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. The Portland (Ore.) setting is refreshing too.”
---Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

Heartsick

“Heartsick is worth all the hype . . . brilliant.”
---New York Post

“In her dynamite first thriller, Cain introduces one of the most seductive and original psychopaths since Hannibal Lecter.”
---Entertainment Weekly

“Steamy and perverse.”
---The New York Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312368488
• ISBN-13: 978-0312368487
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chelsea Cain is the author of The New York Times bestselling thrillers HEARTSICK, SWEETHEART, EVIL AT HEART, THE NIGHT SEASON, and KILL YOU TWICE. Her Portland-based thrillers, described by The New York Times as "steamy and perverse," have been published in over 25 languages, recommended on "The Today Show," appeared in episodes of HBO's "True Blood" and ABC's "Castle," named among Stephen King's top ten favorite books of the year, and included in NPR's list of the top 100 thrillers ever written. According to Booklist, "Popular entertainment just doesn't get much better than this."

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "We made her into a celebrity." July 4, 2009

By E. Bukowsky HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

In Chelsea Cain's "Evil at Heart," forty-year old homicide detective Archie Sheridan has taken up residence in the Providence Medical Center psychiatric ward in Portland, Oregon. After being victimized by serial killer Gretchen Lowell and becoming addicted to pain pills, Archie signed himself in voluntarily. Because of Gretchen's hold over him, Archie wrecked his marriage and is on leave from his job. His goal is to rid himself of his twin obsessions: Vicodin and Gretchen. In spite of Lowell's cruelty, Archie admits that he craved the company of this gorgeous but deadly predator. He has progressed enough to concede that he has serious issues to work through before he can be considered "cured." Unfortunately, Gretchen is still at large and the mayhem has not yet ended. Human bodies and body parts begin to show up all over town; either Gretchen is back at work or a copycat is emulating her.

This is Cain's best work to date. Instead of playing it straight and simply grossing us out with descriptions of nauseating gore, the author injects elements of dark humor that enliven the proceedings enormously. It seems that Lowell, known popularly as the "Beauty Killer," has become something of a folk heroine. Although she has slaughtered and mutilated many men and women, her image is everywhere: She has a Wikipedia page, there are fan sites devoted to her on the Web, and people are wearing T-shirts with her face on them. Gretchen memorabilia is being sold on eBay, and there is even a "Beauty Killer Body Tour. Thirty-five bucks. Twenty crime-scene stops." How did this madwoman become an icon? Cain implies that we live in a warped society whose values have become seriously perverted. At one point, Archie says to some young Lowell groupies, "Gretchen Lowell is a psychopath.... She is not some sort of antihero." He wants them to give up their adulation of this monster, but his plea falls on deaf ears.

"Evil at Heart" is a suspenseful and entertaining thriller in which Archie is forced to once again to confront his demons with the help of journalist Susan Ward and Detective Henry Sobol, Archie's close friend and colleague. They are seeking either Gretchen herself or acolytes attempting to mimic her activities. Cain's prose is witty and crisp, her dialogue is clever and often hilarious, the tidy plot is fast-paced, and the conclusion is as satisfying as can be expected, considering the unpleasant subject matter. Susan has a major role in this novel and she is a riot. With her purple hair, tendency to wisecrack, and rebellious personality, she is the poster girl for nonconformity. Even as she mocks herself for being stupid, Susan puts herself in harm's way to get material for her forthcoming book. Cain's themes are that a person can be both physically beautiful and mentally unbalanced, many individuals take a perverse pleasure in violence, and those whom we place on a pedestal are often morally bankrupt. "Evil at Heart" is highly recommended for fans who have read the first two installments in this series. Read more ›

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Third Time's A Charm--But For New Readers, It Might Be A Bit Of A Drag August 18, 2009

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Seductive serial killer Gretchen Lowell is back and detective Archie Sheridan has her! Or maybe I should say that he STILL has her (and can't get rid of her). More precisely, it's actually Gretchen who has Archie! Together, they form the heart of Chelsea Cain's third installment in her bloody "Heart" series--"Evil at Heart." Introduced in the disturbing thriller "Heartsick," Gretchen Lowell is a delightfully diabolical villain--a sexy version of Hannibal Lector--who uses her charm, intelligence, and feminine wiles to commit the most heinous of crimes. But it is the twisty and co-dependent relationship between her and her victim/pursuer Archie that provides the most satisfaction in "Heartsick" and its follow-up "Sweetheart." The ultimate in dysfunctional relationships, these two toy with one another in a dance of enormous physical and psychological torment. Got to love it!

"Heartsick" and "Sweetheart" were slick and fun entertainment--pretty standard serial killer material raised to new levels of interest with the Gretchen/Archie dynamic. If you enjoyed these novels, I suspect that "Evil at Heart" will also keep you turning pages. Gretchen's actual presence is less than one might expect, but her influence permeates every page. When body parts start to surface at some of Gretchen's old murder sites (she is an escaped fugitive), the old team must try to piece together their significance. Trying to end Gretchen's hold on him once and forever, Archie must get himself out of a mental ward and back into action. And the only thing more disturbing than Gretchen herself is the legion of fans she seems to have inspired.

"Evil at Heart" is a fast and easy read that fans of the series should definitely check out.... I don't know how plausible it all is, but it's an effective enough thriller. I, myself, don't like to think that anyone can be turned into a demented killer--but Gretchen seems to be able to convert a whole battalion of weak-willed souls to do her evil bidding (and in three books, there has been a battalion)! One major warning, however. Cain's book presupposes that you are familiar with her story and its characters. This is not a stand-alone novel. So little time is spent with back story or character development, I think a new reader would likely be lost or simply loathe the superficiality of the tale. I give it a pass and a recommendation because I'm already hooked into the Gretchen/Archie dance. Anyone not familiar with these two and their history will undoubtedly find less to love about "Evil at Heart." Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Series going downhill (warning: SPOILERS) February 11, 2011

By Jami Riley

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series but the third book is getting tiresome. Especially with respect to Gretchen's superhuman ability to charm EVERY person she ever meets. I just don't buy that at all. I can understand that a guard, posted to watch her every day for more than 2 years, could eventually be persuaded to help her. But a deputy that has only been in the transport van with her for 15 minutes? Suddenly he'd kill for her and help her escape? Why? And the orderly at the hospital where Archie is trying to recover from his addiction? Per the timeline Archie has only been in the facility 2 months, at most. So how is Gretchen able to convince the orderly to spy on Archie, kill an innocent teen and cut out her eyeballs, and then KILL HIMSELF???!!!

Is she some sort of vampire? A witch with the powers of hypnosis? I just don't get it, and it's the only irritating part of the series but it's EXTREMELY irritating. It was really a good plot twist in the first book: "OMG! She has a partner!". Now every third person introduced in the book is secretly a servant of Gretchen Lowell.

Sorry, this plot device is overused and just not believable anymore. You end up spending more time playing "Spot the mole" than following the actual mystery.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as Good as the First Two, but worth a read September 12, 2009

By Alan Mills VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This is the third in the series of books focused on an unbelievably (literally) beautiful and smart serial killer, and the police detective who has devoted his life (also, almost, in the literal sense) to catching her. Yet again, the killer taunts the cop, he is lured back in, and catches her.

While the story moves along, drawing the reader to find out what happens to this strange relationship, the concept--which was quite a stretch to begin with--is getting old. Serial killers are not that much smarter (and certainly not that much more beautiful) than anyone else. Just twisted. To make the story work, Cain has to keep upping the smarts of her killer, while increasing the williongness of the cop to be taken in (yet again).

Definitely do NOT pick this up if you haven't read the first two. If you have, then this is worth the time for a continuation of the story. While Cain leaves the door open for a fourth, I hope she resistas the impulse.