Customer Reviews

Sweetheart

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(79)
3 star:		(65)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Second novels in a series are notoriously hard to write: the honeymoon period of just getting to know the characters is over, and look for more depth and roundness, while still demanding more of the 'good stuff' from the first novel.

If you loved _Heartsick_, you'll probably like this one. Like, not love, though. She's toned down the gruesome and replaced it with monumentally needless graphic sex and a metric ton of f-bombs. Even the exposition uses the naughty word. It makes her seem to be trying just a bit too hard to be gritty, rather like her character Susan who thinks she's edgy but is constantly out-edgied by her mother. And once again, you'll be treated to unnecessary descriptions of what EVERYONE is wearing. Seriously--why do I need to know that a morgue tech who doesn't even get a name or a line of dialogue is wearing corduroys? Or my personal favorite: "'There's a press conference at six,' Ian said. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt he'd bought at the MOMA gift store. 'You want it?'" 'Scuse me, but I'm not sure why I need to know Ian's sartorial choices at this particular juncture? Relevant to plot? No. Relevant to mood? No. Relevant to character building? Nope, we already know Ian pretty well. His clothes haven't changed from his carefully overdescribed wardrobe in _Heartsick_.

Because, oh yes, everyone's back. Remember that Molly Palmer story Susan was trying to promote in novel one? It's back, and apparently a key to a really rather trite and played out conspiracy-of-dunces scandal. And once again, the fresh dead bodies seem to take second stage to the older dead bodies, victims of Gretchen. Susan's less annoying this time, but Archie goes from a sympathetic character to a whingeing sad-sack. Take that as a double-entendre if you wish.

Gretchen is unrealistically prescient--maybe she's secretly psychic. I won't blow the plot, but please do google naloxone and vicodin before you read the climax, and you'll figure out that All is Not Right in Sciencetown. Moreover, what an *odd* thing to pack in a handbag. I'll have to remember that for my next romantic getaway.

What no one seems to remark about this series is how bloody sexist it is. Gretchen, great spooky serial killeress, dangerous yet apparently stunning at, ahem, *pleasing* men. She makes men murder for her. How? Why? By the power of her hot bod. She reminds me of what is called, in fan-fiction (shudder) "Mary Sue." Gretchen is Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS with a bit more (but not much more) medical training. Either that or she's straight out of Freudian Thanatos imagery. All she needs is some teeth down 'thar'.

Some of the physics need to be reworked as well. I suspect that it's unlikely for a woman of Gretchen's delicate build to be able, one-armedly, to haul a man's body backwards across carpet. Does the author even try these things at home? Even these basic ones? (I don't hold the botched splenectomy from book one against her, nor do I expect her to drink Drano in pursuit of literary veritas, but surely she could get a male friend to lie on the carpet and be dead weight?)

The gross is gone, the sadism is gone, the spooky only shows up at the school scene (which is quite good), and I'm sad to say but a good bit of the mysterious tarnish has worn off Gretchen. Like any woman, she just wants to be (sniff sniff) loved. And laid. Archie is trapped, but only because she can't wash that man right outa her blond flowing tresses.

Cain promises us 'more Gretchen to come.' I'm not on the edge of my seat. This book did not grip me, and I like the thriller genre. I came to this book with visions of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series in mind, or at least Tess Gerritsen. This was okay, but honestly, there's better stuff out there, whatever you want--creepier killers, scary medical stuff, murder conspiracies. My recommendation? Wait for paperback.

Following hot on the heels of the bestselling HEARTSICK, Chelsea Cain continues the story of Gretchen Lowell and Archie Sheridan in SWEETHEART. The second installment is really a continuation of the first as opposed to a full-blown sequel. The narrative picks up about two months after the conclusion of the first book. Sheridan is now back at home with his wife. He is no longer visiting Lowell in prison, though he obsesses about her and half-heartedly battles his downward spiral of prescription drug cocktails and dark fantasies.

Another body and unresolved cases brings many of the characters from HEARTSICK back. The rapid-fire pace of narrative that attracted me to the first novel isn't apparent in the follow-up. Perhaps its because Ms Cain has had time walk around in her characters' skins a little more or perhaps the reduction in pressure of "having to get it right", now that she has a bestseller, has allowed her to relax. Marginal players from HEARTSICK are fleshed out including Sheridan's long-suffering and guilt-ridden partner and his wife.

Lowell is too devious in SWEETHEART. She moves from the very clever to the unfathomably brilliant, able to predict the actions of police agencies and individuals alike as she contrives to end up in the prison hospital (where she will only tell Sheridan who attacked her), followed up a transfer across state, where she is conveniently under-guarded and manages to escape.

What follows is, unfortunately, a long litany of cliches and "just-in-time" arrivals. Sheridan and family, as well as Sue Ward, the reporter from the first story are all placed into protective custody but Lowell manages to track Sheridan down and he is more than willing to give himself to her, quite literally. There is a breathless stacking up of twists and turns and surprises that are heaped upon each other until we're exhausted.

As with HEARTSICK, there are multiple threads at work in SWEETHEART. Ward is still working on the Molly Palmer case. Gone is the gritty "in your face" attitude, though she still has colored hair (turquoise this time). Ward now becomes "super-sleuth", part reporter, part detective and able to access cases and people at a level that is beyond belief. There is a hint of the attraction to Sheridan which I'm sure will be acted on if there are future volumes in this series.

There is the inevitable hookup between Lowell and Sheridan. It's not a torture-fest, now it's a love story. The transition from torturer/victim to more-or-less equals is never properly explained. In HEARTSICK there was some sympathy for Sheridan. By the end of SWEETHEART its gone. No one, no matter how high or screwed up, could be as obsessively dull and undeservedly loved. I actually wanted him to die and he does...a couple of times. He seems impossible to kill.

There are a number of "phew that was lucky" moments; actually too many. A car crash with no one hurt. A half-marathon trek through a smoke-filled forest fire that seems to take just minutes and only results in some inconvenient dirt. An attempt on Ward's life that is thwarted by her mother...just in time...and so it goes.

There's swearing and there's sex. There's blood and gore but it's not shocking. It worked well before but it's old now. The characters are a little more fleshed out but there's little new and little more to care about. At least Ms Cain has tied up most of the loose ends. She's left the possibility of more "Lowell" sequels or, heaven forbid, prequels.

I was really looking forward to reading SWEETHEART. I wanted to know more and I came away feeling a little let-down. Perhaps it's the nature of sequels. I finished this one out of sense of duty.

If SWEETHEART becomes a bestseller it will have to be one that rides the coattails of HEARTSICK. It doesn't have (or shouldn't have) the strength to do it on its own. I've read some of the quotes from publications such as the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly and I cannot make the connection that they have and do not see it as "outdoing" herself. It's not a worthy follow-up.

I hope Ms Cain leaves Lowell and company where it is now and moves on. We know enough about this cast and anything else is overkill. Ms Cain is a talented writer. Let's see what else she can come up with.

"Sweetheart" is the sequel to last year's "Heartsick" both featuring hapless (and spleenless... don't ask)detective Archie Sheridan and America's sexiest serial killer Gretchen Lowell. Taken together they form a rather complex tale of masochism, sadism, disgusting behavior, horrific, even nauseating, perversion, and grue and gore. Needless to say, I loved every sick moment of it! To note, as the publisher does, that Gretchen is a sort of female Hannibal Lecter, is to oversimplify to the point of ridiculousness. She is her own stunning creation and more than a match for Thomas Harris' cannibal. Add to that the fact that "Sweetheart" is in and of itself, a pretty darn good whodunnit, and you've got a winner. One thing though: while some series/sequels are stand-alone enough to be read on their own, "Sweetheart" loses FAR too much if you don't read "Heartsick" first. Not to worry, though, you'll love it!

As a seasoned mystery and thriller reader, I found this second novel by the author of this series to be just more of the same. What was unique and interesting in the first book, "Heartsick", becomes redundant and unimaginative in the second.

For me, what makes a mystery series interesting is the familiarity of the same set of characters, usually the protagonists, faced with a new set of challenges and villains. It's perfectly all right to dredge up an old adversary once in a while, especially if they were a reader favorite, but, only after offering a few books in between which give us a look at how the good guys interact with other bad guys.

Personally, I was really tired of Gretchen Lowell less than halfway through this book. She wasn't at all scary, just boring, and more and more unbelievable than in the first book (if that is possible). I was also tired of the gore...sometimes reading this story is reminiscent of viewing a teenage slasher movie. Again, not a pastime of choice, for me.

And Archie, her main male protagonist, is just one sorry loser. At first, with the Vicodin angle, I thought, ok, another Dr. House, but he's a detective, that should be interesting. But it is not interesting. Archie is lacking the one quality that makes House redeemable: House is great at his job. Archies's performance is not even acceptable. While this may be a more realistic portrayal of the effects of drug addiction, entertaining reading it does not make. To me, it just comes off as a sorry attempt to capitalize on the popularity of TV's favorite, vicodin-addicted doctor.

I gave the book three stars instead of a lower rating, just because I imagine the series may appeal to an audience younger than myself. Also, the author has a very good writing style and I found her books fast paced and easy to read. Ms. Cain can write. I just hope her creativity and imagination can keep pace.

Sweetheart, the sequel to the very exciting Heartsick, brings back pychopath Gretchen Lowell and Detective Archie Sheridan. Their twisted, yet seductive, relationship continues to be the heart of the story; although, for me, its compellingness has dimished somewhat. Further, Cain must learn to make this relationship more of the backdrop in future books in this series, and to make the intended plot the "real" story and the more interesting one. Without going into the details of the plot and risk spoiling any of its intended surprises, I found the main story in Sweetheart to be only moderately interesting and somewhat predictable. Sweetheart is an okay read but pales in comparison to Heartsick. If you decide to read Heartsick, I'd strongly recommend that you first read Heartsick.

I read, and did not enjoy, Heartsick, the first book in this series. Cain's 2nd attempt here is not any better than I found the first to be. The story is uninvolving, lacking in creative story-telling and descriptions and wanting for suspense and mystery. It is an unfortunate attempt at a female Hannibal Lecter and it fails miserably.

To top this off, Cain, who is from Oregon, relies too heavily on her knowledge of the area and still can't describe a place effectively enough for me to truly picture it in my mind. She's in trouble if she strays from her home and tries to describe places she knows less well.

The story meanders aimlessly with no real rhyme or reason to the chapters. It seems like a book that was written free-thought, from start to finish. Pointless thoughts, meaningless descriptions, or un-necessary discussions pop up throughout the story. Several times, I had to go back and re-read 2 or 3 chapters thinking, "I must have missed something", but no, it was just an obscure and pointless reference to something that did not apply to the subject at hand and never panned out in the story as a whole.

None of the characters, after 2 novels, have become any more real. They are one-dimensional, cardboard, milquetoast or just downright boring. Names mean nothing because the characters have no personality that jumps from the pages and makes you remember them.

The story is contrived and predictable. The outcome is so far out of left field that no one will see it coming, but that doesn't make it a good ending. Nothing set up in the book leads to what the reader arrives at after several hundred pages. Mystery is absent, suspense is thin and character development is weak at best. The prose is dry and boring. There is no flair in the writer's style, no special something that makes her writing meaningful or memorable.

This book actually tries to get away from the Gretchen Lowell story-line with a contrived political cover-up, but the concept is ridiculous and the ending is really hard to swallow. Fiction or not, this is not supposed to be a fantasy novel and the ending was just a bit too much to be believable. The ending falls in to place a little too conveniently. And, to top it off, some people who had none, somehow end up with a conscience at the end of the book. It's just a little too absurd for me.

I can't see mysellf reading any future efforts by this author; her style is uninteresting, her descriptions of people, place and things, too cliche (how many time does one need to know exactly how blue reporter Susan Ward's hair is before we get the point?). The first was a "gimme" for the writer, the second a mistake for me; I'll use a cliche to follow up on this cliche of a novel: fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I won't be fooled by this author again.

The 3 stars I offer is kind. I should rate this a 2 but, as a writer myself, I will give Cain the 3 for the effort as I know writing a novel is difficult.

The sequel to HeartSick, Sweetheart includes the strengths of the former, but, alas, also the weaknesses. The plot is strong; the setting is nicely realized. The characters are engaging but there is an emptiness at the center. S/M relationships in real life often involve role-playing. In Archie and Gretchen's world the S/M is real. Thus, the reader needs to learn/be taught how a man would be drawn to a woman who drives nails into his ribs and cuts out his spleen. This is not the sort of foreplay that most would find agreeable. We are told that Gretchen is attractive. Fine. That doesn't mean we can get past those nails. The core of the two novels (the subplots are largely incidental) is their relationship and that relationship is not developed in sufficient depth to make the narrative plausible.

The relationship between Archie and Gretchen clearly mimics (and inverts) the relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter. In Sweetheart, Gretchen even uses an expression used by Hannibal in the film version of The Silence of the Lambs. Clarice and Hannibal's relationship, however, includes a large number of positive elements (his respect for her, his politeness, his protecting her from Meigs, his helping her with her career; the fact that he is an inherently interesting, well-educated person) and that relationship does not involve violence. It may stretch plausibility, but it does not burst it, as in HeartSick and Sweetheart.

The Silence of the Lambs is a great commercial novel, but it is not Conrad and it is not Dostoevsky. To explore evil in profound ways requires profound gifts and profound meditation. Silence never reaches that point and HeartSick and Sweetheart are not even within shouting distance.

Finally, the author has not yet found a proper voice. The narrative voice in Sweetheart (even more than in HeartSick) is vulgar and the gore quotient is simply too high. A violent novel that ultimately focuses on a personal relationship can be handled in a number of ways. Silence is very much a fairy tale and at points it is almost like a novel of manners. Sweetheart, I regret to say, verges in the direction of pornography and that ultimately undercuts what I assume the author is trying to do. She appears to be building a franchise on a very 'different' romantic relationship. Fine, but we need to know far more about the relationship and less about the body fluids.

Having been a big fan of Heartsick, I eagerly anticipated the follow-up. What a waste of time.

Endless descriptions of trivial activities bog down a weightless plot and whining characters. Do we really need page after page of shrewish reporter Susan looking for somewhere to smoke? Her mother doing nude yoga? None of this is as cute as Caine seems to think it is.

Slow moving, de-clawed characters, witless protagonist... sadly, the list is endless.

This follow up pales miserably next to Hearsick. Avoid.

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.

It is usually tough to be the "next" something. Chances are, if you hear of the next Stephen King or J.K. Rowling or John Grisham, it is a bunch of hype and the "next" author is not even in the same league as his or her predecessor. Nonetheless, it is not really hype to describe Chelsea Cain as the next Thomas Harris. Her books Heartsick and Sweetheart are worthy successors to Harris's Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs.

Although these are two separate books - and as of this writing, Sweetheart is not yet in bookstores - my advance copy through Amazon Vine included both in an omnibus edition. In a way, this works, as the second novel is less of a sequel than part two of a single story. The main character is Archie Sheridan, a Portland, Oregon homicide cop who, two years before the beginning of Heartsick, was captured by the serial killer who he'd been hunting for years. Gretchen Lowell, or the Beauty Killer, held Sheridan for ten days, torturing him horribly and then inexplicably saving his life and turning herself in.

As Heartsick begins, Sheridan is called back to active duty to lead a task force hunting down the After School Strangler. Sheridan is far from ready for anything; he is addicted to pain killers and has a strange obsession with Lowell, who he visits on a weekly basis (ostensibly so she can confess to additional crimes - she claims to have killed nearly 200 people - but really its just to feed his obsession). Meanwhile, reporter Susan Ward - a fast-living girl with definite daddy issues - is doing a series of articles on both Sheridan and the Strangler.

Though Susan and Archie may seem to be the main characters, Gretchen is just as significant though she doesn't appear (outside of flashbacks) until after the midpoint of the book. Even if she is only a couple dozen of pages, she lingers like a ghost throughout the novel, haunting Archie and everyone he touches.

While the After School Strangler storyline is contained within Heartsick, many issues from that first book linger into Sweetheart. In particular, a story that Susan was working on involving a much loved senator with a dark secret comes into play, but her expose will be derailed when the senator dies in a suspicious auto accident. Meanwhile, Archie tries to stay clear from his path to self-destruction, but it won't be easy: Gretchen has new schemes in mind, and the sordidness of their relationship becomes even clearer.

To compare Gretchen Lowell to Hannibal Lecter may be rather simplistic, but there are definite parallels between the two. Both are classy and very intelligent and have a relationship with a law enforcer that is out of the ordinary. It is therefore appropriate to compare Chelsea Cain to Thomas Harris, and she comes out looking good in the comparison. Both books are well-written page-turners with compelling characters and well-paced suspense. If you enjoy thrillers, this is a pair of books worth picking up.