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 a new novel coming in 2011--is a dark, thrilling, and unparalleled tour de force.
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In fact, Sweetheart is not so much a sequel to Heartsick as a direct continuation of the events of that novel. Some weeks after the events of the first book, Cain’s battered cop protagonist Archie is at the site of the new murder scene at Forest Park. Simultaneously, Susan Ward is reporting on a political case involving statutory rape and making herself very unpopular with her paper -- notably because the senator involved is an intimate of the newspaper’s owners. But then a colleague of Susan’s is killed in what appears to be a car accident, and the lethal Gretchen Lowell, the seductive serial killer of Heartsick, is raped by a guard at the prison where she is incarcerated. He subsequently kills himself, and while Gretchen is being transferred to another prison, she persuades an attendant to commit murder in order to help her escape. And Archie, to his dismay, soon becomes the recipient of the heart of the female prison guard killed in escape.
As all of the above suggests, the plotting here is even more delirious than in the first book -- and this synopsis only hints at the truly bizarre events that Chelsea Cain orchestrates. Even though a moment's consideration might make the narrative seem absurd (and there is some dodgy science incorporated into the plotting), the outrageous panache with which Cain dispatches her material sweeps all reservations aside. For those who care about such things, this is slightly less grisly than its predecessor, but it’s just as entertaining a ride. --Barry Forshaw
"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
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Book Description Paperback or Softback. Condition: New. Sweetheart 0.64. Book. Seller Inventory # BBS-9780312662394
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Book Description Softcover. Condition: New. Reprint. 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. Seller Inventory # DADAX0312662394
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published 0.7. Seller Inventory # 353-0312662394-new
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Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. THIS BOOK IS PRINTED ON DEMAND. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # IQ-9780312662394