Heartsick: A Thriller

Chelsea Cain

Sep 2007 · Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell Book 1 · Sold by Minotaur Books

About this ebook

Damaged Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer, but in the end she was the one who caught him. Two years ago, Gretchen kidnapped Archie and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away for the rest of her life, while Archie is in a prison of another kind---addicted to pain pills, unable to return to his old life, powerless to get those ten horrific days off his mind. Archie's a different person, his estranged wife says, and he knows she's right. He continues to visit Gretchen in prison once a week, saying that only he can get her to confess as to the whereabouts of more of her victims, but even he knows the truth---he can't stay away.

When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders. A hungry young newspaper reporter, Susan Ward, begins profiling Archie and the investigation, which sparks a deadly game between Archie, Susan, the new killer, and even Gretchen. They need to catch a killer, and maybe somehow then Archie can free himself from Gretchen, once and for all. Either way, Heartsick makes for one of the most extraordinary suspense debuts in recent memory.

Ratings and reviews

I did't get to read this book. But the intro sounds really good. Archie Sheriden is about to come of medical leave, when he is called to another case. It is a big case and he wants it done his way. The Archie Sheriden Way.

Book was a bit slow at times. It seems to set itself up for a longer story line, so I will continue to read. Very creepy elements I am anxious to learn more about.

I felt like I was in the book. It was so in depth with the details that it played in my head like a movie. It sucked me right in from the moment I started reading it for the second time as I did many many years ago. I couldn't put the book down and read it in one day! I'm super exciting to see there are 5 more to go. Looks like I know what I will be doing when I take my vacation from work.

About the author

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