Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

Goodreads Summary: When beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell captured her last victim - the very detective who was trying to hunt her down - she quickly established who was really in control of the investigation. So why, after 10 days of horrifying physical and mental torture, did she release Detective Archie Sheridan on the brink of death and hand herself in?

No one else will ever know what happened between Gretchen and Archie, and even with his tormentor serving life Archie remains both obsessed and driven by a mysterious, terrifying dynamic that was born during his time alone with her. One thing is clear - Archie does not believe he was ever truly freed.

Two years on Archie, shadowed by vulnerable, naive young reporter Susan Ward, must lead a new hunt for the 'after school killer', and he knows that one person can help him climb into the mind of this psychopath.

But are there links between these brutal deaths and Gretchen's own unthinkable past? And will this only give Gretchen an invitation to play puppeteer once more? In turns shocking and touching, this startling, compulsive debut introduces a complex psychopathic killer who will haunt your every waking hour long after you finish the last page...



My Take: It was a nice change to pick up and read a murder mystery.

Archie Sheridan, a murder investigator is brought back to work after being on leave for 2 years. The 2 years prior, Archie had become a victim of a mass murderer Gretchen Lowell. Gretchen is a serial killer that Archie had been trying to find his entire career, giving her more of a reason to make sure he fell into her trap. Gretchen is now in prison but there is a new serial killer on the loose and the task force needs Archie's help.

Reading about how smart but demented and what a major sociopath Gretchen was, really made the story captivating. Chelsea Cain also did an amazing job at showing how an abuser can have power over their victim.

Throughout the book, the story went from the present serial killer investigation, then back to when Archie was held captive for 10 days by Gretchen.

Close to the end I was getting frustrated because I was thinking that the result was way too coincidental but the last chapter caught me completely off guard.

If you like murder mystery, this is a book I would recommend and I am looking forward to reading Sweetheart.