The 3rd Novel In the Gretchen Lowell Series Hits Hard!
http://www.book-views.com/articles/129/1/The-3rd-Novel-In-the-Gretchen-Lowell-Series-Hits-Hard/Page1.html
Ray Palen
Ray Palen is an amateur actor, book/film reviewer and runs a successful Theatre group on Long Island with his wife. An avid reader who regularly reads up to 3 books per week, Ray has been published on multiple on-line and national print publications. He lives with his wife, Debbie, in Suffolk County, Long Island, NY. By Ray Palen
Published on 08/9/2009
Chelsea Cain's female serial killer, Gretchen Lowell, is on the loose and has brought a flourish of media adoration in her wake. Can Detective Archie Sheridan step out of the insane asylum he checked himself into to stop a string of grisly murders that may be the result of a Gretchen Lowell copy-cat cult? Hang on for another wild ride!
"Evil At Heart" - Chelsea Cain
With the release of her first highly-acclaimed novel in the Gretchen Lowell series, "Heartsick", Chelsea Cain introduced readers to the most original serial killer since Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter. What makes things that much more unique is the fact that Cain's series has a female villain at its' 'heart'.
Detective Archie Sheridan, emotionally and physically scarred by his love-hate realtionship with his former therapist/lover turned serial killer, Gretchen Lowell, begins "Evil At Heart" inside an insane asylum (where he checked himself in). What makes this third novel in the series stand apart from the prior two is how Chelsea Cain not only puts the focus on the Sheridan-Lowell cat-and-mouse game but firmly places the spotlight on the American media. Yes, the same American media that has vaulted mediocre talents to stardom via American Idol and made Paris Hilton a household name. In "Evil At Heart", Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose - but the search for her has now taken a back seat to the t-shirts, murder bus tours and constant tabloid rag coverage she has garnered from the media at large. Women/young girls are now getting "Beauty Killer" nails and "Run, Grtetchen" t-shirts are a best seller.
One of the tragic results of this media overexposure is the formation of a deadly cult that is copying Gretchen's murders right down to the physical disfigurements she has subjected her victims to. Additionally, a string of grisly murders have begun in the Portland, OR, area and the police do not know if it is the work of Gretchen herself or the delusional cult. Archie Sheridan checks himself out of the asylum and right back into the action as he is the only one capable of stopping the insanity...or so he thinks.
"Evil At Heart" once again is a smart and brutal page-turner that will have readers guessing and squirming, simultaneously. As Archie quotes the over-used movie-line: "Let's get out of here" - I was already starting to miss him & the other characters in this great series - and hope to spend some time with them again soon!
Detective Archie Sheridan, emotionally and physically scarred by his love-hate realtionship with his former therapist/lover turned serial killer, Gretchen Lowell, begins "Evil At Heart" inside an insane asylum (where he checked himself in). What makes this third novel in the series stand apart from the prior two is how Chelsea Cain not only puts the focus on the Sheridan-Lowell cat-and-mouse game but firmly places the spotlight on the American media. Yes, the same American media that has vaulted mediocre talents to stardom via American Idol and made Paris Hilton a household name. In "Evil At Heart", Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose - but the search for her has now taken a back seat to the t-shirts, murder bus tours and constant tabloid rag coverage she has garnered from the media at large. Women/young girls are now getting "Beauty Killer" nails and "Run, Grtetchen" t-shirts are a best seller.
One of the tragic results of this media overexposure is the formation of a deadly cult that is copying Gretchen's murders right down to the physical disfigurements she has subjected her victims to. Additionally, a string of grisly murders have begun in the Portland, OR, area and the police do not know if it is the work of Gretchen herself or the delusional cult. Archie Sheridan checks himself out of the asylum and right back into the action as he is the only one capable of stopping the insanity...or so he thinks.
"Evil At Heart" once again is a smart and brutal page-turner that will have readers guessing and squirming, simultaneously. As Archie quotes the over-used movie-line: "Let's get out of here" - I was already starting to miss him & the other characters in this great series - and hope to spend some time with them again soon!