Sweetheart

A Thriller

By: Chelsea Cain

Narrated by: Carolyn McCormick

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

With Heartsick, Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer, Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times best seller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished. Now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland's Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago - it turned out to be the Beauty Killer's first victim, and Archie's first case. This body can't be one of Gretchen's - she's in prison - but after reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman's identity, it turns into another big case.

Trouble is, Archie can't focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn't seen her in two months; he'd moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he's relieved. He knows he's the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

Chelsea Cain has topped her own best-selling debut thriller with this unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat story.

Listen to the first book, Heartsick.

©2008 Verite, Inc. (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Superb....With its brisk pacing, carefully metered violence, and tortured hero, Cain's sophomore effort will leave readers desperate for more." ( Publishers Weekly)

Complex characters!

Good story-characters are real with complex emotions and motivations. The research is lacking, however, regarding chronic pain and addiction vs. dependency. This is also a complex problem. People with chronic pain rarely get a "high" from it. Hydrocodone is a synthetic opioids derived from codeine, but calling it a "codeine" high is just not accurate medically. Archie is a smart man who has survived unimaginable trauma. He has physical, emotional, and spiritual pain. Large doses of Vicodin in a person with this kind of pain would be ineffective and the side effects might become intolerable. Narcan (Naloxone) is RARELY given as a continuous IV. It is so important to accurately depict what this situation might look like with Archie's character because it is such an important part of his character. His pain is physical, emotional, and spiritual. It is so brilliantly illustrated as a result of his ongoing torture from Gretchen.

wonderful

Straight up. A fantastic story. Still obsessed with Cain. Her stories are to die for. Literally.

Loved it

This was a really good listen it was intense just the way I like my books.

a worthy sequel

interesting storyline. embellished view of different characters. one part of the story slowed down a little, but picked up again before the final five or six chapters. by the end of the book, I was happy that I listened to it. it is a good sequel to follow the fantastic original.

Hannibal Lecter eat your heart out

Excellent continuation of the Archie/Gretchen story, The narration is incredible.. Five Star quality no doubt

A few good parts, mostly full of plot issues

Oh where to start? Book continues where Heartsick left off. It starts out with the discovery of a body in a park but quickly goes off to focus on the escape of convicted serial killer Gretchen Lowell who had previously kidnapped and tortured lead detective Archie Sheridan.

Also apparently threatened by her escape are reporter Susan Ward and her mother Bliss. Ward's character is incredibly annoying; I think she is supposed to come across as smart and resourceful but she repeatedly does very stupid things. She acts like a petulant child and frequently causes the situations she is in to get worse.

The plot is all over the place and has so many just absurd occurrences that it was really hard to finish it. I almost didn't.

Here is an example of how stupid it was: without creating a spoiler (if that's possible), at one point Archie decides to sneak out of police protection; in the process and he smokes one of Ward's cigarettes and leaves the butt on the ground to be a source of his DNA. Whatever for? He is sneaking out of the hotel where he is under police protection; the room of course contains such other obvious DNA sources as his toothbrush, hair comb etc. Just Stupid! Oh, and they never do anything with it. Ugh. There are a lot of these.

This doesn't even begin to address the topic of Archie's attraction to the woman who tortured him for 10 days. Just not believable.

The narrator is terrible too. She tries to "act" the male parts by deepening her voice and then the females are spoken in almost squeaky high pitch. Very irritating. Maybe the story would come across better with a better narrator.

I will not listen to another in this series. Its just too ridicules.

Impossible book

This author writes a highly overdone imitation hard-ass plot and writing style. Definitely not worth listening to.

Sweetheart

Totally unbelievable- waste of time and a credit.

Not a great follow-up

This could have been good but just doesn't match the depth and feel of the first. It feels as if an editor encouraged the author to make the story more accessible by adding comedic interludes and gratuitous sex scenes, both of which were so forced and awkward that I was left cringing on the outside.
Ultimately had to stop listening. I mean all I want is to listen to gruesome descriptions of explicit violence performed by people who have Real Problems, ok. Get your kooky mother and throbbing member outta here!

Lame

Picks up where Heartsick left off, but isn't half as good. The story is slow and formulaic. Seemed to just drag on without really progressing anywhere. The fact that the main male character (Archie) survives is simply unbelievable. Closes with a gratuitous opening for a sequel. Disappointing.