It's the story of Archie Sheridan, a detective who is very emotionally damaged. Two years ago, he was kidnapped while tracking beautiful but treacherously demented and evil serial killer, Gretchen Lowell. After torturing Archie for days, Gretchen eventually saves his life by calling for help and turning herself in, but Archie’s remains tormented and emotionally trashed. He's separated from his wife, addicted to various prescription drugs and is still on disability from his work. Every single Sunday, without fail, Archie visits Gretchen in prison because he is the only one, she’ll disclose the locations of her 200 murder victims (??) with. This was one of his "too stupid to live" moments and there are many more to come. It seems his "attraction" (??) to her borders on his addiction to how she controls him. Despite Archie’s emotional state...he is asked by the department to investigate when someone begins to murder 14-year-old girls. I found this absolutely unbelievable. Was he the only cop they had in the entire department? No... but he was the only cop in the story, so I let it pass. It seems that because he had survived the kidnapping, Archie had become a celebrity, so the local paper sends Susan Ward, a young reporter, to profile him as he works on this case. Archie begins to manipulate her thinking that her articles about him will encourage Gretchen, who has recently gone silent, to offer up the locations of more bodies. Like the reporter she is...Susan finds easy access to interviews with Archie’s ex-wife Debbie...and another unbelievable part... his doctor, who does everything except hand over his medical records on a silver platter. He tells her all about Archie’s unimaginably cruel torture and other juicy aspects of his condition. Somehow Gretchen knows all about reporter Susan’s own ghosts. Her father died when she was 14....and when she was freshman at Cleveland High School...the same school that one of the recent victims also attended, she may or may not have had an inappropriate sexual relationship with her drama teacher. At 14 please define "appropriate"! Archie realizes almost too late that Gretchen has actually been setting a trap of her own, and Susan is the intended victim. Despite many obvious red herrings, the author has created a contorted thriller and characters with memorable, if not necessarily likeable, personalities. An interesting story but way too many unbelievable parts. ( )

An H crochet hook is 5mm. I can't really imagine that being able to catch 1-3 inch wide human intestine and assist in pulling them out of someone's gut without perforation. Maybe my imagine just isn't good enough. ( )

this was the first book that i have read by this author. i will continue the series i really did enjoy this one. ( )

I loved this book, it is defiantly an up all nighter and a female serial killer that is more compelling than Hannibal Lecter.
Some ingenious torture methods and this book will have you wanting to read the second book in the Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell series.

Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell are by far my most favourite serial killer, Detective duo and since reading all of the books in this series I have never found any that shine so bright. I was so excited when a book flashed up from Chelsea Cain for pre-order that I felt like a kid at Christmas but I so was disappointed it wasn’t the continuation of their story but a whole other series.

I am pleading with Chelsea Cain to bring Archie and Gretchen back into our lives and hearts asap! Please 🙂

As serial killers go, Gretchen is just brilliant and I cant help but admire some of her torture methods and even though I raced through all these books a few years ago now I still can see in my mind’s eye the trials and tribulations these two pull as through and they are just as sharp now as they were when I first read them. I own them on in book form as well as kindle versions and they will never be deleted from the kindle as they are books I can read and re read without every losing the magic.

So Please Please Please Chelsea Cain – Bring back Archie and Gretchen.

It’s not all torture and murders but has the strange relationship between cop and killer.

What more can i say, if you loved Hannibal then you will be blown away by Gretchen.

My advice, have the next book Sweetheart close to hand as you will have to read it as soon as you have finished this book.

Read the whole Gretchen Lowell series and you won’t be disappointed, only until you reach the end of the series and the long wait for the next instalment of the chapter.

Very addictive reading. Fantastic plots. Go get reading

The new Chelsea Cain book “One Kick” A Kick Lannigan Novel was good but not a patch on your previous books. I have had long and in-depth discussions with my friends regarding this and our local Book Club so I’m by far not alone in this wish!
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Re-read this, so I can start with the entire series. I never got to the second book when it came out, but I will now! ( )