On This Page
Description
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 bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again. When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland's show more 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 help from 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 bestselling debut thriller with this unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat story. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This book is the second in the series, following “Heartsick.” I wouldn’t suggest reading it unless you’ve read the first book. I happened upon Heartsick by accident, but after finishing it, I wanted to read more by this author and found that there are six books featuring Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell. This series is a fascinating story about a twisted psychopathic killer (Gretchen) and her perverse relationship with her favorite victim (Archie). Although Gretchen has been captured and found guilty, prosecutors waived the death sentence for her cooperation to reveal the identities of her victims, and she lives in a maximum-security prison in Portland, OR. But Gretchen will only speak to Archie.
Archie Sheridan has just show more officially returned to work as a detective for the Portland PD, and pops Vicodin like candy to mask the pain of his failing liver. However, he never misses a weekly visit to see Gretchen, who still wields a sickening hold over him. When Archie and his partner, Henry, discover new bodies in Forest Park, where Archie discovered Gretchen’s first victim years ago, they join forces with Susan Ward, a journalist for The Herald, who insists they might be connected to her story to bring down a prominent Senator. In the midst of their investigation, the unthinkable happens. Gretchen escapes prison during a transfer and comes after Archie and his family with a vengeance.
This book is a must-read in one sitting. The characters are strangely unique and dig their way into your head. The plot unfolds through witty, sometimes bluntly shocking dialogue, telling a tale of twisted love, murder, and unnatural relationships that are weirdly endearing at times. Shocking and not for the faint of heart, I found this series terribly engrossing. show less
Archie Sheridan has just show more officially returned to work as a detective for the Portland PD, and pops Vicodin like candy to mask the pain of his failing liver. However, he never misses a weekly visit to see Gretchen, who still wields a sickening hold over him. When Archie and his partner, Henry, discover new bodies in Forest Park, where Archie discovered Gretchen’s first victim years ago, they join forces with Susan Ward, a journalist for The Herald, who insists they might be connected to her story to bring down a prominent Senator. In the midst of their investigation, the unthinkable happens. Gretchen escapes prison during a transfer and comes after Archie and his family with a vengeance.
This book is a must-read in one sitting. The characters are strangely unique and dig their way into your head. The plot unfolds through witty, sometimes bluntly shocking dialogue, telling a tale of twisted love, murder, and unnatural relationships that are weirdly endearing at times. Shocking and not for the faint of heart, I found this series terribly engrossing. show less
I still want to smack Archie - there's Stockholm Syndrome and then there's thinking with the wrong part of your anatomy - but Susan is fantastic as always, sharing the detective work with her idol, while he gets off his head on painkillers and lusts after a serial killer. In fact, the author should kill off the Gretchen Lowell character and just focus on Sheridan and Susan - I get that Gretchen is the hook, like a female Hannibal Lecter, but unfortunately she's not as charismatic, and her character depends far too much on being beautiful and irresistible to men. If Gretchen turned out to be a vampire, using her immortality and 'glamour' to use stupid men, that would be a premise I could believe in, but I'm sick of her character already show more and this is only book two,
Anyway! Another fast-paced murder mystery that kept me engaged, even when sidetracked by Gretchen again, about the political sex scandal Susan was investigating in the first novel. And I love the dashes of humour , mostly from Susan and her hippy mother Bliss, in what could be a very bleak series about a washed-up detective and the homicidal black widow he's infatuated with. show less
Anyway! Another fast-paced murder mystery that kept me engaged, even when sidetracked by Gretchen again, about the political sex scandal Susan was investigating in the first novel. And I love the dashes of humour , mostly from Susan and her hippy mother Bliss, in what could be a very bleak series about a washed-up detective and the homicidal black widow he's infatuated with. show less
My notes while reading this book - lowest kind of pandering...oh let’s put children in danger, that’s original. No hint yet of why Gretchen is in the least way attractive. All we have is the super villain, again trying to compete with Lecter (let’s have her escape…yeah, no one’s done that before!), but without the necessary charm or intellect. Animal instinct is not that interesting in a serial killer. Archie has made no progress and shows no remorse or regret. Why do people like this jackass?
Now the review -
It’s so aggravating when an author does not develop her characters and just relies on sensationalism and shock value. In her first novel, Heartsick, Cain gave us some sketches of a couple of main characters; a brutal and show more utterly inhuman serial killer and a cop who was inexplicably and destructively drawn to her. All facts she TOLD us, but did not SHOW. Writing 101 FAIL. Supposedly Gretchen Lowell has some inescapable attraction that draws men in like flies, even men who know better and should be repulsed, revolted and want to kill her. I didn’t see it. It must be her flawless looks and if so, we need a picture. Better yet, a video. Other than that Cain didn’t imbue Gretchen with anything remotely attractive and it was lame. To make this in any way believable, I need to know why Archie self-destructs over her. She didn’t deliver.
I also have no clue as to why Debbie and Henry (and now Susan come to think of it) are so devoted to him. Archie seems like all asshole all the time to me. What the hell does everyone see in him? Without this it falls apart for me. I don’t buy the long-suffering, devoted (but EX) wife bit. No sane woman would do this (hey, maybe that’s it, Archie is ONLY attracted to crazy women, the crazier the better. Wifey not psychotic? Damn, better find me a woman who is!) Cain needed to give us some of Archie’s life before his ruination at Gretchen’s hands instead of plunging us right into the story of his destruction. She also needed to show Henry and Archie acting like normal partners and not rescuer and victim. Judging only on what I know about Archie now, I would never have stuck with him if I were Henry. He doesn’t act like a partner. He only takes, he never gives. Archie is a black hole for everyone around him and makes no effort to change this back to his former allegedly saint-like self. OMG my eyes hurt from rolling.
So that leaves us with plot. All fine and good to begin with but that ending was atrocious and completely stupid. Archie hatching some inane and needlessly vague plot all hinging on exceptional luck and timing. The cell phone thing. The stashing of handcuffs in a house we had no inkling of in any of Archie’s thoughts or plans. Not telling his devoted watchdog, Henry. Leaving obscure clues for a woman he barely knows (Susan). The fire and the overdose. Gah. It was all too much, too fast and with no precedent for this behavior. Archie is an addle-brained, drug-addicted shell of a human. I didn’t buy the idea that he could even conceive of a con job like this one. And then Henry doesn’t shoot the bitch? Fuck me running. So out of character it made me laugh out loud at its stupidity.
The mere fact that I remained interested enough to continue warranted its 2 stars, other than that it’s a wreck. show less
Now the review -
It’s so aggravating when an author does not develop her characters and just relies on sensationalism and shock value. In her first novel, Heartsick, Cain gave us some sketches of a couple of main characters; a brutal and show more utterly inhuman serial killer and a cop who was inexplicably and destructively drawn to her. All facts she TOLD us, but did not SHOW. Writing 101 FAIL. Supposedly Gretchen Lowell has some inescapable attraction that draws men in like flies, even men who know better and should be repulsed, revolted and want to kill her. I didn’t see it. It must be her flawless looks and if so, we need a picture. Better yet, a video. Other than that Cain didn’t imbue Gretchen with anything remotely attractive and it was lame. To make this in any way believable, I need to know why Archie self-destructs over her. She didn’t deliver.
I also have no clue as to why Debbie and Henry (and now Susan come to think of it) are so devoted to him. Archie seems like all asshole all the time to me. What the hell does everyone see in him? Without this it falls apart for me. I don’t buy the long-suffering, devoted (but EX) wife bit. No sane woman would do this (hey, maybe that’s it, Archie is ONLY attracted to crazy women, the crazier the better. Wifey not psychotic? Damn, better find me a woman who is!) Cain needed to give us some of Archie’s life before his ruination at Gretchen’s hands instead of plunging us right into the story of his destruction. She also needed to show Henry and Archie acting like normal partners and not rescuer and victim. Judging only on what I know about Archie now, I would never have stuck with him if I were Henry. He doesn’t act like a partner. He only takes, he never gives. Archie is a black hole for everyone around him and makes no effort to change this back to his former allegedly saint-like self. OMG my eyes hurt from rolling.
So that leaves us with plot. All fine and good to begin with but that ending was atrocious and completely stupid. Archie hatching some inane and needlessly vague plot all hinging on exceptional luck and timing. The cell phone thing. The stashing of handcuffs in a house we had no inkling of in any of Archie’s thoughts or plans. Not telling his devoted watchdog, Henry. Leaving obscure clues for a woman he barely knows (Susan). The fire and the overdose. Gah. It was all too much, too fast and with no precedent for this behavior. Archie is an addle-brained, drug-addicted shell of a human. I didn’t buy the idea that he could even conceive of a con job like this one. And then Henry doesn’t shoot the bitch? Fuck me running. So out of character it made me laugh out loud at its stupidity.
The mere fact that I remained interested enough to continue warranted its 2 stars, other than that it’s a wreck. show less
Heartsick introduced us all to Archie, the vicoden popping torture victim/Portland detective. We met Susan, bizarre hair colored closet cigarette smoking Oregon journalist with a penchant for married men. Last but not least, Gretchen Lowell, pacific northwest serial killer with 200 murders under her belt..
With Gretchen in jail and Archie (her final victim) clutching loosely at his own pill induced death, everything seems like it is going to cool down in Portland. Archie is drawn into another series of murders, unfortunately the clues are slim. Susan is tracking down information about a local senator and his sexual escapades with a 14 year old babysitter, a story that is over a decade old.
There was a lot of humor, dark black humor in show more this book. humor might be a bit incorrect, as it leans more toward humour (as in the fluids), coming out of whatever hole the murderer has created in the corpse. Regardless, there was a more solid/lively feel to some of the characters, even in situations where there should have been none. You could tell that Chelsea was more in her element, that she was more comfortable with the personalities of her creations. She was able to create the connections between characters and situations with out being overbearing.
Perfect for serial killer fans and thriller junkies.
Book two of Chelsea Cain's series was phenomenal. I was caught off guard. I was rooting for the bad guy, yet hoping she would die painfully. I could not get enough of it. I was sad when the end arrived. I was left wanting the third book to be finished and in my hands.
Anyway, not much of a review.. but hey.. lazy plus in a hurry equals me spoutin' off with the clickety clack of the keyboard. show less
With Gretchen in jail and Archie (her final victim) clutching loosely at his own pill induced death, everything seems like it is going to cool down in Portland. Archie is drawn into another series of murders, unfortunately the clues are slim. Susan is tracking down information about a local senator and his sexual escapades with a 14 year old babysitter, a story that is over a decade old.
There was a lot of humor, dark black humor in show more this book. humor might be a bit incorrect, as it leans more toward humour (as in the fluids), coming out of whatever hole the murderer has created in the corpse. Regardless, there was a more solid/lively feel to some of the characters, even in situations where there should have been none. You could tell that Chelsea was more in her element, that she was more comfortable with the personalities of her creations. She was able to create the connections between characters and situations with out being overbearing.
Perfect for serial killer fans and thriller junkies.
Book two of Chelsea Cain's series was phenomenal. I was caught off guard. I was rooting for the bad guy, yet hoping she would die painfully. I could not get enough of it. I was sad when the end arrived. I was left wanting the third book to be finished and in my hands.
Anyway, not much of a review.. but hey.. lazy plus in a hurry equals me spoutin' off with the clickety clack of the keyboard. show less
In Chelsea Cain's first novel, Heartsick, we met serial killer Gretchen Lowe--beautiful, highly intelligent, cultured--and her victim/lover/hunter Archie Sheridan, Portland detective and family man. Sweetheart picks up two years after the grotesque events of Heartsick unfolded, and with the same cast of characters.
Archie Sheridan is divorced from his wife, but still living with her and their two kids. He is in love with his ex-wife, he is in love with Vicodin, and he is in love with Gretchen Lowell. When she escapes from prison while being transferred to another facility Archie knows that he must see her, he must have her, and he must keep her from killing again.
While drawing heavily upon the type of dynamic between detective and psycho show more killer that Thomas Harris invented and then perfected with Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter, still Chelsea Cain manages to keep her story fresh...as well as truly sick and nasty (and as a gobbler of serial killer novels, I mean that in the best possible way). Not only that, but she's left the door open for the possibility of more encounters between these two tormented characters. show less
Archie Sheridan is divorced from his wife, but still living with her and their two kids. He is in love with his ex-wife, he is in love with Vicodin, and he is in love with Gretchen Lowell. When she escapes from prison while being transferred to another facility Archie knows that he must see her, he must have her, and he must keep her from killing again.
While drawing heavily upon the type of dynamic between detective and psycho show more killer that Thomas Harris invented and then perfected with Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter, still Chelsea Cain manages to keep her story fresh...as well as truly sick and nasty (and as a gobbler of serial killer novels, I mean that in the best possible way). Not only that, but she's left the door open for the possibility of more encounters between these two tormented characters. show less
In reading the second installment of the Gretchen Lowell series, I was interested to find out what happened with the unusual relationship of Archie Sheridan (Portland police detective) and Gretchen Lowell (serial killer). Ms. Cain did not disappoint me.
Archie Sheridan is trying to mend his relationship with his wife and children. He has kept away from Gretchen Lowell, but his thoughts are always with her and the pills he takes for the pain caused by being Gretchen's last torture victim, are taking their toll. Archie wants to die and Gretchen's escape from prison has given him a plan to make his wish come true.
Susan Ward wants to expose Senator Castle's past "affair" with a 14-year old, but there is a cover up that involves murder. Who show more killed her mentor, what have the bodies in the park have to do with the Castle story and who is trying to kill her?
Again, a great suspense thriller with two nail-biting mysteries to keep you reading until the ultimate climax. On to book 3. show less
Archie Sheridan is trying to mend his relationship with his wife and children. He has kept away from Gretchen Lowell, but his thoughts are always with her and the pills he takes for the pain caused by being Gretchen's last torture victim, are taking their toll. Archie wants to die and Gretchen's escape from prison has given him a plan to make his wish come true.
Susan Ward wants to expose Senator Castle's past "affair" with a 14-year old, but there is a cover up that involves murder. Who show more killed her mentor, what have the bodies in the park have to do with the Castle story and who is trying to kill her?
Again, a great suspense thriller with two nail-biting mysteries to keep you reading until the ultimate climax. On to book 3. show less
Picking up a few months after the events in Heart Sick, Sweetheart resumes with journalist Susan Ward. Susan has finally convinced a source to talk and she now has the goods on a powerful, five-term senator. Will this be the making of her career? And how exactly does the senator’s story relate to the bodies Archie Sheridan keeps pulling from the park? Even though Gretchen Lowell remains in custody, Archie struggles with putting the Beauty Killer case behind him. Still addicted to Vicodan, he swallows his pills every morning and ponders the heart she carved into his chest. One afternoon Archie is informed that Gretchen has escaped and he is instantly pulled from the purgatory the last few months have been to him. Is he rushing into a show more detective’s paradise, the cat-and-mouse game he lives for, or down into the hell of his own destruction?
I chose this book for my Favorite Author’s Books I Haven’t Read category. Chelsea Cain immediately secured a place on my watch list last year when I read Heart Sick.
I absolutely love that feeling when you pick up a sequel to a book that you really enjoyed. That warm fuzzy cloak of familiarity mixed with an electric buzz of anticipation just gets me every time. I started to feel that the moment I picked up Sweetheart from the library. It was the same feeling I used to get with Patricia Cornwell, before Lucy was gay and Benton was dead.
Having majored in Journalism, my favorite character in this book should be Susan but it’s not. I must admit that Archie has captured my attention.When the story opens Archie has been reunited with his family, and he’s desperately pretending that everything is back to normal. And I love him for that. For trying to be the good husband and the good father. But I also love to see him with Gretchen because he is fully both victim and nemesis. He has an edginess, an angst, that I find irresistible.
I did enjoy Susan's story, particularly when she and Henry are searching for Archie. The dialogue between those two is gold.
Now, you can make comparisons between Heart Sick/Sweetheart and Thomas Harris’s Hannibal saga all day long, there’s plenty of fodder there. That doesn’t mean this is a cardboard copy, far from it. I have found Cain’s story so much more engaging. Maybe it’s because I’m female or she’s female or the serial killer is female, or all three. I don’t know.
Cain has delivered a solid followup, in fact, I believe it to be superior to its predecessor.
Fans of crime fiction and thrillers will enjoy it. Fair warning: contains language, sex and graphic descriptions of crime scenes. show less
I chose this book for my Favorite Author’s Books I Haven’t Read category. Chelsea Cain immediately secured a place on my watch list last year when I read Heart Sick.
I absolutely love that feeling when you pick up a sequel to a book that you really enjoyed. That warm fuzzy cloak of familiarity mixed with an electric buzz of anticipation just gets me every time. I started to feel that the moment I picked up Sweetheart from the library. It was the same feeling I used to get with Patricia Cornwell, before Lucy was gay and Benton was dead.
Having majored in Journalism, my favorite character in this book should be Susan but it’s not. I must admit that Archie has captured my attention.When the story opens Archie has been reunited with his family, and he’s desperately pretending that everything is back to normal. And I love him for that. For trying to be the good husband and the good father. But I also love to see him with Gretchen because he is fully both victim and nemesis. He has an edginess, an angst, that I find irresistible.
I did enjoy Susan's story, particularly when she and Henry are searching for Archie. The dialogue between those two is gold.
Now, you can make comparisons between Heart Sick/Sweetheart and Thomas Harris’s Hannibal saga all day long, there’s plenty of fodder there. That doesn’t mean this is a cardboard copy, far from it. I have found Cain’s story so much more engaging. Maybe it’s because I’m female or she’s female or the serial killer is female, or all three. I don’t know.
Cain has delivered a solid followup, in fact, I believe it to be superior to its predecessor.
Fans of crime fiction and thrillers will enjoy it. Fair warning: contains language, sex and graphic descriptions of crime scenes. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Dark Books for Winter Reading
71 works; 11 members
Psychological Thrillers
10 works; 1 member
Books Read in 2010
631 works; 11 members
Serial Killer Thrillers
56 works; 6 members
Author Information
61+ Works 9,176 Members
Writer Chelsea Cain was born in Iowa City, Iowa on February 5, 1972 and lived on a commune in Iowa and then in Bellingham, Washington. She studied political science at the University of California at Irvine, graduating in 1994. She also attended the University of Iowa's graduate school of journalism and has written for several newspapers, show more including The Oregonian. While at Iowa, she wrote a weekly column for The Daily Iowan. Her master¿s thesis at the University of Iowa became Dharma Girl, a memoir about Cain's early childhood on the hippie commune. One of her professors presented it to several editors for review, and Seal Press picked it up as Cain's first published work. She was 24 years old. Cain publishes in several genres and has penned a memoir, works of humor, and thrillers. After working as a Creative Director at a PR firm in Portland for several years, Cain began writing humor books in her spare time, including The Hippie Handbook: How to Tie-Dye a T-Shirt, Flash a Peace Sign, and Other Essential Skills for the Carefree Life Confessions of a Teen Sleuth, and Does this Cape Make Me Look Fat? Pop-Psychology for Superheroes, which Cain co-wrote with her husband. Cain also composed a weekly column for Portland¿s alternative newspaper, The Portland Mercury,and started contributing to Portland¿s major daily, The Oregonian in 2003when she left marketing behind to focus on writing full-time. Her last column with The Oregonian was posted on December 28, 2008. She wrote her first thriller Heartsick in 2004, while pregnant with her daughter. It was published in 2007, and was an instant New York Times Bestseller along wirh her other works Sweetheart, Evil at Heart, and Let Me Go. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
blanvalet (37224)
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Sweetheart
- Original title
- Sweetheart [English]
- Original publication date
- 2008-09-02
- People/Characters
- Archie Sheridan; Gretchen Lowell; Susan Ward; Debbie Sheridan; Henry Sobol; Claire Masland (show all 14); Bliss ; Buddy Anderson; Molly Palmer; Senator Castle; Quentin Parker; Todd Bennett; Ben Sheridan; Sarah Sheridan
- Important places
- Portland, Oregon, USA
- Dedication
- For Village Books in Bellingham, Washington, for taking me in as a kid, and letting me sit for hours reading books on all those cold winter evenings. You are to blame for this.
- First words
- Forest Park was pretty in the summer.
- Quotations
- That's always the one you remember. First cigarette. First kiss. First corpse in a park.
A master's degree in creative writing. Five years of newspaper journalism. And still, the only question she could manage was 'What's going on?'
The other coffee was black. He handed her the black one. 'Dark and bitter, right?' he said.
"You have to turn back," he said to Henry, motioning back down the mountain.
Henry pointed to the siren on the hood. "Portland PD," he said.
"Have you come to arrest the fire?" the ranger asked. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And he knew it was just a matter of time before she called.
- Blurbers
- Gerritsen, Tess; Palahniuk, Chuck
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 1,447
- Popularity
- 16,151
- Reviews
- 88
- Rating
- (3.78)
- Languages
- 11 — Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Galician, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 46
- ASINs
- 10
