This is pretty frightening stuff. The descriptions of the torture and horror inflicted on the central character are particularly unpleasant, not for the squeamish. It is about the psychology of pain and fear and dependency and it is utterly gripping. The sort of thing that makes the skin on your skull tighten.
Comparison: Thomas Harris, Tim Willocks, Michael Marshall.
Archie and Gretchen series:
1. Heartsick
2. Sweetheart
3. Evil at Heart
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Other Genres: | |
| Recommendations: |
He thinks he sees a flash of emotion in her eyes. Sympathy?
Then it’s gone. ‘Whatever you think this is going to be like,’ she whispers, ‘it’s going to be worse.’
When beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell captured her last victim – the man in charge of hunting her down – she quickly established who was really in control of the investigation. So why, after ten days of horrifying physical and mental torture, did she release Detective Archie Sheridan from the brink of death and hand herself in?
Two years on, Archie remains driven by a terrifying obsession that was born during his time alone with Gretchen. One thing is clear – Archie does not believe he was ever truly freed.
Now Archie returns to lead the search for a new killer, whose recent attacks on teenage girls have left the city of Portland reeling. Shadowed by vulnerable young reporter Susan Ward, Archie knows that only one person can help him climb into the mind of this psychopath. But can Archie finally manage to confront the demons of his past without being consumed by them?
Heartsick features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, Crime and Mystery, eBooks of the Month, Debut Books of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Heartsick is available in Paperback, Hardback
Heartsick was written by Chelsea Cain and published by Pan Macmillan
