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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
While not a fan of the police procedural, the premise of this one intrigued me, and with a rave recommendation from a friend I decided to give it a try. If this is your genre, this is one of the best books you'll read -- it's shocking, gruesome, gripping. The characters are well fleshed-out and the narrative momentum zings along. I would much rather experience this story as a movie and I'm sure it's being optioned as I write this (or will be very soon). One of my favourite films is Seven starring Morgan Freeman, a police procedural featuring a serial killer like no other. While I love the film, I'd have no desire to read the novel (if it had been adapted from one). Rather than read on in the series, I think I will wait for the movies, for I am certain they are coming. Heartsick is great source material and Cain a remarkably vivid writer. She made me squirm and wince; that's good writing.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OMG! This book was fan-freaking-tastic! Chelsea Cain is a wonderful writer as she takes you into the mind of the killer and the victim. Awesome!
Wow ... Gretchen ...lillac ...I ultimately fell in love with her... She is just rocking..
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really loved this twisty book and the very dark relationship between serial killer Gretchen Lowell and detective Archie Sheridan. I look forward to her new book in September.
Heartsick was great. It was recommended to me by a friend with similar reading tastes after I finished reading Cain’s new novel, One Kick. I’m glad I picked it up.
Heartsick may be one of the most f***ed up mystery novels I’ve ever read. The things that Gretchen Lowell, a pretty notorious serial killer, did to detective Sheridan was beyond messed up. Their relationship was an odd one. At first I thought she was one of those typical serial killers turned helper, but that wasn’t really the case. It was a lot more.. complicated than that.
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the novel, as detective Sheridan enlisted the help of a reporter after he was assigned to a missing children case. I liked getting to know the reporter, watch the detective piece together clues, and figure out who was murdering kids. But that wasn’t why I kept reading. I am not a big fan of mysteries and if that was all there was to the story, I wouldn’t have bought the next few books. What drew me in and what ultimately will keep me reading is Gretchen Lowell. She was twisted, smart, and cunning, but I want more examples of what she did, is doing, and will do. She destroyed what was left of detective Sheridan and their relationship was disturbing. What does she want from him? The novel gave me pieces of what happened when she tortured him in the past, but I never could quite figure out why she did it, why she turned herself in, and why she was helping him now. But those questions were answered with hints and little bits of information.
I’m hooked and I want to know more. I want to figure out who Gretchen Lowell is, what she wants with Sheridan, why she let him go, and what will become of the damaged detective. His thoughts about her are so tangled and twisted and it was interesting to read about it. I hope the next few novels explore everything a bit more. I’m not sold on Archie Sheridan as a character, I despised the reporter, and I’m skeptical that Gretchen Lowell is as put together as she seems. But first books can typically be that way and not give me enough to go on, so I am eager to continue the series and see what happens.
I definitely recommend the book, but it is not for the easily disturbed. It was dark, violent, twisted, weird, and quite gross at times. It borrows from themes from other famous mysteries, like that of the Hannibal Lecter novels without the added sophistication.
Heartsick may be one of the most f***ed up mystery novels I’ve ever read. The things that Gretchen Lowell, a pretty notorious serial killer, did to detective Sheridan was beyond messed up. Their relationship was an odd one. At first I thought she was one of those typical serial killers turned helper, but that wasn’t really the case. It was a lot more.. complicated than that.
I enjoyed the mystery aspect of the novel, as detective Sheridan enlisted the help of a reporter after he was assigned to a missing children case. I liked getting to know the reporter, watch the detective piece together clues, and figure out who was murdering kids. But that wasn’t why I kept reading. I am not a big fan of mysteries and if that was all there was to the story, I wouldn’t have bought the next few books. What drew me in and what ultimately will keep me reading is Gretchen Lowell. She was twisted, smart, and cunning, but I want more examples of what she did, is doing, and will do. She destroyed what was left of detective Sheridan and their relationship was disturbing. What does she want from him? The novel gave me pieces of what happened when she tortured him in the past, but I never could quite figure out why she did it, why she turned herself in, and why she was helping him now. But those questions were answered with hints and little bits of information.
I’m hooked and I want to know more. I want to figure out who Gretchen Lowell is, what she wants with Sheridan, why she let him go, and what will become of the damaged detective. His thoughts about her are so tangled and twisted and it was interesting to read about it. I hope the next few novels explore everything a bit more. I’m not sold on Archie Sheridan as a character, I despised the reporter, and I’m skeptical that Gretchen Lowell is as put together as she seems. But first books can typically be that way and not give me enough to go on, so I am eager to continue the series and see what happens.
I definitely recommend the book, but it is not for the easily disturbed. It was dark, violent, twisted, weird, and quite gross at times. It borrows from themes from other famous mysteries, like that of the Hannibal Lecter novels without the added sophistication.
I'm not a huge fan of the serial killer genre, but this was a really good thriller - very suspenseful, intriguing lead character, creepy villainess. Not great literature, but who says it always has to be?
Move over, Hannibal Lecter! This book has a "bad guy" (actually a woman) who is at least as twisted as you. Knowing that this book is the beginning of a series almost gives me the willies! But that won't stop me from following the story....
I listened to the audio version of this book, and really loved the way it was presented by a narrator who makes her voice reflect the very different characters in the story. Sultry-voiced Gretchen is a sadistic but beautiful serial killer who has been incarcerated for a string of earlier murders. Raspy-voiced Archie, the detective who was physically- and psychologically-damaged by Gretchen before her capture, is leading a task force to track down a new serial killer targeting high school girls. And the young reporter Susan, who is following the investigation while trying to get insights on Archie's history with Gretchen, has a voice that is innocent but with a hardened "edge".
The story alternates between the current investigation and Archie's horrific experiences as Gretchen's captive. Archie's character flaws become almost forgivable in light of what he went through. He really comes across as a very sympathetic character. Susan's character grows in complexity as the story progresses, and I found myself cheering her on at times.
As a bonus, the audiobook has an interview with the author at the end, giving some insight into her creation of the book. Always good to hear an author speak!
If you enjoy this genre (serial killers/detective stories) and don't mind some gruesome details along the way, this is a very good start to what I imagine will be a good series.
I listened to the audio version of this book, and really loved the way it was presented by a narrator who makes her voice reflect the very different characters in the story. Sultry-voiced Gretchen is a sadistic but beautiful serial killer who has been incarcerated for a string of earlier murders. Raspy-voiced Archie, the detective who was physically- and psychologically-damaged by Gretchen before her capture, is leading a task force to track down a new serial killer targeting high school girls. And the young reporter Susan, who is following the investigation while trying to get insights on Archie's history with Gretchen, has a voice that is innocent but with a hardened "edge".
The story alternates between the current investigation and Archie's horrific experiences as Gretchen's captive. Archie's character flaws become almost forgivable in light of what he went through. He really comes across as a very sympathetic character. Susan's character grows in complexity as the story progresses, and I found myself cheering her on at times.
As a bonus, the audiobook has an interview with the author at the end, giving some insight into her creation of the book. Always good to hear an author speak!
If you enjoy this genre (serial killers/detective stories) and don't mind some gruesome details along the way, this is a very good start to what I imagine will be a good series.
I enjoyed this mystery very much. The characters were well developed and easy to identify with, without being too predictable. Those who enjoy psychological thrillers will enjoy this as well. I just purchased the sequel and can't wait to get started.