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jajorgen's review
4.0
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.
meganmreads's review
4.0
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.
megmcardle's review
4.0
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?
jrmama42's review
4.0
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.
mossiegirl55's review
5.0
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.
rachelphaba's review against another edition
4.0
Sería injusto darle 3 estrellas porque está bien escrito, la trama es correcta, no se vuelven locos con los giros sorprendentes...en general una novela muy correcta, aunque poco memorable. Los personajes no están mal construidos, pero son bastante típicos y no me han llegado ni he simpatizado con ninguno especialmente, la historia es entretenida pero no me tenía al borde del sofá deseando pasar a la siguiente página a ver qué ocurría...en definitiva: injusto un 3, pero tampoco estoy convencida del 4. Se puede leer y pasar un rato entretenido sin tener la sensación de que te han timado ni hecho perder el tiempo, pero tampoco la recomendaría
emp1234's review
2.0
It was fine. And forgettable. I finished and realized I had no desire to read any more in the series.
gicuzziol's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eishe's review
3.0
Stepping outside of my SF&F comfort zone with this one.
Even for books in a series, I like some sort of a feeling of completion after each one, but this one provides very little of that. It reads less like an individual book, more like a really long prologue to the books to come. As such it's mainly character driven, and while the characters are currently quite one-dimensional, it seems to be intentional to let the characters grow, develop and hopefully heal in the following books.
The writing makes it a great page turner though. I will probably be at least giving the next book a shot.
Even for books in a series, I like some sort of a feeling of completion after each one, but this one provides very little of that. It reads less like an individual book, more like a really long prologue to the books to come. As such it's mainly character driven, and while the characters are currently quite one-dimensional, it seems to be intentional to let the characters grow, develop and hopefully heal in the following books.
The writing makes it a great page turner though. I will probably be at least giving the next book a shot.