A review by kkilburn
Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

4.0

I had few expectations going into this book; my hope was just for an engaging mystery/psychological thriller. In my book, that means good writing, well developed and interesting characters, and a plot that keeps my interest. Cain delivered on all fronts. She writes well, and has a real talent for framing characters quickly enough for the reader to get interested in them, but also for letting the characters continuing to reveal more about themselves as the story unfolds. The story of Archie Sheridan's involvement with Gretchen Lowell, while predictable in many ways, is well told and well incorporated into Tyne "current" mystery. My only gripe is that the present day mystery - the identity of the "After-School Strangler" - is not told with an eye toward letting the reader solve it along with the police. For all of the procedural aspects of the book, we get virtually no clues, no opportunity to chase red herrings, no chance to try to puzzle out the answer on our own. Still, I am going to continue with the series and am glad to have found it.