Jenn's Bookshelves

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 0312368488
• Source: Publisher

Archie Sheridan was held captive and tortured by Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful and sexy serial killer who has haunted the citizens of Portland, OR for years.  She brags that she’s killed over 200 people, and she nearly killed Archie. He’s voluntarily admitted himself into a psychiatric hospital in an attempt to get over his addiction of Vicoden, and Gretchen herself.

Archie’s not the only one who is infatuated with Gretchen. Her crimes have been sensationalized by the media; Hundreds of “Beauty Killer” fan sites have popped up on the internet.  There’s even a tour bus that drives tourists around to the spots where Gretchen’s victims’ bodies were found.

When body parts are discovered in the bathroom of a local rest stop, along with the tell-tale “hearts” Gretchen was known to decorate her crime scenes (and victims!) with, everyone believes the serial killer is killing again.  Archie’s good friend, Detective Henry Sobol, new lead of the “Beauty Killer” task force, asks Archie to check himself out of the psych ward to once again join the hunt for Gretchen. Joining the hunt alongside Archie and Henry is Susan Ward, a reporter for the local newspaper, another near-victim of the Beauty Killer.

Bodies begin showing up at the sites of Gretchen’s killings.  Something seems a little off to Archie. Gretchen’s MO is to remove the spleens of her victims and to carve hearts on their bodies.  These new victims don’t quite fit the profile of Gretchen’s handiwork.  Once again, Archie puts his own life in danger in order to find the truth behind the killings.

Chelsea Cain has once again done a stunning job!  Her ability to portray such a vicious killer astounds and impresses me.  As in the previous two books, Sweetheart and Heartsick, the relationship between Archie and Gretchen fascinates me!  Archie’s character has performed an astounding transformation.  He literally went from a bumbling love-sick puppy in Gretchen’s presence to a relatively strong character.

There are quite a few scenes in  Evil at Heart that are terrifying and gruesome, even more so than any of Cain’s previous books. However, this wasn’t just randomly inserted, I think it was done to realistically capture the pure evil that resides in the killer.

I highly recommend this, and the other “Beauty Killer” books to anyone who enjoy a nice, terrifying read! Take a peak at the book’s trailer!

I’m now happy to announce a special giveaway!  One grand prize winner will receive the entire “Beauty Killer” series: a paperback of Heartsick, an ARC of Sweetheart, and a hardback copy of Evil at Heart.  One runner-up will win an audiobook of Heartsick. To be entered into the contest, please fill out the form below. Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only.  Contest ends Monday, April 26th.

Please be sure to come back on Saturday for post about Chelsea Cain’s Portland.  You see, in Cain’s writing, the setting is practically a character itself.  Cain made sure to pick real locations to detail in her books, and on Saturday we’re going to take a tour of these spots!

Related posts

• A Glimpse Inside Chelsea Cain’s Portland (11)
• Review:The Enemy by Lee Child (4)
• Review: Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon (10)
• Review: Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth (8)
• Review & Blog Tour: The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf (10)

Sgt. Michael McCabe, a former NYPD detective, has recently moved to Portland, ME in the hopes of finding a safer place to raise his thirteen-year-old daughter. McCabe soon learns that Portland isn’t as safe as he believed.  Someone is stealing the hearts of young athletic women-literally.  Their bodies are found with their hearts  removed with surgical precision. 

When another young women goes missing, the pressure is on.  McCabe and his partner, Detective Maggie Savage, begin investigating a local prominent cardiac surgeon, Philip Spencer. McCabe wonders if the hearts are being harvested for transplant,  but Spencer is convinced they are not.  The secrets hidden in his past make Spencer a prime suspect. 

As if McCabe isn’t under enough pressure his ex-wife, who has been out of their daughter’s life for three years, forces her way into the picture again.  She insists that their daughter needs her in her life.  As the investigation unfolds, we also learn a great deal about McCabe’s character.  I really appreciated that his character was flawed.  He has several emotional ghosts hiding in the closet. The parallel storyline dealing with his relationships with his ex-wife, daughter, and current love interest added depth to the story.

The Cutting is a very impressive debut novel. I was so intrigued and engaged in the characters and the storyline that I devoured the book. There was no point at which I lost interest or thought the story was dragging. Everything flowed at a perfect rate, nothing was drawn out or rushed.  This is one of those books you have to make time to read in one sitting, for you will be unable to pull yourself away. I’m excited to learn there is more to come from this author.  I will impatiently await the release of his next book and will rush out to get it as soon as it hits the stores!

About the Author:

Like McCabe, I’m a native New Yorker. He was born in the Bronx. I was born in Brooklyn. We both grew up in the city. He dropped out of NYU Film School and joined the NYPD, rising through the ranks to become the top homicide cop at the Midtown North Precinct. I graduated from Brown and joined a major New York ad agency, rising through the ranks to become creative director on accounts like the US Army, Procter & Gamble, and Lincoln/Mercury.

We both married beautiful brunettes. McCabe’s wife, Sandy dumped him to marry a rich investment banker who had “no interest in raising other people’s children.” My wife, Jeanne, though often given good reason to leave me in the lurch, has stuck it out through thick and thin and is still my wife. She is also my best friend, my most attentive reader and a perceptive critic.

Both McCabe and I eventually left New York for Portland, Maine. I arrived in August 2001, shortly before the 9/11 attacks, in search of the right place to begin a new career as a fiction writer. He came to town a year later, to escape a dark secret in his past and to find a safe place to raise his teenage daughter, Casey.

There are other similarities between us. We both love good Scotch whiskey, old movie trivia and the New York Giants. And we both live with and love women who are talented artists.

There are also quite a few differences. McCabe’s a lot braver than me. He’s a better shot. He likes boxing. He doesn’t throw up at autopsies. And he’s far more likely to take risks. McCabe’s favorite Portland bar, Tallulah’s, is, sadly, a figment of my imagination. My favorite Portland bars are all very real.

You can visit our website at www.jameshaymanthrillers.com.

Related posts

• No related posts.