2008-09-27 OMG -- It's Hannibal-la Lecter!

I've had Heartsick in my bookcase for quite awhile and only decided to read it once I was given an ARC of its sequel, Sweetheart. Let me start off by saying that if you like thrillers that will keep you reading late into the night and afraid to turn out the light when you finally decide to go to sleep, then Heartsick is the book for you! Be forewarned that this is not a book for the feint of heart, as Chelsea Cain is quite descriptive in regards to the pain and torture -- physical as well as mental -- inflicted by her female main character, psychiatrist and psychopathic serial killer Gretchen Lowell, on her male main character, Detective Archie Sheridan. I think a more apropos name for Gretchen Lowell would have been Hannibal-la Lecter. For a first time novelist, Cain has created two of the most compelling characters in years. At the heart of Heartsick is that for ten days serial killer Lowell had captured and tortured Detective Sheridan to the brink of death, and then released him and turned herself in. Without going into detail, the plot in Heartsick involves Sheridan back at work trying to solve a serial murder case, while struggling with his addiction to pain medication and in restoring his relationships with his family and friends. While outwardly it seems that Archie is winning the battle with his personal demons, it becomes apparent that his obsession with Gretchen Lowell is likely to be insurmountable. My only criticism with Heartsick is that I found the solution to the serial killer investigation to be a little too contrived and that the book, overall, is a little too much like The Silence Of The Lambs. This for me is not a bad thing, but it did take something away from its originality. Nonetheless, I think you'll find Heartsick to be one of the more mesmerizing and memorable thrillers you've read. I'm now going to start reading the sequel, Sweetheart.