by Chelsea Cain
Part of Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell, book 3
First published 2009
Detective Archie Sheridan lies in a hospital bed, months after his failed attempt to capture serial killer Gretchen Lowell went wrong. The Beauty Killer roams free while media coverage transforms her into a celebrity. Her face appears on magazine covers. Fans track the days since her escape. Reporter Susan Ward discovers a disturbing fan club devoted to Gretchen. Archie and Gretchen made a deal during their last encounter. He promised not to kill himself. She promised not to kill anyone else. The fragile agreement shatters when investigators find a fresh corpse marked with Gretchen's signature heart. Archie must leave his hospital bed and return to the hunt. He faces a troubling question. Has Gretchen returned to murder, or has her growing cult of admirers spawned a copycat killer? The detective who spent a decade chasing her must now navigate both the original threat and the new evil her fame has created.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, enemies-to-lovers
306 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: violence