by Chelsea Cain
Part of Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell, book 1
First published 2007
Detective Archie Sheridan hunted serial killer Gretchen Lowell for a decade before she captured him. She held him for ten days, torturing him before unexpectedly releasing him and surrendering to police. Two years later, Archie remains broken. He depends on pain medication and visits Gretchen weekly in prison, claiming he needs her confessions about other victims. His wife has left him. His old life has vanished. When someone starts abducting teenage girls in Portland, Archie must lead a new task force despite his fragile state. Reporter Susan Ward begins following the investigation and profiling Archie himself. Her coverage creates a dangerous dynamic between Archie, Susan, the new killer, and Gretchen, who still manipulates Archie from her cell. Archie knows he cannot stay away from Gretchen, even as he tries to solve the new murders. The case becomes his chance to break free from her psychological hold, but first he must catch another killer while battling his own demons.
Genres: mystery, crime, detective, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, psychological-manipulation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Portland
Period: 2000s
326 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: abuse, addiction, mental-illness, torture, violence