by Chelsea Cain
Part of Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell, book 6
First published 2013
Detective Archie Sheridan faces his worst nightmare when serial killer Gretchen Lowell sends him a birthday present. Sheridan is investigating Jack Reynolds and his drug operation when the case leads him to a Halloween masquerade party on Reynolds's private island. Reporter Susan Ward attends the same party against her will. The next morning brings a corpse and the terrible realization that Gretchen has returned. She has been watching from closer than anyone suspected. As Halloween night approaches, Sheridan must navigate a web of deception where nothing appears as it truly is. Time runs short and danger mounts. Sheridan will need to risk everything and choose his allies carefully if he hopes to survive the night with his loved ones intact. The beautiful but deadly Gretchen tightens her psychological hold over the detective in this deadly game of cat and mouse.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, psychological-manipulation
Setting: Halloween Party, Private Island
Period: Halloween
358 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: murder, violence