Evil at Heart

by: Chelsea Cain

Published by: Minotaur Books

Reviewed by Alex McGilvery

Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain is the deliciously wicked third in the series of thrillers about Gretchen Lowell, the “Beauty Killer,” and Archie Sheridan, the cop who is obsessed with her. It is however unlike any other book I have ever read about cops chasing serial killers. Chelsea Cain dishes out horror and humor with exquisite timing.

In this installment Archie is relaxing in a psychiatric hospital and very content to be isolated and protected from the outside world. His contentment is shattered when Gretchen the Beauty Killer strikes, breaking the agreement that they had that she would stop killing if he didn’t kill himself.

Archie is brought in on the case and his obsession with Gretchen intensifies. Even while he recognizes that she is the cause of his suffering, she still fascinates him. While he is coming out of his shell and the bodies multiply, Susan Ward, the purple-haired reporter who was with him the last time he saw Gretchen, finds information that suggests that the killings may be the work of a twisted fan club of the Beauty Killer.

I liked this book as soon as I started reading and I hardly put it down until I finished it. The characters are very well developed. Even though this was the third book, I didn’t feel that I was missing any part of the story. Archie’s awakening from his shell is every bit as enthralling as his struggle with the seductive evil of the woman who had kidnapped and tortured him and was the reason for his broken life. This is not just a story of good versus evil, but a story of the cost of fighting evil, and the possibilities of redemption. The conclusion of the story is every bit as satisfying as the beginning.

I will be looking to read the first two books by Chelsea Cain and will watch for the next novel that I very much hope is coming.

Armchair Interviews says: If “deliciously wicked” delights you, this is a book for you.

Author’s Web site: http://www.ChelseaCain.com