Okay, so this book is another crime thriller about serial killers. It is the first in the Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell series. He is a police detective who headed the Beauty Killer task force for 10 years. She herself is the Beauty Killer. He was her last victim before she was caught & sent to prison. She kidnapped him and tortured him until she finally called an ambulance for him. She ended up in prison and he is a broken man.

There is another serial killer active in Portland now. He is killing high school girls. Archie has been asked to come back to work and head the new task force. He is a wreck. He takes pills all day long and can't function without them. But he does seem to be capable of doing his job. The weirdest thing is that he is obsessed with Gretchen. Not only does he visit her in prison every Sunday (supposedly to find the locations of more bodies she buried), but he thinks about her all the time. It seems like he has some version of Stockholm Syndrome, but very extreme.

The book follows the current serial killer investigation. It also follows reporter Susan Ward who is writing a story on Archie.  He specifically asked her to follow him around during the investigation and write a story on him. Some chapters flash back to the time when Archie was Gretchen's prisoner and describe how she tortured him. These chapters are especially descriptive and basically gross. Whether hammering nails into his ribs or surgically removing a part of his body, she enjoys every minute of it and the author describes it in very graphic detail.

I thought the story was actually quite interesting. Though I had a very hard time understanding Archie's obsession with Gretchen. She is a killer who enjoyed torturing him and he seems enamored with her. It's just weird and I honestly can't relate, but I'm sure most people probably can't. It didn't stop me from enjoying the story. 

There are several more books in the series. I almost bought the next one, but first I read some reviews. From what I read, the series kind of goes downhill after this one. So, considering my large TBR list... I decided to stop with this one.

Recommended to:

Adults who enjoy serial killer thrillers, as long as the gory descriptions don't bother you. Seemed like the author was trying for a female Hannibal Lecter here. So, if you liked Silence of the Lambs, this may be a good book for you.

The flashback chapters that detail what Gretchen did to Archie during his captivity are cringe-induing to say the least.

Liking this one so far...

I didn't know what it was about before I started and I find out it's another crime thriller. I've been reading a lot of these lately...

Archie Sheridan is a complicated character, a cop who was the final victim of the Beauty Killer and almost died. But he survived and the killer is behind bars. She still haunts him and he has the scars to prove it (a heart shaped scar to be precise). It has been several years and there is another serial killer haunting Portland. This one is killing teenage girls and the press dubbed him the After School Strangler. Archie is being asked back to lead the task force. He came back, but is he really ready to face another killer?

Interesting characters, fast paced... So far, so good. ;)

I was nominated for this challenge on Facebook and thought I'd share it here :-)

This challenge is to list 10 books that you've read and that have stayed with you, and to nominate 10 friends to do the same.
I could probably list a hundred at least, but here are ten that spring to mind right now.
My 10:-
1. The Stand by Stephen King. Although this wasn't the first King book I read, it was the one that made me want to read each and every other book by him.
2. Gallows View by Peter Robinson. This introduced me to the author and the brilliant DCI Banks, now brought to life in the ITV1 series.
3. No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay. Just fantastic.
4. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. Best debut I'd read in a while; engrossing.
5. Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. Cain introduces female serial killer Gretchen Lowell in this novel.
6. Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs. Long before Bones, Temperance Brennan first appeared in this great crime/medical thriller.
7. The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower #7) by Stephen King. OMFG! King ends his magnificent series with a genius ending that blew me away.
8. Along Came A Spider by James Patterson. The fantastic Alex Cross debut.
9. Otherkind by Mia Romero. This debut from promising new author Romero encompasses so many favourite genres - supernatural/ mystery/thriller/romance/crime/fantasy. A spectacular first novel.
10. Path Of The Gods by James Val'Rose. A brilliant fantasy from new author Val'Rose. One reviewer (not me!) calling it "better than Lord of the Rings" - praise indeed!

Well that was a total let down. See my problem with this book is that the characters are lovable. Even though they are dark and messed up, you still like them and root for them. The premise is promising. A toxic relationship between a cop and his crazy/genius kidnaper. However, the way the story is told is just boring. There was just these parts where they saying the same things over and over and over again. It drove me crazy, i was like " Fine i got it just move on with the story ". Further, until the last part of the book the mystery was good. I had no idea who was the killer, then i discovered why,  it was too damn convenient.  I mean come on really, and it was rushed too. after all that stretching , the answer of the mystery was rushed.

Anyway, this was a  disappointment , i was really excited about this one, oh well.