3. Sweetheart - Chelsea Cain

#2 Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell ("the Beauty Killer")

audio read by Carolyn McCormick

8 discs, 9.5 hours

2008, Macmillan Audio

328 pages

Murder Mystery (pretty grisly) written for adults

finished Sat. 1-12-13

Goodreads rating:  3.97

My rating:  4 Liked it, despite a tiny bit of wondering if one part of the scenario would really happen...

Acquired through PBS

Setting:  contemporary Portland, Oregon

1^st sentence/s  "Forest Park was pretty in the summer.  Portland's ash sky was barely visible behind a canopy of aspens, hemlock, cedars,and maples that filtered the light to a shimmering pale green."

Goodreads Review:

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can't be one of Gretchen's—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman's identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can't focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn't seen her in two months; he'd moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he's relieved. He knows he's the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

My comments

Oh, Archie, how can you let yourself become so obsessed by Gretchen, so addicted to pain killers, and stay such a likable guy?  This second story in the series added the dimension of newspaper reporter Susan Ward and her research into the past of senator who had years previously had a fling with a 14-year old.  Susan is a 28 year old turquoise-haired, cigarette-puffing, almost-Stephanie-Plum-like character who becomes the unlikely sidekick to Archie and his partner, Henry.  Her mother, a white-haired, dreadlocked old hippie, is a hoot, and her antics are a slightly humorous addition to the story.  And at the end, Gretchen is on the loose again....