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| Heartsick | 
 enlarge | Author: Chelsea Cain
Publisher: Pan Books
Category: Book
List Price: £6.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £6.98 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 9805
Media: Paperback
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 033044980X
EAN: 9780330449809
ASIN: 033044980X
Publication Date: February 1, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Creasing to spine internally clean and very good reading condition dispatched from the UK within 2 working days by first class post
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
Giver her a break....this is her first novel! September 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Damaged detective, Archie Sheridan is asked to come back to work following an extended period of sick leave. Sheridan had been kidnapped and tortured by the `Beauty Killer', Gretchen Lowell, and as a result he is heavily dependent on various drugs to get through the day. But now there is a new murderer on the loose, who kidnaps rapes and murders teenage girls before dumping them, and Archie is asked to head up the team of investigators.
One of the conditions Sheridan places on his return to work is that he will be followed by a young reporter, Susan Ward, who will write a feature about him. The reasons that Sheridan wants Ward to follow him are not immediately clear, especially as it is likely that she will uncover his drug addiction and his ongoing meetings with Gretchen Lowell and the bizarre hold she continues to have over him. Fortunately this is resolved by the end.
I really enjoyed this novel; it is fast paced and the majority of the characterisation is good. Susan bounces of the page, the only minor criticism that I have is that I never managed to get a proper idea of how old Sheridan was or what he looked like. This made the dynamic between the two main characters harder for me to work out. Was there any sexual tension there? I'm not sure.
Gretchen Lowell might be the female Hannibal Lector, but I think you have to applaud Cain for trying to do something a bit different. Gretchen is attractive and psychotic; I liked the fact that she escaped from the stereotypical portrayal as psychopaths having a face like a `bag of spanners.' A word of warning to those of a sensitive nature....she does things that really aren't very nice at all!
On the whole a good effort and an easy read. This is her first novel and I think that other reviewers might be being a little harsh!
OMG -- It's Hannibal-la Lecter! September 27, 2008
I've had Heartsick in my bookcase for quite awhile and only decided to read it once I was given an ARC of its sequel, Sweetheart. Let me start off by saying that if you like thrillers that will keep you reading late into the night and afraid to turn out the light when you finally decide to go to sleep, then Heartsick is the book for you! Be forewarned that this is not a book for the feint of heart, as Chelsea Cain is quite descriptive in regards to the pain and torture -- physical as well as mental -- inflicted by her female main character, psychiatrist and psychopathic serial killer Gretchen Lowell, on her male main character, Detective Archie Sheridan. I think a more apropos name for Gretchen Lowell would have been Hannibal-la Lecter. For a first time novelist, Cain has created two of the most compelling characters in years. At the heart of Heartsick is that for ten days serial killer Lowell had captured and tortured Detective Sheridan to the brink of death, and then released him and turned herself in. Without going into detail, the plot in Heartsick involves Sheridan back at work trying to solve a serial murder case, while struggling with his addiction to pain medication and in restoring his relationships with his family and friends. While outwardly it seems that Archie is winning the battle with his personal demons, it becomes apparent that his obsession with Gretchen Lowell is likely to be insurmountable. My only criticism with Heartsick is that I found the solution to the serial killer investigation to be a little too contrived and that the book, overall, is a little too much like The Silence Of The Lambs. This for me is not a bad thing, but it did take something away from its originality. Nonetheless, I think you'll find Heartsick to be one of the more mesmerizing and memorable thrillers you've read. I'm now going to start reading the sequel, Sweetheart.
 Annoyingly average September 21, 2008
Annoyingly averaqe. Why? B/C the book does contain a fascinating serial killer called Gretchen Lowell, who makes Hanibal Lectre seem tame. She is sexy, intlligent and so so disturbing. The way she tormented Archie was brilliant, the chemistry and dnamic between them makes the book worthwhile alone - HOWEVER, the chapters with Gretchen are SO SCARCE its annoying. I was desperate for more of her and Archie instead of the lame, average killings going on which didnt entice me or intrigue me. The chapters where Archie and Gretchen meet (And susan later on) were so gripping it was fantastic. But amongst all the story telling, to only have a few diamond chapters isnt enough.
Overall, very average - and the worst part, Cain has the jewel; Gretchen Lowell - shes done the hard part in creating this fascinating beast. One only wonders and wishes what Harris or Gerritsen could have done with such a creation...
 GREAT STUFF!!! September 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I saw this book in my local bookshop for weeks before i actually bought it and am sorry i took so long to buy it. It was BRILLIANT, A story about a femail serial killer (nice change from the usual male). Good storylines, good writing and good plots, gruesome in parts, but 'edge of your seat' stuff, fully recommended.
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? August 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Shadow knows, and he also knows that said evil lurking isn't the exclusive territory of men. In this creepy thriller, Chelsea Cain introduces a heartless female serial killer named Gretchen Lowell, who's so psychopathic and cruel that she makes Jack the Ripper look almost normal.
We also meet Archie Sheridan, a detective who was tortured and mutilated by Gretchen for ten days, and yet lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately for Archie, Gretchen still has her hooks deeply imbedded, and he can't seem to release himself from her calculating clutches.
Then there's Susan Ward, a reporter with a skeleton in her closet, and a weakness for men she can't or shouldn't have. Sure enough, Susan is chosen to cover Archie's story, and this takes her deep into the territory of another serial killer who's abducting and strangling the young girls of Portland.
If you like your murder mysteries bloody and nerve tingling, and aren't too particular about the accuracy of every detail once it doesn't detract from the plot, then you should enjoy this page-turner. Cain paints Gretchen as the epitome of evil, and you can almost feel her menacing aura radiating through the pages.
This novel is about two serial killers, but one of them is certainly in a class by herself, more than making up for an unlikely ending and a few stretches of the imagination. With this book, Cain proves that when it comes to serial killing, the best man for the job just may be a woman.
Amanda Richards
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