Having read Chelsea Cain's first two books that preceded the storyline in "Evil At Heart", I could easily pick up on the characters and the gore and violence that keeps the reader in perpetual mind motion. Believe me, this book probably has more gore with more descriptive physical violence than I expected. Wording describing the use of knives or scalpels to remove inside body parts and marking the outside of a person while very much alive will chill you, but also not let you put the book down. Chelsea, you have outdone yourself with this one and I can't help wonder what you will come up with next to continue this series of stories. If you are weak of heart you probably will not enjoy this book but if you can take very descriptive passages you are in for a treat. Quite a few of the descriptions involve self-mutilation that made me hurt just reading them!
Gretchen Lowell is a beautiful psychopathic killer who loves to, among other surgeries, remove a spleen, cut a heart shape on the skin, but not necessarily kill them. She will use that torture along with her expert cutting abilities to give pain. Detective Archie Sheridan has been a victim of Gretchen as well as having her in custody only to have her escape and resume where she left off. Only now victims are being found beyond the number and type of cuttings that are Gretchen's norm and leads Archie to think that there might be more than just Gretchen doing these vicious crimes. Archie and Gretchen love each other in their own individual way. That love brings some trust to each when any chance meeting occurs but how far can that trust go?
Archie is physically a wreck as a result of past "surgeries" that Gretchen performed on him and he is trying so hard psychologically to get off pain medication and get his body to as near normal as possible. He does have more run-ins with Gretchen and they are in almost constant contact through text messages and cell phone calls. Susan Ward is another person more prominent in this book. Susan is a newspaper "journalist" as she prefers to call her work. She is very actively engaged with Archie as the book proceeds and ads a lot to the story. A MUST for readers of exciting fiction.
I normally don't go for a very descriptively violent story but I couldn't leave this one. Thanks Chelsea and keep them coming.
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