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    Evil at Heart: A Thriller
    Evil at Heart: A Thriller
    Evil at Heart: A Thriller
    Audiobook8 hours

    Evil at Heart: A Thriller

    Written by Chelsea Cain

    Narrated by Carolyn McCormick

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Chelsea Cain's novels featuring Detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell have captivated fans through two nail-biting entries, Heartsick and Sweetheart, both multi-week best - sellers in The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly. Here Gretchen is still on the loose and Archie is still hospitalized after his ploy to catch her went spectacularly wrong. They've entered a detente of sorts—Archie agrees not to kill himself if she agrees not to kill anyone else. But suddenly there's something else to contend with that might be worse—a zealous fan of Gretchen's, paying homage to the Beauty Killer by luring Archie and reporter Susan Ward to the scene of a grisly murder. At least they hope it's the work of someone new, for the prospect of Gretchen breaking her promise is more than Archie can bear.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateSep 1, 2009
    ISBN9781427207838
    Author

    Chelsea Cain

    Chelsea Cain is the author of the New York Times bestselling Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell thrillers Heartsick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart, The Night Season, Kill You Twice, and Let Me Go. Her Portland-based thrillers have been published in twenty-four languages, recommended on the Today show, appeared in episodes of HBO’s True Blood and ABC’s Castle, and included in NPR’s list of the top 100 thrillers ever written. According to Booklist, “Popular entertainment just doesn’t get much better than this.” Visit her online at ChelseaCain.com.

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    Reviews for Evil at Heart

    4/5

    421 ratings77 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Wow! this was great! Suspension from the ceiling, more murders, eyeballs in toilet tanks....Chelsea Cain is a sick, twisted author. That's all I"m going to write, as I have to read "The Night Season" now...heh heh
    • 5/5
      I love this series! It's graphic and a bit hard to stomach, but if you like a good thriller, this is the one for you.
    • 2/5
      There are very interesting characters in this series, but I've had more than enough of the Beauty Killer horror.
    • 4/5
      Another great story in this series! This one takes place about 2 months after the last. Serial killer Gretchen is still on the loose, Archie is in detox, and a Beauty Killer fan club is causing a whole lotta trouble! Lots of eyeballs in this one - not for the squeamish! I can't wait for book #4! I only have one question... what color will Susan's hair be in the next one? :-)
    • 4/5
      This is the third Archie/Gretchen novel by Chelsea Cain that I have read. It seems that each one drops by half a star. This time, we do not focus on their relationship so I was a bit let down. The change in storyline is initially offputting even though it is still very well written.After my initial disappointment, I wonder if the author is putting a twist in the series in an effort to not saturate the characters or the readers. I came upon Ms Cain by getting a greatly reduced price on Heartsick. I was immediately impressed. There are only two more in the series to read. I wish she had more books available. I find her writing style to be addictive.
    • 3/5
      This book, the third in Chelsea Cain's series following detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell, serves up the same amount of gore and pathos as the previous entries, but for some reason I found it less engrossing.
    • 4/5
      Third in the series, as just as I did when I read the first two, I found it difficult to put the book down. Gretchen and Archie are at it again, and I love it! Two months after their last encounter, Archie has voluntarily checked himself into a psych war where he is getting therapy for his substance abuse and mental state. He is content and sees no reason to leave the facility. However, when new bodies start popping up with Gretchen's "heart" designs, he decides to check out of the hospital and settle thingw with her once and for all. After all, when they last met she promised not to kill anyone else as long as he didn't try to kill himself. But are these bodies Gretchen's work or are her legions of fans re-creating her work to idolize her? This was a page turner. I also am becoming a bigger fan of Susan; her death facts made me laugh out loud. Now I have to wait for the next installment.....
    • 4/5
      Better than the second book. Maybe even better than the first book. There's dark humor here as well as the thrill and gore. Gretchen's presence is less than I'd have thought but those scenes of her that are here were great. I read this book in two or three hours. I always thought that said something about the book. :) But read the first two books or you won’t understand Gretchen/Archie dance.
    • 4/5
      I listened to this book way back, early in the year, and don?t know how it escaped unreviewed, but lucky me, I can review it this week because it is perfect for this week! Evil at Heart is the third in the Gretchen Lowell series by Chelsea Cain. The first two, Heartsick and Sweetheart were both unusual reads for me, as this is not my usual genre, but were both so well written and excited, that I had to keep going! SPOILER FREE REVIEW: Sick, twisted fun, with an awesome reader. Start at the beginning because the stories build on each other and hold on for one heck of a wild ride! FROM HERE ON OUT; this review assumes you have read the first two books in the series; I?m just not sure how to go about reviewing it without spoiling the first two books. So yeah, Gretchen Lowell. Crazy woman huh? Flipping psycho! The freak went and broke out of prison in the Sweetheart, but there was that promise right? That Archie wouldn?t off himself if she didn?t go back to her old, nasty, serial killer ways but now, doo do doo do, it looks like she has! Egad! What will soulfully wounded, emotionally wrecked Archie do? He?s already escaped her crazy clutches one time; can he do it again and bring her down at the same time? It?s a nail biter folks, be sure to file those bad boys down before you start listening. Carolyn McCormick continues to read the series and girlfriend does not shy away from the bloody parts. I still think of her as Katniss, the girl who was on fire, because she read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and she?d flipping better read Mockingjay, but I?m starting to separate her from that. I think. Anyhoo, she rocks the Gretchen Lowell boat. This one gets a little wild, a little out there, but I?m so obsessed with Archie and Susan that I just don?t care. I have to know what happens next!! And you know you do too.
    • 5/5
      Evil at Heart, Chelsea CainChelsea Cain has become one of my favorite authors over the last year. I have read a great number of her books, and have even considered getting a newspaper subscription so I can keep up with her more day to day writings.I lucked into an Advance Reader Copy of this book. By lucked, I mean that I hit up every source I knew was giving away copies and threw myself in the pot. I waited patiently through all of July, crossing my fingers and hoping. Though my fingers are stiff, I guess it worked. the better part of a month early, I have a glorious copy.When it arrived in my cubicle at work, I opened the package and felt a little tug in my blood box.Other books in this series include HeartSick and SweetHeart, each of which includes key characters Archie Sheridan, Susan Ward, Henry Sobol, a variety of others, and of course, the Beauty Killer herself, Gretchen LowellThe third book in a series, Evil at Heart did not disappoint. The book picks up with Detective Archie Sheridan, holed away in a mental institution. He has purposefully stayed there where he can be kept out of trouble. After nearly dying at the hands of escaped serial killer Gretchen Lowell (twice), he is in need of a break, recoup time, and drug rehab. Archie is pretty screwed up, there is really no nice way of stating that.I would say more, but I refuse to spoil the plot in any way..The front cover of the Arc copy is a dummy cover. It hides the proposed street cover underneath it (the UK version looks far cooler than the US version). Emblazoned across the ARC reads the cliche “To truly understand evil, you must become it….”.Instead it would have been better to write, “To truly understand evil, smell her sweet breath as she leans in to kiss you. “--xpost RawBlurb.com
    • 4/5
      The third book in the series seemed to deliver another powerful punch to the gut as Gretchen Lowell is still running loose and Archie Sheridan is so messed up that he remains in the hospital by his choice.

      The cast of characters are about the same as the previous book as Susan, the reporter, is more involved in the story along with Henry, Archie's friend and boss. More bodies are piling up in this book and everyone including Archie thinks that Gretchen is back on track with her killing spree.

      Susan finds out that there is a Gretchen Lowell fan club and with the help of Henry and Archie they delve deep into the club finding more than they bargained for as the fan club is lead by a psycho who wants to be just like Gretchen.

      With Gretchen still on the run plus the new psycho in the mix, Archie and company are knee deep in bloody bodies. Will Archie and Henry be able to re-capture Gretchen? Does the Beauty Killer team stop the new psycho?

      There was plenty of twists and turns, along with fast paced action as the book quickly moves along and yet again I find this serial killer series to be very captivating!

      Looking forward to reading book four to see what happens next. Four stars for this one.
    • 4/5
      Evil at Heart is Chelsea Cain’s third novel featuring the beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell, and the detective she kidnapped and tortured, Archie Sheridan.

      In a review of Heartsick, the first novel in this series, I commented: “HeartSick introduces one of the most diabolical, psychopathic, frightening serial killers in fiction – the beautiful Gretchen Lowell. Gretchen Lowell makes Hannibal Lecter look like a boy scout. Not only has she killed hundreds of victims, she likes to torture them for days before finally putting them out of their misery. She is one nasty piece of work.”

      Archie Sheridan was the detective tasked to hunt her down, but Gretchen lured him in and kidnapped and tortured him. In Sweetheart, the second novel in this series, we see just how twisted Archie Sheridan really is, with his love, hate, love relationship with Gretchen that has erotic, violent overtones.

      Evil at Heart finds Archie Sheridan voluntarily convalescing in a mental home getting over his addiction to painkillers. Meanwhile a “womanhunt” for Gretchen goes on, as she escaped in the last novel. But don’t think Archie is far from her mind or her heart.

      As Gretchen is on the loose, a series of murders take place that appear to be copycat killers or Gretchen playing games. Archie is lured out of the hospital and onto the path of either finding Gretchen or the killer mimicking her. What he discovers is a weird cult following of the Beauty Killer and to stop the murders he has to figure out if it really is Gretchen or one of her fans.

      Archie’s partner Henry and the reporter Susan Ward once again play a large role in the novel, both trying to help and protect Archie, but in their own ways.

      This novel, like the previous two, is fast paced and the characters are well drawn. It was a fun and entertaining read but it does have a few minor flaws. First, even though a mystery exists to be solved, in many respects this novel is more about the cat and mouse game between Archie and Gretchen than anything else. And while I really like the characters, the novelty of Gretchen and Archie and their twisted relationship has worn off a bit. By the end of the novel I had a “been there, done that” feeling. While I still greatly enjoyed this novel, it does have a slight staleness to it as it feels a bit repetitive of the previous two. I am not sure how long these characters can be sustained placed in the same settings with the same general interactions between them.

      Thus, while I definitely recommend this novel, I hope to see the author take the characters in a new, fresh direction, or move on to something new.


    • 4/5
      I think this horribly addictive series has finally found a balance - Archie has pulled his head out of Gretchen's backside, the bitch is back (in jail), and Susan goes from strength to strength. The copycat storyline was also well played and fast paced. Onto book four!
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the random facts that Sarah, the reporter, er journalist, scatters throughout. The suspense holds up well, but it's a bit over the top on Jeremy's....proclivities. I understand that the earlier books in the series were more brutal.
    • 3/5
      This is the third in the series of books focused on an unbelievably (literally) beautiful and smart serial killer, and the police detective who has devoted his life (also, almost, in the literal sense) to catching her. Yet again, the killer taunts the cop, he is lured back in, and catches her.

      While the story moves along, drawing the reader to find out what happens to this strange relationship, the concept--which was quite a stretch to begin with--is getting old. Serial killers are not that much smarter and certainly not that much more beautiful than anyone else. Just twisted. To make the story work, Cain has to keep upping the smarts of her killer, while increasing the willingness of the cop to be taken in yet again. I can't understand what is the matter with this man's head.

      The only thing more disturbing than Gretchen herself is the legion of fans she seems to have inspired. There was much more gore than really needed to be to make for an interesting story. Cain has left it open for another in this disturbing series. let's hope she write Archie i some common sense.
    • 3/5
      READ IN DUTCH

      Evil at Heart is the third novel by Chelsea Cain about Gretchen Lowell, a female serialkiller. I've read the first two books as well, and just like the others, this one was nice to read. The writing style ant the story are very fast and there is a lot of suspense in the story. For me, these are books I read between bigger/better books, but it is still nice to read.
    • 3/5
      Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose and Archie Sheridan is still looking for her. But is he looking for her as a cop, or as a lover? Gretchen is a female serial killer who could stand toe to toe with Hannibal Lector and Archie not only is the detective on the case but a victim she chose to let live … the only victim she released as far as we know. They had an affair while he was held captive and tortured, so is it love or is it a game of cat and mouse. As beautiful Gretchen’s face is splashed on magazine covers and sensationalized in books Archie finds himself hospitalized, depressed and addicted to painkillers. So they strike a bargain – he will not kill himself if she agrees not to kill anyone else. All bets are called off when a body is found displaying her signature “heart” carved into the torso.

      Getting caught up in a series is always a dangerous thing for me. I find that I continue to read the books despite the fact that the action gets a little repetitious. Ms. Cain’s characters are interesting enough for me to continue reading because I want to see what has been happening to them between books. Personally I don’t think its right for their lives to go on when I am not reading about them, but hey, that’s just me. :-)
    • 5/5
      Cain is a credit to all mystery writers. Just when I think she's slipping, she blindsides you with another complex and perversely enjoyable thriller. The Gretchen Lowell books haven't jumped the shark yet and my hopes are high for the next installment.
    • 4/5
      I've seen from other reviewers that Evil at Heart was not the favorite. I agree with ome of the arguments made: it did seem a bit all over the place with no real and clear storyline. The gist of it is that someone is leaving body parts, mainly eyes, in areas where the victims of the Beauty Killer, aka Gretchen Lowell, were found.

      It isn't a shock when the police and the media think that Lowell is killing again. She has been free for 67 days or so. However, things get murky when an I Love Gretchen Lowell cult and a former victim are involved.

      The Archie Sheridan/ Gretchen Lowell series is something I really wanted to like but I haven't really felt the love over the past two books. Archie was tortured by a serial killer who infiltrated his investigation in guise of a psychiatrist. I get it; Gretchen broke him but sometimes, it was enough already.

      I finally felt Archie became a cop. Now I can see that he could be a formidable force to be reckoned with as soon as we past the self-pitying nonsense. I believe I can read all the books in this series and still will never like Gretchen. She tries way to be hard to be evil. I sense a bit of an Mary Sue. Susan was tolerable but barely. I could see her dead and not bat an eyelash.

      Chelsea Cain impressed me with her message of the media transforming serial killers into these tragic antiheroes. The victims of these brutal crimes should be remembered but sadly, they're not. It's their killers who live forever in infamy.

      Out of the three books so far, I've liked this one the best.
    • 3/5
      not as good as the first two. this one focuses more on the copycat murders. the end still has me confused!
    • 2/5
      [Cross-posted to Knite Writes]Okay, the storyline of this book was weird. I don’t even really want to talk about it because I’m not sure what to say. It was just…odd. I finished this book unsure of what I had read and spent a significant amount of time contemplating it before I gave up trying to figure out what on Earth inspired Cain to write this. I mean, it fit with the disturbing serial killer theme. But other than that…yeah, I don’t know.It also felt like this one was just a setup to catch Gretchen again as opposed having a lot of substance on its own. It does set up some new recurring characters that are fairly important for the subsequent books, but of course, I didn’t know that when I actually reading this. I was left very lost and confused.It was nice to see that Archie has somewhat reasonably recovered from his suicidal breakdown in the previous book, and I did find his developing paranoia over Gretchen’s influence in his life to be pretty believable. His development is well handled in this installment.Gretchen is in the periphery of this book a lot, which I found a very interesting tactic. Instead of being in the spotlight literally, the idea of her is in the spotlight. Society has used Gretchen’s infamy to integrate her into pop culture, which is a disturbing enough concept by itself, but it’s made even more disturbing by the fact that she’s almost idolized. She’s a beautiful killer, and that’s rare, so people are fascinated by her. Cain presents a reasonably fair critique of society using Gretchen as a mode of interest and intrigue.However, I will say she took it over the top at times. Like in the previous book, there were several things I had a hard time buying into. Moderation and balance, like I mentioned last time, are key.
    • 4/5
      I haven't read the series as this was given to me as a gift. My first read by Cain and I found it hard to put down. Full of suspense and unpredictable, twisted surprises.
    • 4/5
      Read in June, 2013Listened for Fun (Library Copy)Overall Rating: 4.00Story Rating: 3.50Character Rating: 4.60Audio Rating: 3.50 (not part of the overall rating)First Thought when Finished:Evil at Heart got really good the last 1/2! I couldn't put it down (or turn it off).Story Thoughts: Chelsea Cain is brilliant at writing totally off-their-rocker characters. Her serial killer Gretchen is one of my favorites. Evil at Heart gave us another twist in the Gretchen/Archie storyline! It was full of twists,turns, and action. The only problem was the first part was a little slow but I think it was necessary for this story. Let's just say if you are a fan of Gretchen, you will love every single moment her in this story.Character Thoughts: Chelsea Cain writes kick ass characters. They are all twisted, bruised, battered, and a little off-kilter. There is something to like about all of them though and that to me is awesome character building. Serial Killers are some of my favorite fictional characters but honestly there are few out there that are better than Gretchen. I always get so drawn in by her even when she is only somewhat there. You can feel her in every little moment!Audio Thoughts: Narrated by Carolyn McCormick/ Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins I usually really enjoy Carolyn's narration but I thought her voice for Archie was off. He sounded more like a teenager than a seasoned police officer. I think she did a great job with all the other voices though and her pacing was fantastic! There is another narrator for the next book so I am going to give it a whirl and see if it is closer to how I imagined these people.Final Thoughts: This is a fantastic series! The only thing is "DON'T READ OUT OF ORDER" :)
    • 3/5
      I liked this book despite the ridiculous choices the characters kept making. Oh, you get an anonymous call in the middle of the night? Let's go investigate! Oh, you think there might be a murderer in a dark, dank basement? Let's do this. People just don't make these choices except in horror movies. At least, I hope they don't. I get that Archie is/was a detective and, at some times, had a gun. But he didn't have back up--and no, Susan doesn't count, we all saw how useless she was. Both of them just kept making stupid choices.

      Either way, I still really enjoyed the story. I'd still recommend it to any of my friends that have read the other books in the series.

      P.S. I loved the eyeballs in the pocket during CPR.
    • 3/5
      Gretchen Lowell continues to haunt and torment the people of Portland, Oregon, so Archie Sheridan checks himself out of rehab to join in the hunt.I was able to share the experience of listening to this book with my husband on a road-trip. We both have had very similar thoughts with the first two in this series, and we were no different with this one. Thankfully, it turned out to be better than the second, but I hope Cain is done with the Gretchen Lowell saga. I've had enough of her.There was so much that I didn't care for in this book - the varied forms of bathroom talk, the ridiculous fan club idea, and some other minor plot glitches, that I'm surprised I ended up thinking it was an okay read. Needless to say, I did. Can't think of anything good to highlight, but I did.Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
    • 4/5
      In book number three we get an insight into how Gretchen and Archie strange connection evolved. Gretchen is back and the city is in a panic. Archie is battling is addictions;pain pills and Gretchen. Susan is there with her crazy hair color and her mother's "special" brownies to help Archie. Susan is a bright light in this series and we get to see her and her humor.We get to meet Jeremy Reynolds a twisted psycho that only Gretchen could create. Archie thought Gretchen had screwed him up but when he is at the hands of Jeremy he doubts he has suffered the most at Gretchen's hands. Archie catches his girl in this book and the banter between Gretchen and Archie is thrilling. Chelsea does a great job. This is my second favorite out of the series.
    • 2/5
      There are very interesting characters in this series, but I've had more than enough of the Beauty Killer horror.
    • 3/5
      I think I read these three books in the series too close together, and just got a little tired of it all. The very realistic characterization of trauma and its effects is fascinating, but I've just grown a bit weary of the people in these particular books, especially the uber-serial killer, Gretchen Lowell. I understand what the author is doing by having her there, but it conflicts with the much more human portrayals of the other characters. I'll pick up future books in the series, but I need a break now.
    • 5/5
      Chelsea Cain writes such very, very disturbed and disturbing characters. What kind of mind thinks of a story about a cop in love with the serial killer he is trying to find and arrest - and who has attacked and almost killed him? She's so delightfully twisted on paper and in person. I've heard Chelsea speak three times now and she is simply hilarious and irreverant.
    • 4/5
      This is a VAST improvement from the second book. It had the same amount of suspense and thrills like Heartsick and it went up one more notch. It felt a little strange though, since Archie was out of the picture for a while, until he’s forced back in. The process in forcing him back was insanely creepy. The phone calls, the text messages, even the staff and inmates where Archie was staying at for treatment made a hair raising experience. You just couldn’t trust anyone and any new character introduced into the scene, you had to wonder if they were under Gretchen’s influence or not. I really loved the text messaging and phone calling moments. Those really creeped me out. I thought this part of the story was very well written and gave you enough chills yet not so much that it’s overdone and cheesy. The mind games played between Gretchen and Archie are really good and that also keeps you reading through the book.The underlying main plot of the book was good and only makes sense that a possibility of a copycat killer would come into the picture. The outcome of this mystery is really good and was also pretty thrilling as well. The pace of the plot was also well done and the sudden revelations with the twists and turns are also really good. Gretchen is still, an evil manipulating witch that you can’t ignore. There are still unanswered questions to Gretchen, and I’m wondering how long this is going to be. You can only stretch this storyline with Gretchen so far without making it look silly. That being said though, I’ve picked up Night Season already and am hoping it’s just as good. Thrilling, with a “can’t put down” feeling, fans of Archie and Gretchen will definitely be satisfied with this one. Those that are new to this should read this series in order. Be advised, there is quite a bit of gore in the book those that aren’t into that should stay away.