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US Mall 1 - Sweetheart
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List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $12.14
Your Save: $ 12.81 ( 51% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780312368470
ISBN: 031236847X
Label: St. Martin's Minotaur
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 336
Publication Date: 2008-09-02
Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur
Release Date: 2008-09-02
Studio: St. Martin's Minotaur
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Completely unbelievable
Comment: A novel doesn't have to be 100% believable but if an author is going to make the story absurd, she has to at least build up to the absurdity. In this novel the author makes no effort to make any part of the story the slightest bit believable. Right from the start we get Archie who is back on the force in spite of constantly popping pain killers. Does anyone really think a man who takes four Vicodin at a time would be trusted with a gun?
===spoiler alert===
But then the whole premise of the story is ridiculous. Does anyone really think that the worst serial killer in a state's history would be able to escape from prison? Does anyone really think that a guard would help her escape the day after another guard that was helping her was killed by her?
==end spoilers===
Please, if you want to write a fantasy then add dragons and magic spells. The story started off fairly promising with the death of a senator and a link to a possible serial killer. But then the author just couldn't give up Gretchen, a character who is so powerful in this novel that she practically does cast magic spells and ride dragons. I found myself rolling my eyes and predicting what would happen next by simply thinking of the stupidest possible plot twist. So I recommend that you don't waste your time on this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nothing redeeming about this preposterous story
Comment: The first book by Chelsea Cain, "Heartsick," had an intriguing plot, and was almost sustainable through the whole book.
This one, however, is simply not believable, twisted, and unsatisfying. Skip this book; it goes for sleazy sensationalism, and in the process forgets to contain a logical story. Two disparate plots are told, neither concluding satisfactorily, leaving a farfetched disappointment. Character development is incomplete, and when time was spent on the character, as in the protagonist, it fails the credibility test.
My last by Cain.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Review
Comment: Sweetheart is Mrs. Cain's second novel to her debut, Heartsick. Heartsick is where readers were first introduced to the highly volatile and psychological relationship between Detective Archie Sheridan and notorious "Beauty Killer" Gretchen Lowell.
It has been a couple of years now, since the day Archie became one of Gretchen's victims. It will never matter how much time pass as Archie will always think about Gretchen.
Susan Ward, a reporter for the Herald has a big story about to make headlines. It involves Senator Castle and a fourteen year old babysitter. Before the story can release, Senator Castle ends up dead. As if that was bad enough, a body is discovered in the park...the same park where Gretchen's first victim was left.
Archie appears on the scene. He starts having flash backs to his time in captivity as Gretchen's victim. It has been two months since, Archie last paid a visit to Gretchen in prison. Archie receives a phone call, that Gretchen has escaped prison. Archie knows he is the only one that can bring Gretchen in again. It will be like old times as Archie chases after Gretchen.
I guess you could say I have become obsessed myself with Archie and Gretchen's relationship. It is so sick and wrong but oh so good. The way Gretchen toys with Archie is so entertaining, that I found I can't tear myself away, once I start reading. I think I even set a new record by reading this book in only an hour and a half. I do have to admit though that I did think Heartsick was a little better. It was because in the first book, the story mainly focused on Archie and Gretchen; whereas in this latest story there were more characters playing parts. For me it is all about Archie and Gretchen's relationship. I am anxiously awaiting the next book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The past is the plot...?
Comment: I purchased both "Heartsick" & "Sweetheart" at the same time. Heartsick (Cain's First Book in Series) grabbed my attention immediately - this one did not. You get to revisit stories from Heartsick that result in the plot for this book. All the characters are back to assist Archie Sheridan in a (not-so-new) murder plot. Without spoiling the ending - the FEMALE serial killer in this story is not enough to keep Sheridan (I-HATE-MY-LIFE because I was better off dead) interesting. We did get a little background into why Sheridan is SO attached to Lowell. Even though, she kidnapped him, tortured him and killed him However, unlike her other victims she revives him only so she can torture him some more. The past is the plot...you will understand once you read the book - and I do recommend you read it if you liked heartsick.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Sweetheart, She Ain't!
Comment: Once the After-School killer had been revealed....and Gretchen Lowell's part in it, Archie Sheridan promised himself he was done. Done with Gretchen. Done with his visits to the prison to see her. She had controlled every aspect of his life for so many years, he couldn't even count. Now, he wanted it all to be over. Archie had moved back in with his (ex-) wife and kids. He was back on the force working cases. And he was in therapy.
Susan Ward had also moved on since the After-School killer. She moved back in with her mom! She decided that after a brush with a killer and death, a little growing up may be in order. No longer does she have pink hair because apparently turquoise is more professional. And she is serious about her investigation into Senator Castle's life. She knows the man was bad news, and now she has sworn testimony from Molly Palmer, the girl that had the "relationship" with the Senator when she was 14 years old. That is, until the Senator AND Susan's mentor end up dead, when the car they were in crashed over the Freemont Bridge.
All the players are back in this follow-up to HeartSick. And while I was hardly able to put this book down, I didn't like it nearly as well as I did the first. The things that made HeartSick so good was the fact that is was unique. Gretchen Lowell, the female serial killer...and the way she was still in Archie Sheridan's life. THESE were some of the reasons I really liked HeartSick. In Book 2, these reasons aren't unique anymore. In fact, they were a little redundant.
The relationship between Archie and Gretchen is also a big part of this book. Truth be told, it really made me uncomfortable. I find it hard to believe that any person that had been through what Archie went through, could still have feelings for his captor. Was he in love with her? In a really twisted way, he was. And it just made me want to shake him. He does a lot of things that no sane person would do. And if you can actually get over the fact that the woman fed you drain cleaner and tortured you for 10 days, then more power to you. But when said woman threatens your family...and your small kids, then maybe it's time to say enough is enough.
I actually liked Susan a lot more in this book. She was trying to balance her need to be a journalist and get "the story" and the fact that a lot of journalism feeds off the pain of others. She showed a lot of sass and determination in this book, and I think she might have been my favorite character.
I'm not saying it's a bad book because it's not. Chelsea Cain has created some really memorable characters and she certainly knows how to write some thrilling sequences. Personally, I don't understand Archie. He's a broken man, yes. I know. But one with a family that has looked past a lot of stuff to let him in again. And he is ready to pack it all in for a homicidal psychopath. Makes me think his sanity should be a little more in question!
If you've read HeartSick, you will probably want to read Sweetheart, just to know what happens. Who knows, maybe you'll love it more than I did!!
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Completely unbelievable
Comment: A novel doesn't have to be 100% believable but if an author is going to make the story absurd, she has to at least build up to the absurdity. In this novel the author makes no effort to make any part of the story the slightest bit believable. Right from the start we get Archie who is back on the force in spite of constantly popping pain killers. Does anyone really think a man who takes four Vicodin at a time would be trusted with a gun?
===spoiler alert===
But then the whole premise of the story is ridiculous. Does anyone really think that the worst serial killer in a state's history would be able to escape from prison? Does anyone really think that a guard would help her escape the day after another guard that was helping her was killed by her?
==end spoilers===
Please, if you want to write a fantasy then add dragons and magic spells. The story started off fairly promising with the death of a senator and a link to a possible serial killer. But then the author just couldn't give up Gretchen, a character who is so powerful in this novel that she practically does cast magic spells and ride dragons. I found myself rolling my eyes and predicting what would happen next by simply thinking of the stupidest possible plot twist. So I recommend that you don't waste your time on this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nothing redeeming about this preposterous story
Comment: The first book by Chelsea Cain, "Heartsick," had an intriguing plot, and was almost sustainable through the whole book.
This one, however, is simply not believable, twisted, and unsatisfying. Skip this book; it goes for sleazy sensationalism, and in the process forgets to contain a logical story. Two disparate plots are told, neither concluding satisfactorily, leaving a farfetched disappointment. Character development is incomplete, and when time was spent on the character, as in the protagonist, it fails the credibility test.
My last by Cain.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Review
Comment: Sweetheart is Mrs. Cain's second novel to her debut, Heartsick. Heartsick is where readers were first introduced to the highly volatile and psychological relationship between Detective Archie Sheridan and notorious "Beauty Killer" Gretchen Lowell.
It has been a couple of years now, since the day Archie became one of Gretchen's victims. It will never matter how much time pass as Archie will always think about Gretchen.
Susan Ward, a reporter for the Herald has a big story about to make headlines. It involves Senator Castle and a fourteen year old babysitter. Before the story can release, Senator Castle ends up dead. As if that was bad enough, a body is discovered in the park...the same park where Gretchen's first victim was left.
Archie appears on the scene. He starts having flash backs to his time in captivity as Gretchen's victim. It has been two months since, Archie last paid a visit to Gretchen in prison. Archie receives a phone call, that Gretchen has escaped prison. Archie knows he is the only one that can bring Gretchen in again. It will be like old times as Archie chases after Gretchen.
I guess you could say I have become obsessed myself with Archie and Gretchen's relationship. It is so sick and wrong but oh so good. The way Gretchen toys with Archie is so entertaining, that I found I can't tear myself away, once I start reading. I think I even set a new record by reading this book in only an hour and a half. I do have to admit though that I did think Heartsick was a little better. It was because in the first book, the story mainly focused on Archie and Gretchen; whereas in this latest story there were more characters playing parts. For me it is all about Archie and Gretchen's relationship. I am anxiously awaiting the next book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The past is the plot...?
Comment: I purchased both "Heartsick" & "Sweetheart" at the same time. Heartsick (Cain's First Book in Series) grabbed my attention immediately - this one did not. You get to revisit stories from Heartsick that result in the plot for this book. All the characters are back to assist Archie Sheridan in a (not-so-new) murder plot. Without spoiling the ending - the FEMALE serial killer in this story is not enough to keep Sheridan (I-HATE-MY-LIFE because I was better off dead) interesting. We did get a little background into why Sheridan is SO attached to Lowell. Even though, she kidnapped him, tortured him and killed him However, unlike her other victims she revives him only so she can torture him some more. The past is the plot...you will understand once you read the book - and I do recommend you read it if you liked heartsick.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Sweetheart, She Ain't!
Comment: Once the After-School killer had been revealed....and Gretchen Lowell's part in it, Archie Sheridan promised himself he was done. Done with Gretchen. Done with his visits to the prison to see her. She had controlled every aspect of his life for so many years, he couldn't even count. Now, he wanted it all to be over. Archie had moved back in with his (ex-) wife and kids. He was back on the force working cases. And he was in therapy.
Susan Ward had also moved on since the After-School killer. She moved back in with her mom! She decided that after a brush with a killer and death, a little growing up may be in order. No longer does she have pink hair because apparently turquoise is more professional. And she is serious about her investigation into Senator Castle's life. She knows the man was bad news, and now she has sworn testimony from Molly Palmer, the girl that had the "relationship" with the Senator when she was 14 years old. That is, until the Senator AND Susan's mentor end up dead, when the car they were in crashed over the Freemont Bridge.
All the players are back in this follow-up to HeartSick. And while I was hardly able to put this book down, I didn't like it nearly as well as I did the first. The things that made HeartSick so good was the fact that is was unique. Gretchen Lowell, the female serial killer...and the way she was still in Archie Sheridan's life. THESE were some of the reasons I really liked HeartSick. In Book 2, these reasons aren't unique anymore. In fact, they were a little redundant.
The relationship between Archie and Gretchen is also a big part of this book. Truth be told, it really made me uncomfortable. I find it hard to believe that any person that had been through what Archie went through, could still have feelings for his captor. Was he in love with her? In a really twisted way, he was. And it just made me want to shake him. He does a lot of things that no sane person would do. And if you can actually get over the fact that the woman fed you drain cleaner and tortured you for 10 days, then more power to you. But when said woman threatens your family...and your small kids, then maybe it's time to say enough is enough.
I actually liked Susan a lot more in this book. She was trying to balance her need to be a journalist and get "the story" and the fact that a lot of journalism feeds off the pain of others. She showed a lot of sass and determination in this book, and I think she might have been my favorite character.
I'm not saying it's a bad book because it's not. Chelsea Cain has created some really memorable characters and she certainly knows how to write some thrilling sequences. Personally, I don't understand Archie. He's a broken man, yes. I know. But one with a family that has looked past a lot of stuff to let him in again. And he is ready to pack it all in for a homicidal psychopath. Makes me think his sanity should be a little more in question!
If you've read HeartSick, you will probably want to read Sweetheart, just to know what happens. Who knows, maybe you'll love it more than I did!!
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