From the shelf: The Night Season (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #4)

Title: The Night Season (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #4)
Author: Chelsea Cain
Genre: Msytery, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Date read: April 22-24, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

He captured the Beauty Killer, one of the most deranged serial killers in the country. Now, Portland police detective Archie Sheridan faces a different kind of killer - a brutal rain season that has flooded the Willamette River, claiming several lives. As water levels rise, so does the fear. Because some of the victims didn't drown;they were murdered.

The first body contains a rare poison. Three others prove to be murders as well. And with each gruesome discovery the medical examiner uncovers, Archie begins to realize he has not escaped his nightmares, even with his deadliest enemy behind bars. The flood has washed up old skeletons from the past. And a ruthless new serial killer rules the night...

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: Heartsick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart

It's quite refreshing to take a break from all that Gretchen Lowell drama and focus into another serial killer case. This case is connected to the flood that happened in Vanport all those years ago. A revenge plot and a point person who has dementia. I would like to think that Susan Ward is becoming Archie Sheridan's Dr. Watson, his sidekick. What made my heart pound is what happened to Henry Sobol that made me wish he could recover. And although I see Gretchen Lowell for a bit, its nice to see an oh so familiar face at the end.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Evil at Heart (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #3)

Title: Evil at Heart (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #3)
Author: Chelsea Cain
Genre: Msytery, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Date read: April 17-22, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★☆ (3.5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Chelsea Cain’s novels featuring Portland detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell have captivated fans through two nail-biting entries, Heartsick and Sweetheart, both of them multiweek bestsellers inThe New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.

Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose. These days, she’s more of a cause célèbre than a feared killer, thanks to sensationalist news coverage that has made her a star. Her face graces magazine covers weekly and there have been sightings of her around the world. Most shocking of all,Portland Herald reporter Susan Ward has uncovered a bizarre kind of fan club, which celebrates the number of days she’s been free.

Archie Sheridan hunted her for a decade, and after his last ploy to catch her went spectacularly wrong, remains hospitalized months later. When they last spoke, they entered a détente of sorts---Archie agreed not to kill himself if she agreed not to kill anyone else. But when a new body is found accompanied by Gretchen’s trademark heart, all bets are off and Archie is forced back into action. Has the Beauty Killer returned to her gruesome ways, or has the cult surrounding her created a whole new evil?

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: Heartsick, Sweetheart

This was the aftermath of Gretchen's break from prison. Archie checked in the psychiatric ward to stop him from trying to call Gretchen and protect him from killing himself. And just when he thought he had the peace he was craving, another series of murders sprung out with Gretchen's signature all over them the repeat crime scenes and the heart sign. Although I truly love the Archie/Gretchen series, I think this installment is the calm after having two novels in that gained momentum. I am definitely going to read the next one and see how everything would pan out.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Sweetheart (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #2)

Title: Sweetheart (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #2)
Author: Chelsea Cain
Genre: Msytery, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Date read: April 14-17, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Portland detective Archie Sheridan, the former head of the Beauty Killer Task Force, hunted Gretchen Lowell for years before she kidnapped him, tortured him, and then let him go. Now that she is behind bars, Archie is finally piecing his life back together. He's returned home to his ex-wife and their two children. But no matter how hard Archie tries, he just can't stop thinking about Gretchen!

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the first corpse he discovered there a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer's first victim, and Archie's first case. Then, the unthinkable happens: Gretchen escapes from prison, and once the news breaks, all of Portland goes on high alert; but secretly, Archie is relieved. He knows he's the only one who can capture Gretchen and now he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all. Even if it means becoming her last victim!

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Lookback: Heartsick

This keeps getting better. That was what's going through my mind as I go deeper into the book. This was definitely a page turner and I held my breath a few times while reading this. Gretchen Lowell the psychopathic killer and Archie Sheridan her last victim has this twisted, toxic bond like no other. They can't stand each other but they  somehow  are attracted to one another. She likes torture him but didn't want to see him dead. He loves his wife and vice versa but couldn't bring to free himself from Gretchen's clutches. then the escape happened. i wanted to strangle Susan for being too naive. But at the same time I'm looking forward to the next book of the series and see how the central characters would grow and make the series far more interesting than the last.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Heartsick (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #1)

Title: Heartsick (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell #1)
Author: Chelsea Cain
Genre: Msytery, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Date read: April 10-14, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

Damaged Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer, but in the end she was the one who caught him. Two years ago, Gretchen kidnapped Archie and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away for the rest of her life, while Archie is in a prison of another kind---addicted to pain pills, unable to return to his old life, powerless to get those ten horrific days off his mind. Archie's a different person, his estranged wife says, and he knows she's right. He continues to visit Gretchen in prison once a week, saying that only he can get her to confess as to the whereabouts of more of her victims, but even he knows the truth---he can't stay away.

When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders. A hungry young newspaper reporter, Susan Ward, begins profiling Archie and the investigation, which sparks a deadly game between Archie, Susan, the new killer, and even Gretchen. They need to catch a killer, and maybe somehow then Archie can free himself from Gretchen, once and for all. Either way, Heartsick makes for one of the most extraordinary suspense debuts in recent memory.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

This book reminds me of another serial killer/psychiatrist caught and questioned *ahem Hannibal*. I don't know why psychiatrists make the best choice for a killer maybe because of their ability and degree to read the human mind. In contrast to the well-loved Hannibal series, this book is a modern take on the mind of a psychiatric, attractive woman serial killer and it doesn't help that as a reader, when I go through the book my imagination is wild and can vividly see the morbid scenes written. The story starts with Archie forcefully coming out of his sabbatical to work into a new serial killer case together with some of his old colleagues from the Gretchen Lowell case. He might be struggling but he tries so hard to live a normal life divorced but still in love and talking with his ex-wife Debbie. He struggles being a detective but still seeing the serial killer who tried to kill him. It may be dark and twisted but he needed it for closure as well for the families she victimized. There was also Susan, a reporter shadowing by Archie's request who was writing an exclusive on what happened between Gretchen and Archie at the time he was tortured. I think this series would make me addicted. I have an inkling as to why Archie is severely addicted to the pain Gretchen inflicted upon him and I'm curious at what Gretchen's actions towards his "I'm done" at the end.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Raven (The Raven #1)

Title: The Prince (The Raven #1)
Author: Sylvain Reynard
Genre: Romance, Adult fiction, Paranormal
Date read: April 5-9, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★★ (4/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Gabriel Series comes a dark, sensual tale of romance in a city shrouded in mystery…

Raven Wood spends her days at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery restoring fine works of Renaissance art. But an innocent walk home after an evening with friends changes her life forever. When she intervenes in the senseless beating of a homeless man, his attackers turn on her, dragging her into an alley. Raven is only semi-conscious when their assault is interrupted by a cacophony of growls followed by her attacker’s screams. Mercifully, she blacks out, but not before catching a glimpse of a shadowy figure who whispers to her…

Cassita vulneratus

When Raven awakes, she is inexplicably changed. She returns to the Uffizi, but no one recognizes her and more disturbingly, she discovers that she’s been absent an entire week. With no recollection of the events leading up to her disappearance, Raven also learns that her absence coincides with one of the largest robberies in Uffizi history – the theft of a set of priceless Botticelli illustrations. When the baffled police force identifies her as its prime suspect, Raven is desperate to clear her name. She seeks out one of Florence’s wealthiest and elusive men in an attempt to uncover the truth about her disappearance. Their encounter leads Raven to a dark underworld whose inhabitants kill to keep their secrets…

My Review: (also in goodreads)

A new series from Sylvain Reynard which seems like a familiar friend. The story centers around two new characters (and finally exploring the supernatural) but the familiar feel is there because of the Emersons as the side story. The book happens 2 years after the events of the novella 'The Prince'. William York, Gabriel's prime suspect in the disapperance of his Botticelli paintings, is a vampire (well, vampyre) price ruling over Florence for centuries. He s patrolling the city for ferals and for creatures (human and supernatural alike) who would want to take over his city when he meets a woman in the midst of danger. That's where their story starts. Once again, the author wrote in a poetic way making references to mythologies and ancient history. I loved Dante and Beatrice being portrayed metaphorically by Gabriel and Julianne and I think I would come to like Cupid, Zephyr and Psyche. I sort of have a bias for vampires in the supernatural world despote them being aristocratic, cunning and sort of cannibalistic. It was fairly obvious that there would be a sequel considering the biggest cliffhanger at the end.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: The Prince (The Raven #0.5)

Title: The Prince (The Raven #0.5)
Author: Sylvain Reynard
Genre: Romance, Adult fiction, Paranormal
Date read: April 3-4, 2015
Dawn Rates: ★★★ (3/5)

Summary (cr: goodreads)

The unveiling of a set of priceless illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy at the Uffizi Gallery exposes the unsuspecting Professor Gabriel Emerson and his beloved wife, Julianne, to a mysterious and dangerous enemy.

Unbeknownst to the Professor, the illustrations he secretly acquired years ago were stolen a century earlier from the ruler of Florence’s underworld. Now one of the most dangerous beings in Italy is determined to reclaim his prized artwork and exact revenge on the Emersons, but not before he uncovers something disturbing about Julianne …

Set in the city of Florence, “The Prince” is a prequel novella to “The Raven,” which is the first book in the new Florentine Series Trilogy by Sylvain Reynard.

“The Prince” can be read as a standalone but readers of The Gabriel Series may be curious about the connection between The Professor’s world and the dark, secret underworld of “The Prince.” 

My Review: (also in goodreads)

Gabriel Lookback: Gabriel's Inferno, Gabriel's Rapture, Gabriel's Redemption

Seems like Sylvain Reynard isn't finished with the Emersons just yet. Although I am not entirely sure if this happens after the events of Gabriel's Redemption. This is somewhat the transition from the beloved Emersons to a new protagonist (or antagonist? having their connection as the side story), an old underground society preparing for war. This novella piqued my curiosity for "The Raven". And of course having old ancient supernaturals is also a big factor (and I think the author loves all things Italian). Let's see if I will be as hooked in this series as I did in the previous one.

Till the next read...

From the shelf: Sharp Objects

Title: Sharp Objects

Author: Gillian Flynn

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Date read: April 1-3, 2015

Summary (cr: goodreads)
Dawn Rates: ★★★★★ (5/5)

WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart 
Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls.

NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.

HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.

With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.

My Review: (also in goodreads)

This would mark that I have read all 3 novels by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Dark Places). This is her debut novel and out of the three, I liked this better. The story starts off with the reporter Camille being asked to go on an assignment in a hometown she has dreaded to go back to, all this years. First I thought that this was just another girl gets out of small town because of the circumstances story but as I flip the page and go deeper into the story, there was a lot more to it. Sure, this was another small town with too many secrets but those secrets were like pieces of a puzzle waiting to be known. Although towards the middle I had an idea who did it, I still got a bit surprised towards the unveiling at the end. This was not just a mere dysfunctional family, they were toxic and nuclear.

Till the next read...