Let me tell you, I LOVE a good slasher flick – and I use that term “flick” interchangeably with books and movies. Give me Hannibal Lector, Freddy Krueger, and Pennywise any day (go see IT already). I’m not sure if it’s the thrill of the chase, or the mystery behind some of the stories, but I’ve always been drawn to horror. And what a perfect time of year to share that love with all of you! Sure, I’ll sip my PSL in my Ugg boots while reading, but I think it’s time we get down and dirty with a good murder mystery. So rather than steer you towards the “cult classics,” let’s take a look at a book with a bit of a modern twist… and I’m talking female serial killer here (there, I’ve said it)… it’s good stuff.
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Book: Heartsick, Chelsea Cain
Summary: Archie Sheridan spent his career tracking notorious serial killer Gretchen Lowell. He dedicated his life to hunting her down, and in the end, she caught him. After torturing Archie and then letting him go, Gretchen is behind bars and Archie is in a mental prison of his own making. Why did she spare him? What’s she up to next? These are the questions that haunt him day and night.
Meanwhile, another killer is on the loose, and Archie must battle his inner demons to track him down. With the help of young newspaper reporter Susan Ward, who is profiling Archie and gets herself caught in a cat and mouse game with the killer, the unlikely duo tries to solve the latest mystery, and even save a little piece of Archie’s soul in the process.
Why I recommend: As a frequent Law and Order SVU and Criminal Minds binger, this book was so easy to get into. It features an interesting villain, a completely fucked up protagonist, and a murderous backstory to tie it all together in a pretty, blood-drenched bow. 
Let’s start with our killer – Gretchen Lowell is your quintessential serial killer, but with boobs. She’s charming, beautiful, and extremely manipulative. Her story is literally one of every gorgeous man killer on Criminal Minds that lures women in with his fancy smile then chops them into little pieces… but gender swapped. I don’t know why I loved this storyline so much, but the feminist in me was like HELL YEA A WOMAN CAN KILL. Creepy I know, but it felt oddly empowering.
Moving on, we have our protagonist Archie Sheridan. Again, he’s a stereotypical character with a n extra fucked up backstory. Very typical detective obsessed with his job, except he has this horrific little thing where he was kidnapped, tortured (mentally and physically) by a serial killer and released by said killer. If that wasn’t messed up enough, he becomes weirdly obsessed with her… like so obsessed that he visits her in prison to get her advice on new cases. Think Clarice and Hannibal but way weirder… and more sexual…
Finally… Heartsick throws a little fun at you when you kind of want to die thinking about the bizarre relationship between the main characters. News reporter Susan Ward is the comic relief you need in a book like this. She’s sassy AS FUCK, messy, super super weird (sorry Portlanders, she is how I picture all of you now), and a really random ass character. Most of the time I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to shout that she shouldn’t be part of a police investigation or be in her shoes.
So throw all those characters together, add a generic serial killer mystery, and BAM you have Heartsick. It’s interesting, unique, and highly entertaining. ‘Tis the season to toss aside your romance novels and get down and dirty, so why not start here.
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