Kill You Twice: An Archie Sheridan / Gretchen Lowell Novel (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell, 5) Mass Market Paperback – July 2, 2013

In this fifth instalment of the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell series, there is a heat wave in Portland, and Cain's great writing helps you feel the sweat dripping off you as you read.So first off, you will enjoy this a lot more if you READ THE SERIES IN ORDER. Not every series needs to be read in order, but this one does. There is a long history between the cop and the killer (and I'm really annoyed with reviewers who downgrade the book because they started in the middle of the series). Secondly, I totally disagree with the reviewer who thinks Lowell should be killed off so Archie can move on to other antagonists; one of the things that makes this a great series is the long arc of the relationship between Archie's damaged protagonist and Lowell's twisted lady killer. In fact I find this to be one of the stronger books of the series precisely because Lowell is more present in this tale. She is in a state mental hospital and the interactions between her and Archie (and Archie's partner Henry) are terrific. Each book has other killers as well, but the relationship between these two is always present, and I think that's a good thing.The action takes place a few months after the events of The Night Season, as the city continues to clean up after the flood. I love that Cain treats the books as chapters of a larger story. The characters are wonderful: Archie is damaged but a good man despite being obsessed with the woman who evaded him for so long and then tortured him for ten days. He is almost constantly in pain, but has maintained his decency and humanity. Susan, the comic relief, is a young journalist friend of Archie. In this book we get to know more about her and spend some time with her mother, which is really fun. Henry, Archie's partner, is still in pain from the events of the last few books, but is in good form here. And Gretchen, now in a mental hospital, is drugged up and frustrated, though it seems like she has some sway over her doctors. Uh oh.The book starts with a body in a Portland park, strung up and mutilated, and soon there's another victim burned at a local landmark. And that's another thing I love about the books -- Portland is a presence and I love the city and enjoy reading about it.Another reason to read the series (in order!) -- you begin to develop an appreciation of Cain's long range thinking and plotting. That lovely neighbor who's being friendly to Archie? You know that's going somewhere, and with Cain, you know it's probably nowhere good ....Caveat: These are great murder mystery thrillers, but they are graphic and quite violent. If cozy mysteries are your cup of tea, it might not be a good idea to venture here. If you haven't read any others in the series, don't start here. Go to Chelsea Cain's Heartsick first. If you have been reading the series, I believe you'll find this is a terrific outing for Archie. There are some great twists and a terrific ending (or two).In order, the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell books are: Heartsick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart, The Night Season, and this one, Kill You Twice.Happy reading!

As much as I like mysteries - and mysteries that are part of a series - it is always a concern that the characters over time will become stale or the plot will stall. It is comforting to see that, five books in, Cain still has something fresh to offer in her Archie Sheridan / Gretchen Lowell series. ( Heartsick , Sweetheart , Evil at Heart , The Night Season .)In _Kill You Twice_, Archie Sheridan is no longer under the thrall of serial killer Gretchen Lowell, although her insight and help is needed in tracking down another serial killer, possibly a protoge of Gretchen's. The plot moves quickly, as Cain reveals tantalizing clues about Lowell's past, an increasingly tenuous relationship between Archie and former newspaper reporter Susan Ward, and a character from  Evil at Heart , the angsty teen, Pearl. The development of these characters and the increasing complexity of their relationships kept my attention leaving me wanting more. For fear of revealing too much and spoiling a fun read, I'll remain vague with further details.Of course, a primary reason I return to Cain's work is the was she writes about our city. It is a vicarious thrill to intimately know the places in which bodies are found, the haunts characters frequent, and the thinly veiled allusions to contemporary news stories - in _Kill You Twice_, a subplot revolves around a church group that "faith heals" their congregants. In Portland, members of just such a group were convicted of criminal negligence for not taking their infant daughter to a physican, instead relying on the laying on of hands and prayer to heal a sick child. Tragically, the child died. Cain's writing has a similar dark and sinister texture to it, in spite of the hippie, eco-friendly demeanor of both the city and its residents as she describes it.I recommend the series; I am admittedly biased in my favorable reviews of the book because of our common affiliation to the Northwest, but even putting this subjective measure aside, Cain's series is entertaining and continues to go in new and interesting directions. As relationships (and interrelationships) become more complex, I am a bit anxious that she will be unable to balance the integrity of the characters with the intrigue and fresh plots she has done so far, but in _Heart Sick_, Cain continues to impress.

Love, love, love this book!! Chelsea Cain is a phenomenal writer and her Archie Sheridan and Gretchen Lowell series are probably one of the best thrillers out there; in my opinion. Her writing is so detailed that you can visualize everything, as if you were watching it as a movie but only you can see it. She keeps you on the edge of your seat. When the action takes place (several times throughout) you tend to lose all track of time because your reading speeds up as the plot intensifies and next thing you know, you have read 10 chapters and your kids are wondering where dinner is. Ooops Just do yourself the favor and get the full series with all 6 books. Otherwise, you’ll kick yourself when you realize you were so sidetracked with one book that you forgot to order the next one before you finish. Been there. Done that.This book came in excellent condition and arrived sooner than expected! For some reason, a few pages were printed on darker paper (as seen in my picture). But that doesn’t change the words written on them.

I think if you are new to this series you will really enjoy this book as it has plenty of action and is quite compulsive with Gretchen Lowell, a convicted serial killer, pulling strings from her psychiatric ward bed - no, I didn't say it was realistic, just compulsive. I, on the other hand, have read all the books in the series and feel that the well has run dry on the Archie/Gretchen thing. Ms Cain proved herself more than capable of moving beyond this tired, sick relationship in her previous novel, The Night Season, but has chosen to go back to it. It's just more of the same - Archie can't resist Gretchen and Gretchen, the master manipulator, uses that to yank his chain and pursue her own agenda.

Spine chilling

Chelsea Cain still keeping us on the edge of our seats with one of the most charismatic serial killers on offer just now. I cannot wait to read the next in the series

As always a very good read but spoiled for me in a very far fetched and impossible to believe conclusion . It won't stop me from signing up for the next edition, I have no doubt ere will be one!

Never tire of this series. Gripping storyline & just Love the relation ships between all the main Characters. Can't wait for her next one to be released on kindle :)