In an unusual tontine, the two have come to an agreement whereby Archie will not kill himself and Gretchen will not murder anyone else. When Portland detectives begin discovering bodies with Gretchen’s tell-tale hearts carved in them, they suspect Gretchen has gone back on her word to Archie. Detective Henry Sobol begs Archie to come out of treatment to help track down Gretchen once again. 

Gretchen has managed to insinuate herself into Archie’s life in the sanitarium, continuing to toy with him as the world outside has gone Gretchen crazy, with fan clubs, memorabilia and tours.  Archie, still close to his Vicodin addiction, is not sure what is real, what is Gretchen and what is a creation of the new media sensation, but slowly emerges from his cocoon to once again face his fears, externally as well as internally. 

As Archie, and journalist Susan Ward enter the counterculture of serial killer fan clubs, he sees horror and evil that Gretchen has inadvertently wrought,  horror and evil that possibly she didn’t even see coming.

 The third in the Beauty Killer series, Evil at Heart is for readers who read and loved the first two books, but not necessarily for readers new to the series. The psychology of Archie and Archie and Gretchen’s relationship has become so complex that to jump in at this point in the story does a disservice to the careful storyline and profiles Chelsea Cain has created.

  It is interesting to watch the development of Archie’s relationship with Susan, his struggling relationship with his wife, and his unfathomable relationship with Gretchen. While the plot does not scare in a way that will make readers feel Gretchen is coming for them, it is scary in the idea that such blatant evil can be considered admirable and worthy of imitation. As Archie battles his demons, the ones he had before Gretchen and the ones that Gretchen has left, he tries to make sense of a seemingly senseless trail of murder, violence and insanity. 

Clever and thoughtful, and definitely more cerebral than the first two books in the series, Evil at Heart will keep fans of Gretchen and Archie satisfied until they meet again.  Some graphic and particularly gory scenes may not be for the faint of heart…(no pun intended).                               

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry