Kill You Twice

Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell, Book 5

De: Chelsea Cain

Narrado por: Christina Delaine

Nothing makes Portland detective Archie Sheridan happier than knowing that Gretchen Lowell - the serial killer whose stunning beauty is belied by the gruesome murders she’s committed - is locked away in a psych ward. Archie can finally heal from the near-fatal physical and emotional wounds she’s inflicted on him and start moving on with his life.

To this end, Archie throws himself into the latest case to come across his desk: A cyclist has discovered a corpse in Mount Tabor Park on the eastern side of Portland. The man was gagged, skinned, and found hanging by his wrists from a tree. It’s the work of a killer bold and clever enough to torture his victim for hours on a sunny summer morning in a big public park and yet leave no trace.

And then Archie gets a message he can’t ignore - Gretchen claims to have inside knowledge about this grisly murder. Archie finally agrees to visit Gretchen, because he can’t risk losing his only lead in the case. At least, that’s what he tells himself.... But the ties between Archie and Gretchen have always been stronger, deeper, and more complex than he’s willing to admit, even to himself. What game is she playing this time? And even more frightening, what long-hidden secrets from Gretchen’s past have been dredged up that someone would kill to protect?

At once terrifying and magnetic, “Beauty Killer” Gretchen Lowell returns with a vengeance in Kill You Twice, Chelsea Cain’s latest razor-sharp psychological thriller.

©2012 Verite Inc. (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

5 stars!!!

Excellent book with lots of twists and turns. Love the beauty killer series! Cain brings to life a female serial killer and all of the interesting psychological pieces that go along with it. Enjoy...

She's Back!

If like me, you've enjoyed this series but felt a profound lack of Gretchen in 'The Night Season' the 4th & last book, you'll be happy to find her central to the plot of this latest installment. The tidbits we learn about her past help fill in how the beauty killer came to be, and Archie is as complex & brilliantly troubled as always.

Give Cain a Chance

Any additional comments?

awesome. excellent writing and characters. don't let the cheesy title fool you. this ride is worth twice the price of admission.

Quite good! Really enjoyed it but

The description of some of the murder and torture got so gruesome and graphic, it made me feel sick and had to skip that bit. The detail of it all felt unnecessary.

Five in a row

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The fifth installment in the series held my attention nearly as well as the first, with tight plotting and lots of plausible but unseen twists, dangerous trips into the dark corners of the human psyche and wonderfully flawed but lovable characters. Narration was crisp with little "voice" confusion. Kept my attention. Left me wanting more.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Mostly.

Have you listened to any of Christina Delaine’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not sure.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both, a little.

Any additional comments?

Some of the plot explanations were distractingly repetitious, but the "unpacking" of scenes, and of what has gone before were delicious. Strong characters and accessible prose. Great escape read.

Very interesting and disturbing

I liked the series so far, although it's profoundly disturbing, what I disliked though was Susan.
She should have evolved, taking into account the amount of difficult experiences she's been through so far, but no, she's still a grown woman thinking and behaving like an overgrown teenager, still acting thoughtlessly and impulsively.
It's becoming annoying.

WELCOME BACK GRETCHEN

What made the experience of listening to Kill You Twice the most enjoyable?

The story went back to Gretchen manipulating things even though she was being held in a psychiatric ward for her previous crimes. The story was much more like the first one which is what drew me to this series.

What did you like best about this story?

It gave us more information about Gretchen and who she is. It also brought Archie and Gretchen back in communication which is always intriguing

Which character – as performed by Christina Delaine – was your favorite?

She does Gretchen's voice very well.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction. It kept my attention.

Great improvement in Cain's writing

I bought Cain's initial Gretchen & Archie offerings because the author is a Portland resident and stages her novels in our fair city. I'd hoped for improvement in the first few but found them average at best.

"Kill You Twice" is a huge step above Cain's first writing. I don't know if it's a new editor or just experience but I found the drama and excitement of this book far superior to her first novels.

This is a series that relies heavily on the previous novels-it doesn't stand alone well. I hate to say that I'd suggest reading the first average police serial killer stories just to get to this one but it's almost necessary.

Christina Delaine is a new narrator and does a good job. I liked the original narrators take on mad-woman Gretchen a bit better than Delaine's but all in all, this is a good match of author and reader.

The story is tense and not nearly as predictable as the original couple of books and though Gretchen is a part of the plot, she's not the main focus as she was previously. The story arc is tight, the dialogue well written and all of the Portland names are pronounced correctly..something that is important to those of us who live here.

I look forward to Cain's next offering and consider this book a credit well spent.

Awesome

so many twists and turns, this book is riveting! I can't wait till the next book!

The Best So Far!

Would you consider the audio edition of Kill You Twice to be better than the print version?

Since I don't have the print version, I can't say. But since I joined Audible, it is hard to "read" a book, I love having them read to me. I like how the narrators try to have different voices for the characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Susan and Archie are my favs. Susan because she is just plain awesome. She is smarter than the average bear. I like Archie because is just a normal guy. No super powers to get the job, he has faults (some that cost him dearly), and he is just one of those likeable guys.

Which character – as performed by Christina Delaine – was your favorite?

Not sure, she does pretty good with all of them. Altough I really liked the way Caroline McCormick would have Gretchen say "Archie" and "Darling" and "Sweetheart". Kinda breathy Marilyn Monroe-ish.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Parts or it were funny and parts were can't stop reading because I gotta find out what happened

Any additional comments?

You really have to listen to these in order, they do follow a story line and characters from the other books make appearances. I really liked this series and can't wait for the next.