Review ~ Kill You Twice by Chelsea Cain

Goodreads Synopsis ~ 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.

My Review ~ I don't want to come off as being this crazy person that likes their thrillers to be incredibly gory, but I missed some of it in Night Season.  I also missed Gretchen.  I was so pleased to get into Kill You Twice and find that all that I missed was back, and with a bang!

I do not know what is up with the people Portland that they sentenced the uber-killer to a psychiatric hospital instead of giving her the death penalty or at least life in prison.  They KNOW how cunning and manipulative she is.  She knows how to work the system, and she knows how to work Archie.  Gretchen knows that Archie will take whatever leads he can take in a case, so cannot stay away when she claims she has information in his newest case.  He was doing so well.  Getting on with his life, without Gretchen.  Archie is getting his shit together more and more each book, and Kill You Twice takes him even farther, but is seeing Gretchen again going to make all his progress shrivel away?

Of course we can't have a Gretchen/Archie novel without Susan Ward.  I love how Susan has different colored hair each book.  She is spunky, inquisitive and up for anything.  Her role is not huge in this book, but she always seems to bring me a little breath of fresh air when we swing to her POV.

Plus, just to entice you to read this even more, you actually learn more about Gretchen and how she got started!  THAT alone made this book worth the read.  Oh and I'm not going to spoil anything, but the end of the book was amazing!  I really enjoyed it and will give this book a 4 out of 5. Read for Audio Challenge.