the night season

the night season
gretchen lowell series #4
chelsea cain
fiction/suspense/thriller
minotaur books
published 2011

I love Chelsea Cain. Love Love Love Her!

I also loved that Gretchen Lowell was barely in this book. Although I certainly liked the other books this was a refreshing change!  Generally, the books tend to revolve around Gretchen and Archie's relationship and how that one has redefined every other relationship Archie has had or does have.  Whatever homicide they are investigating inevitably circles back to Gretchen somehow.  But in Night Season, Cain barely acknowledges Gretchen.  She's there in the outskirts of the story, her presence is too large to completely ignore, but for once we get the story without any Gretchen drama.

We learn about Portland as a history, as a city.  Find a killer with a new and interesting way of dispatching his victims.  We find that Cain is unafraid to do anything, to write anything.  While I'll say that some of the story seemed missing I still found it thoroughly engrossing.  Just when I figured something out Cain turns the story into another direction and leaves you surprised and a little breathless.

I started to be kind of irritated with Susan for her Daphne-like situations but forgave her because, well, she's Susan.  And she brings along with her her naked yoga practicing-dreadlocked-hippie mother.  Bliss Mountain is the best.

Chelsea Cain - she knows how to write a good book!