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Serial Killer Genre Gets Fresh Face

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By JOHN W. ALLMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 9, 2007

"Heartsick," by Chelsea Cain (St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95)

The serial killer thriller, long lacking a creative and original voice, has become almost self-parody in recent times, concocting outlandish scenarios by which evil villains, nearly always male, routinely outwit the lead detective until the final act when - ta-da! - the bad guy gets his just deserts.

Even Thomas Harris ran out of interesting stories to tell about Hannibal Lecter, turning one of the last great literary villains into a wan facsimile by book No. 4.

The challenge for Chelsea Cain then is to not follow a similar path. Trust me; it's going to be hard. I suspect Hollywood, not to mention Cain's publisher, are going to expect, and demand, sequels.

Cain, like Harris, has created a wholly original character in Gretchen Lowell, the intelligent, manipulative, menacingly erotic killer that propels "Heartsick." By breaking from the pack and letting a girl take a bloody bow, Cain's triumph is that she doesn't stop there. She imbues Lowell with personality and passion, building her back story slowly and avoiding any obvious "Silence of the Lambs" overtures.

To her credit, Cain allows herself one winking nod to Jonathan Demme's 1991 Oscar-winning film version of "Silence," and it's an appreciated, necessary statement that says, "Hey, I'm not an idiot. I know it's similar, but give me time."

The supporting cast is as strong, if not more riveting.

Archie Sheridan is a suitably broken cop. An addict in every sense of the word, his pain and determination collide, often in unexpected ways. And his connection to Lowell feels real in a way that most cliched cop-killer relationships don't.

Susan Miller, as well, is a delightful variation on an overly familiar character. By giving her a punk aesthetic, a satisfying back story and enough bad decisions to fill a self-help book, Miller sounds and feels like that close friend everyone knows.

Cain's familiarity with Portland, Ore., is an added strength. (She is a newspaper columnist for The Oregonian.) The northwest city likely will be unfamiliar to many readers, but the setting is fresh - a welcome change from overused locales such as New York or Los Angeles.

With a crackling pace, a vivid eye for detail and enough graphic depictions of torture to make even Rudy Giuliani wince, "Heartsick" is a shot of adrenaline. It's the second-best genre book of the year behind Joe Hill's "Heart-Shaped Box," which took a tired premise and ghost stories and made them feel new and frightening.

Here's wishing Cain the ability to find even more to say about her fabulous femme fatale.

John Allman is a reporter for the Tribune.

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