Review: The Night Season

The Night Season (Gretchen Lowell, #4) by Chelsea Cain

Summary: With Beauty Killer Gretchen Lowell locked away behind bars once again, Portland detective Archie Sheridan can finally rest. Meanwhile, the city of Portland is in crisis. Several people have drowned in heavy rains that have flooded the Willamette River. But the medical examiner discovers that in fact the latest victim was poisoned before she went into the water–she didn’t drown. A little detective work shows that so far three of those previously thought to be accidental drownings have actually been murdered. Portland has a new serial killer on its hands, and Archie and his task force have a new case. Meanwhile reporter Susan Ward is following up on an entirely separate mystery: the dramatic flooding has unearthed a skeleton, a man who might have died during catastrophic flooding more than sixty years ago that washed away an entire neighborhood and killed at least 15 people.

As Archie follows the bizarre trail of evidence and evil deeds to catch his killer, he has to battle the rising waters of the Willamette first.

My Thoughts: It was OK. I think it had a lot of promise, but was quite disappointing. I expected more thrills and excitement and less predictability. I mean, yeah, the octopuses weren’t something I saw coming, but a lot of the could’ve-been-shocking (or at least exciting) moments were. There was very little surprise, thrill, excitement here. But, it was interesting, and I did want to see how it all played out. It was a quick, easy read, so I don’t feel like this book stole time from my life or anything like that.

I liked the characters. Archie and Susan especially. (Although, I do have to ask what it is with cops and reporters in books like this. It seems an overused pairing, in my opinion.) Susan is a great offbeat character with lots of personality and a likable disposition. Archie has lots of depth, much of which I’m guessing I’d understand better if I’d read the other Gretchen Lowell stories.

I do need to add that when I agreed to review this book, I didn’t realize it was fourth in a series until after I’d received it. I do intend to read the first three, because they sound more interesting. We shall see. If nothing else, this book served the purpose of making me want to read the previous books in the series. (Although I think I’ll check them out at my library …)

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Source: Received for review through FSB Media.

Read It: Get your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 and the Mystery & Suspense Challenge 2011.

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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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