Okay, so I'm late for the Chelsea Cain party. I have been seeing her name around for a while now and hearing good things. No, scratch that. Great things. When the buzzing on an author becomes so loud that it makes my head nearly explode just from being in the same world I tend to get right on it. Sorry about that, Chelsea. Better late than never though, right?
I tend to do things differently than most people. In the case of Chelsea Cain I'm working my way backwards here. I had been meaning to read her, honest. Upon its release I saw a signed copy of her newest book, One Kick, that is the start of a new series for her. It was like fate telling me that I better get my ass moving here. I'm kind of a signed book nut, see? But that is another story.
I'm a tough critic. I'll be the first to admit that I might pick up anywhere from 15-20 books on any given month, but there is a larger than life chance I will only actually finish a small fraction of those numbers. I just know what I like and, though it doesn't take much, that much seems damn hard to find at times. I have been prone to throwing a book against a wall and cursing the authors family tree after reading just a couple of sentences. So yeah, I'm tough, man. Not to sever a foot and put it on a whole other leg or anything here, but I feel like I need to state my case. I'm hard to please.
When I started reading One Kick I was instantly pulled into the story, very forcefully I might add, and did not want to come back out until I was done. There are just a handful of things that I seriously need in order to keep my attention span between the pages of any book and that is one of them. I need to be grabbed. Like right away. I don't think that is too much to ask for, now is it?
One Kick is the story of Kick Lannigan. Kidnapped as a child and left forever to be a work in progress as an adult. Aptly named, as she will kick your ass. She will also pick the lock to your heart. No, really.... she picks locks. She teams up with another mysterious bad ass named Bishop and the two of them work together to solve several cases involving missing children. The action stays popping and the story is filled with heart and soul. It's a stellar start to a whole new series and a perfect introduction to a new writer, for me at least.
I kept seeing One Kick referred to as something along the lines of "Chelsea Cain lite." The reviews were good. But people really dig her Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell series. Apparently it's pretty twisted. I'm a sick fuck. So obviously I've been ignoring this party for way too long. Let's do this.
I'm not really a huge fan of reviews. It's one persons opinion and I tend to disagree with pretty much everything everybody else says. We all like what we like. But this Chelsea Cain party? Yeah, I'm a dick for not showing up here earlier. She is probably the best new writer I have been turned on to in a very long time. I finally got around to reading Heartsick and I feel like I've been welcomed home by the Jackson zombie 5 singing "Where you been, motherfucker?" as longtime Chelsea readers throw chocolate cake at me. This book kicked my ass harder than a tag team of old school Chucks, Bronson and Norris, could ever dream of doing.
I like to go into something blindly. I just feel as if books and movies work better for me if I discover their mysteries on my own terms rather than reading the whole thing on the back of a jacket or seeing one of those all too revealing trailers. I imagine that since reviews are so needed these days for any kind of art to thrive its way on into an audience I must say something here though.
In Heartsick Chelsea Cain gives us a trio of souls that are as damaged as goods can possibly be without being too broken to even exist in the scrap heap. I have heard people compare this series to "Silence of the Lambs" and I guess you could say that is fair enough. I could see where that story may have been an influence but it's like Chelsea Cain took an overall concept, cut pieces from it, threw it in a blender with her own ingrediants and made a story so compellingly twisted that it feels like any second it could jab its razor sharp prose into your eye sockets and skull fuck you for its 300 pages or so. Bravo! What more could any reader ask for?
Heartsick introduces us to Archie and Gretchen. A detective and his serial killing soul mate. Their meeting took its toll and put them both out of commission as they each find themselves retreating into other worlds. Gretchen's world exists behind a prison wall while Archie's is bathed in medicated self loathing. A new serial killer on the scene is enough to reunite the dynamic duo, though their meeting is more due to circumstance as opposed to waxing over whether this new killer prefers re-fried beans to fava. Add a spunky reporter, who is just way too damaged herself, and you have a trio of characters that will hook you into their world and never let you go. Once again I was pulled in by the first sentence here and, like One Kick, this book was stuck to my hand like blowflies on a corpse. Necessities, eating/sleeping and pooping, forced me to stop reading for moments at a time, but still I managed to knock this one out in two days and am now already halfway through Sweetheart, the second volume in the Archie/Gretchen saga.
The discovery of this series is even more welcomed as I was coming off of somewhat of a boring book slump. Now, with four and a half more titles to go, I am certain that slump has been strangled, doused with clorox, raped and tossed into a river. All courtesy of one Chelsea Cain. If there is anyone else out there who has not gotten on board the Archie/Gretchen train I can not state enough just how necessary this mode of mind travel should be. Though still an early reader here, I have no doubt that Chelsea Cain is a writer who can deliver the goods. Heartsick has made my "Best books ever" shelf on Good Reads and there it shall proudly sit until I decide to read it again at some point. It's more than that good. It's one of those books that stays with you long after you close up shop. It's darker than dark and more twisted than pretzel people playing a game of Twister. The plotting is masterful. It's characters and story will take over your head, punch you in the chest, and rip out your heart. Well, at least your spleen.
There are so many great writers out there. Each one has their own gift. Chelsea Cain is the Queen of the pull. She will pull you right in within the first sentence and, most importantly, she will keep you there. An interesting side note, as I was reading Heartsick
I could not help but foam at the mouth over the mere thought of this series slicing its way to a screen near you and me!
Just imagine the excitement at an Archie and Gretchen showing in any theater.
It would be THE event of any year.
Hell, I would settle for a cable series. It will HAVE to be cable though. Don't even think about turning this series into a network television show. Also, whatever medium is clever enough to snap this up might I make another suggestion to Chelsea herself? Be all up in the process of adaptation. Write it yourself. Don't allow anyone else to do it. I'll give you two damn good arguments for each side.
Gone, Girl and Dexter.
There are supposed to be more Archie/Gretchen adventures down the line. Kick Lannigan as well. Chelsea Cain has me hooked whatever she does. In the meantime, I have to stop writing this review so I can get back to my threesome with Archie and Gretchen.
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