NIGHT SEASON by Chelsea Cain, 2011.

Another pulse-pounding, page-turning thriller featuring Det. Archie Sheridan and reporter Susan Ward. This time around, the Willamette River is flooding Portland and several drowning victims have been found. Yeah, well, what's unusual about these flood victims that they were poisoned and died before they were put into the river. So another serial killer is stalking people in the city, and first Archie's detective colleague Henry becomes a target, and then Susan unwittingly places herself in the killer's path. Thrown into the mix is the discovery of a missing boy, kidnapped several years earlier and who seems to have a connection to the killer, and a skeleton is unearthed that is sixty years old, dating to an earlier catastrophic flood that wiped out an entire town. So many questions: what kind of poison is being used? Why was Henry targeted? Who is the boy that keeps slipping away from custody? What do the tiny keys that are found on each victim mean? And most of all, who is committing these murders and why? Cain keeps the suspense high, weaves her several storylines together admirably and really kept this reader interested. I didn't even miss the fact that Beauty Killer Gretchen Lowell from the previous books is only mentioned in this novel. If you're a fan of crime thrillers, Cain's books (this one is the fourth in the series) are really fast paced and suspenseful. I find them highly entertaining and great reads in between other types of books.

I stayed up late last night to finish

SWEETHEART by Chelsea Cain, 2008.

The pages just flew by in this thriller, which is a follow up to Heartsick. I just could not read it fast enough, I was so totally enthralled and wanted to find out the ending. And of course, Cain leaves it open for the next book, which is due out this fall. Storyline concerns Portland, Oregon, detective Archie Sheridan, who is obsessed with the creepiest serial killer ever, Gretchen Lowell, who was caught and imprisoned for life (in the previous book). In return for revealing info on the locations of her murdered victims (some 200 people), she is imprisoned & Archie visits her monthly. Now Archie is trying to put his life together, has sworn off visiting her, and move on. A woman's dead body found in a park gets him involved in another murder case, which ends up being tied to Gretchen, plus reporter Susan Ward, anxious to get notoriety for her crime reporting. Things heat up again when Gretchen manages to escape and threatens the safety of everyone he cares for. Top-notch entertainment, a real thrill ride that keeps moving. I don't read a lot of this type novel, but occasionally they just hit the spot. Cain keeps the plot moving at a pace and delivers the goods so you're not disappointed. If you're into crime thrillers, this is an excellent choice.

Finished reading:

ON/OFF by Colleen McCullough, 2006.
Not the usual sort of book for McCullough, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It's a suspense thriller set in Connecticut in 1965-66, concerns a serial killer. After body parts are found in a freezer of a noted research lab in Holloman, CT, Det. Carmine Delmonico, is assigned to solve these heinous multiple murders. Victims are all young 16 yr old girls who resemble each other and in how they are reared. Gruesome, terrible murders. Lots of suspects, and Delmonico becomes involved with Desdemona Dupre, who works at the institute. Plenty of suspense, red herrings, killings, family secrets, etc. I never guessed who the criminal was, and the twist at the end was a shocker to me.