The notorious "Beauty Killer," Gretchen Lowell, has escaped from prison and seems to have wasted no time in savagely claiming more victims in the Portland, Oregon, area. Archie Sheridan, the detective who is Gretchen's only surviving victim, is in a psychiatric hospital, scarred mentally and physically from their last encounter, shortly after her escape. Gretchen has developed a "relationship" with him in her own twisted way, and when it becomes obvious that Archie is no longer safe in the hospital, he checks himself out to join the task force. As the only person who has spent any length of time with Gretchen and survived, he's a valuable asset in the case, even as he risks his own life and sanity.

But something about the recent murders is different -- out of character for the meticulous, creative Gretchen. She seems to be revisiting her crime scenes, and Archie begins to suspect that one of her "fans," inspired by the media frenzy surrounding the charismatic killer, may be following in Gretchen's bloody footsteps. Now he and the task force are not only looking for Gretchen, but for a similarly unbalanced and violent copycat.

The third book in this chilling series is just as graphic and disturbing as fans have come to expect. Not for the squeamish, the story is kept from complete grimness by dark "cop humor" and Susan Ward's welcome return as an overly curious reporter. It's probably best to read the first two books -- HEARTSICK and SWEETHEART -- before this one to fully appreciate the characters, and particularly the relationship between Archie and Gretchen, which is horribly fascinating -- like a bad car accident that you can't help but stare at. I have to admit, as good as this series is, I'm starting to feel that Archie deserves to move on and get some closure and that sometimes "less is more" in regard to torture details. But as long as Gretchen is on the run and Archie is after her, I'll be following...at a safe distance.