SWEETHEART

Cain's second Oregon-based thriller brings back the emotionally and physically wounded detective Archie Sheridan and the turquoise-haired investigative reporter Susan Ward. Susan is investigating a senator's impropriety with a 14-year-old babysitter while Archie, still obsessed with the beautiful serial killer who spared his life, is looking into unidentified corpses. When a young woman's body is found, Archie and Susan are brought together in a fast-paced adventure. Carolyn McCormick's precise articulation and bouncy tones seem at first to be better suited to juvenile or young adult narration. At times, the gravelly quality she gives to Archie's speech gets confused with the sultriness of the seductive serial killer. But as the story proceeds, McCormick's voice and Cain's story hit a rhythm like a single beating heart. S.E.S. 2009 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2008]