Bodies in the woods and Gretchen on the loose. Chekov's imprisoned serial killer - they must execute an elaborate and bloody escape by the third act. Or the second book. I just made that up because it sounds cool. Archie and Gretchen's messed-up relationship is traumatic romantic heart of these books - hence the naming system, presumably, and it is truly a wrenching gothic portrait of abuse and physical and mental torture. But let's not forget plucky spiky reporter Susan Ward out to bring the truth behind an old scandal that gets pushed aside when some people die in a car crash. One or two of Susan's deductions seemed a bot forced to me, but it's a terrific page turner all the same.