I read and reviewed each of the three books collected here separately, so this is basically for my own records. The rating is an average of the individual ratings. The first book in the series, Heartsick, earned four stars from me, basically for the creepiness of the antagonist. Whatever else I may think about this series, Gretchen Lowell is a genuinely compelling character. Unrelentingly awful, of course (she's a serial killer, how can she not be) but nonetheless charismatic. Less compelling is the supposedly twisted relationship she has with Archie Sheridan, the cop assigned to catch her. Archie is traumatised by his experiences with her, but while the relationship is twisted it also becomes more and more irritating, which is why the second book, Sweetheart, only got three stars from me. My dislike for Archie didn't become full-blown loathing until book three, however. That book, Evil at Heart, earned two stars and was lucky to get it. When a serial killer who has tortured literally hundreds of people to death, with zero remorse, is at it again and you are so busy prevaricating and wringing your hands about killing her when you have the opportunity that she gets away multiple times then, you useless excuse for a cop, you are complicit. I cannot stand characters who whinge that stopping absolute monsters by putting a bullet into their immediately-threatening head will make them as bad as said serial killer. I like a lot of the supporting characters, and Gretchen is awful but interesting, but the only murder I'm really hanging out for now in this series is Archie's. Sorry.

Also, Free Henry. Somewhere is a decent intelligent cop that would be happy to have him as a partner.