836 books
—
1,486 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Night Season (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell, #4)” as Want to Read:
The Night Season
(Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell #4)
by
He captured the Beauty Killer, one of the most deranged serial killers in the country. Now, Portland police detective Archie Sheridan faces a different kind of killer - a brutal rain season that has flooded the Willamette River, claiming several lives. As water levels rise, so does the fear. Because some of the victims didn't drown;they were murdered.
The first body contain ...more
The first body contain ...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
March 1st 2011
by Minotaur Books
(first published 2011)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
The Night Season,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about The Night Season
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Night Season (Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell, #4)
I really enjoy this series. I have to say though, I was a little disappointed that Gretchen Lowell only had a three minute part in this one. This is book 4 in the series and is very different from the others in the series For starters the title of the book doesn't have the word heart in it. I loved to read about the relationship of Gretchen and Archie but in this one you have the relationship of Susan and Archie. Susan is one crazy chick and I really like her a lot.
A Portland river, the Willemet ...more
A Portland river, the Willemet ...more
A lot of people on amazon seem to take issue with this book because it only has about four seconds of Gretchen and the rest is spent on an actual plot and actual crime solving during a massive Katrina style flood in Portland. Personally, by this point, I'm pretty damn glad to have a break from the psychosis that is Gretchen Lowell and the abominably annoying relationship she has with Archie Sheridan.
I thought this story was great. It has a lot more Susan being awesome, and Archie has finally fi ...more
I thought this story was great. It has a lot more Susan being awesome, and Archie has finally fi ...more
Chelsea Cain somehow makes a story about a massive flood interesting. The Night Season is the 4th book in the Archie Sheridan series but unlike the first 3 this book does not revolve around Archie's twisted relationship with beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell, in fact Gretchen is almost completely absent from this book(hence the lower rating).
The Night Season is still an above average mystery/ thriller but its just not what I'd become accustomed to reading in this series. It wasn't dark an ...more
The Night Season is still an above average mystery/ thriller but its just not what I'd become accustomed to reading in this series. It wasn't dark an ...more
4.5 rounded up! I wasn’t sure how this 1 was going to be (without much Gretchen) but it was just as good as the others. This is by far 1 of my favorite series.. like top 3 EVER!
(The audiobooks are really good.. But to enjoy all you can, please read them in order!) They’re worth it!😊
(The audiobooks are really good.. But to enjoy all you can, please read them in order!) They’re worth it!😊
Oct 11, 2010
Flannery
rated it
it was ok
Recommends it for:
People Who Like This Series But Can't Skip An Installment
Uuuuuugh. Say every book was a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece would be a different part of the book--each character, the plot, the setting, the pacing, description, you get the point. At the end of the book, you should be able to sit back and enjoy the completed masterpiece and how the pieces all fit together perfectly. Oh man, this book is like that person that comes up to you when you are doing a puzzle and then just dumps all the pieces out. (THE EDGE PIECES FIRST, MORON! IT'S A SYSTEM!) I hate th
...more
Not really a Gretchen story as she only puts in an appearance right at the end. Missed her, but nevertheless enjoyed this one because I like Archie and Susan. Quite different plotwise but it all came together in the end. Clever.
The fourth installment of the Gretchen Lowell series was a pretty good read even though Gretchen only had a small blurp in the book.
Archie, Henry, and Susan have some other fish to fry as they are bogged down with bodies that at first seem to be drowning accidents, but they soon find out that there is a killer on the loose.
The closer they seem to be finding out who it is, the further away the killer seems to be. As they race toward tracking the killer down, they each experience life threateni ...more
Archie, Henry, and Susan have some other fish to fry as they are bogged down with bodies that at first seem to be drowning accidents, but they soon find out that there is a killer on the loose.
The closer they seem to be finding out who it is, the further away the killer seems to be. As they race toward tracking the killer down, they each experience life threateni ...more
Jul 11, 2019
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice*
rated it
liked it
EXCERPT: This is how you kill someone, he thought.
You let them experience it slowly. By natural means. You let them move through terror to understanding. He liked to step back and watch their eyes as they felt the poison's first effects. They all panicked. Stumbled. It was the human condition to fight. To rage against the dying of the light. Just as it was in our nature to let go. The body knew when to give up the ghost. The brain released endorphins. Pain vanished.
He watched their chests rise ...more
You let them experience it slowly. By natural means. You let them move through terror to understanding. He liked to step back and watch their eyes as they felt the poison's first effects. They all panicked. Stumbled. It was the human condition to fight. To rage against the dying of the light. Just as it was in our nature to let go. The body knew when to give up the ghost. The brain released endorphins. Pain vanished.
He watched their chests rise ...more
March 2011 publication.
I hate to tease you but Chelsea Cain has outdone herself on this fourth entry in the Gretchen Lowell (aka Beauty Queen) series although Gretchen appears mainly in spirit.
Portland is in the midst of one of Oregon's rainiest seasons with the Willamette River threatening to go over the seawall and flood downtown. In the meantime bodies are turning up with bizarre wounds of which have never been seen before (the method of killing is definitely inventive). Portland homicide det ...more
I hate to tease you but Chelsea Cain has outdone herself on this fourth entry in the Gretchen Lowell (aka Beauty Queen) series although Gretchen appears mainly in spirit.
Portland is in the midst of one of Oregon's rainiest seasons with the Willamette River threatening to go over the seawall and flood downtown. In the meantime bodies are turning up with bizarre wounds of which have never been seen before (the method of killing is definitely inventive). Portland homicide det ...more
I can't believe how brilliant this author is, another fantastic book to this series.
...more
Jul 05, 2018
Danni The Girl
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2018-reading
Well this one doesn't feature Gretchen Lowell and Chelsea Cain has done a fantastic job.
It is set in a town that floods, so throughout the whole story the town is flooding and keeps getting worse.
You still have Archie, Henry, Susan and Clare knocking about.
I mean the storyline for me wasn't the best, the octopus's were a bit far fetched for me, but Cain's writing is so good it keeps me reading on.
...more
It is set in a town that floods, so throughout the whole story the town is flooding and keeps getting worse.
You still have Archie, Henry, Susan and Clare knocking about.
I mean the storyline for me wasn't the best, the octopus's were a bit far fetched for me, but Cain's writing is so good it keeps me reading on.
...more
PERFECT SICKBED READING JUST ARRIVED THANK YOU MARY.
***
Not to sound super-bitchy, but if I'd known this book would feature Gretchen Lowell only once for a moment near the very end, I wouldn't've pre-ordered it at full price. It's not bad -- there's also less Archie, really, but a lot of Susan, and some good subsidiary characters too. But let's face it, the real charge in these books is the sick connection between the Beauty Killer and her captive/captor, and without that, I was stuck thinking "W ...more
***
Not to sound super-bitchy, but if I'd known this book would feature Gretchen Lowell only once for a moment near the very end, I wouldn't've pre-ordered it at full price. It's not bad -- there's also less Archie, really, but a lot of Susan, and some good subsidiary characters too. But let's face it, the real charge in these books is the sick connection between the Beauty Killer and her captive/captor, and without that, I was stuck thinking "W ...more
Not on a par with previous two books. All that water!!! Review to come.
This is a tough one to rate. If you're still reading this series, you may be like me in that you were hooked in book one and two by the Archie/Gretchen dynamic. Book three featured Gretchen but somehow failed to live up to its predecessors. Book four, in which Gretchen is out of sight though not completely out of mind, also fell short of the initial two books.
Interestingly, while many people who didn't like this book found Gretchen's absence to be the problem, I don't agree. I honestly felt we n ...more
Interestingly, while many people who didn't like this book found Gretchen's absence to be the problem, I don't agree. I honestly felt we n ...more
Spend the first nice day of the year reading The Night Season outside in just a couple of sittings.
The 4th novel of the series is more about Archie (and Susan) and Gretchen plays a very minor role (only mentioned a few times). I found that the last few books had a heavy Gretchen presence, so I was happy to have a break from her. I enjoyed that there was 2 mysteries - one from 50 years ago when the town flooded and one from present day having to do with poison.
The 4th novel of the series is more about Archie (and Susan) and Gretchen plays a very minor role (only mentioned a few times). I found that the last few books had a heavy Gretchen presence, so I was happy to have a break from her. I enjoyed that there was 2 mysteries - one from 50 years ago when the town flooded and one from present day having to do with poison.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
With notorious Beauty Killer Gretchen Lowell on the peripheral, Chelsea Cain's 'The Night Season' is a shade or two lighter than the previous series installments. Focused predominately on the quirky journalist, Susan as she attempts to uncover a string of murders seemingly linked to a present day flooding of the Willamette river in Portland and a disastrous flood that wiped out a community in 1948, 'The Night Season' is more a by-the-book police procedural than manic serial killer thriller.
Pere ...more
Pere ...more
I enjoy watching the friendship between Archie and Susan grow. Nothing romantic, just the way they've grown to respect and worry about each other.
A creepy villian and some strange dark humor make this well worth reading even if Gretchen isn't in the horror mix. ...more
A creepy villian and some strange dark humor make this well worth reading even if Gretchen isn't in the horror mix. ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I'm not going to lie. I adore Chelsea Cain and it's almost impossible for me to put her Archie & Gretchen series down, but I was disappointed with #4. Not enough action, not enough blood-and-guts, not enough Gretchen, not enough evil. If that makes me a bloodthirsty psychopath, so be it. I have seriously high expectations of Cain and they were not met with this book, though I confess I was able to smash through it in a matter of hours, more or less.
What I will praise is the development of Susan ...more
What I will praise is the development of Susan ...more
Dec 20, 2012
Janie Johnson
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2013-challenge
This was a great read, it is book #4 and probably is now my favorite so far in the Heartsick series. I did not think that was even possible. Our beauty killer is absent for the most part and it brought the book back into a more believable reality.
I must say that I think Susan is probably my favorite character in the series at this point. She has grown so much from being the spoiled brat we first met. Archie is finally acting like a true hero, and our splendid cast of characters have grown by le ...more
I must say that I think Susan is probably my favorite character in the series at this point. She has grown so much from being the spoiled brat we first met. Archie is finally acting like a true hero, and our splendid cast of characters have grown by le ...more
When it comes to series, you take a little break from the main villain sometimes. It can be a good thing or it can not. The case with the 4th book in the series, it was a nice change of pace.
I did take a little break from it, not in the mood to read it. Then came back to it and liked it enough. I mean there's a little bit more Susan, with her reporter driven personality and ever changing hair dye with each book. I was okay with that. About time she got character development, well, more so in thi ...more
I did take a little break from it, not in the mood to read it. Then came back to it and liked it enough. I mean there's a little bit more Susan, with her reporter driven personality and ever changing hair dye with each book. I was okay with that. About time she got character development, well, more so in thi ...more
I think I gave up on this book when I read it some years ago, just didn't keep my attention going, but I may give it another go and see if I have a different opinion now. I've enjoyed her other books so could have just been me at the time.
...more
I had a hard time getting through this book. I’m glad I did because the rest of the series is amazing. This book is missing Gretchen and it made a huge difference. The main serial killer in this book is just too far out there and unrealistic for me.
I have loved all of Chelsea Cain's books in this series, and this one is no different.
I know that Gretchen was a main character in the other books, but I really liked that she wasn't in this one (at least not as much as the others). I actually enjoyed just reading about Archie and Susan and the issues at hand.. and I would have to say that the issues were definitely different and made the story even more enjoyable!
I look forward to the next two books, I just wish that they would keep going aft ...more
I know that Gretchen was a main character in the other books, but I really liked that she wasn't in this one (at least not as much as the others). I actually enjoyed just reading about Archie and Susan and the issues at hand.. and I would have to say that the issues were definitely different and made the story even more enjoyable!
I look forward to the next two books, I just wish that they would keep going aft ...more
How timely for me/ I live in Louisville KY and for the past couple of weeks we have had rain, rain, and more rain so the Ohio River has flooded. Many riverfront properties are underwater. And lo and behold this book is about FLOODs in Portland, OR. One in 1948 and one in 2017. Gretchen is in jail awaiting her trial so she for once is not the star bad guy. Octopuses and kidnapped child, skeleton from the 40's and so many other factors are included.
...more
Ever since Chelsea Cain arrived on the scene four years ago with her Gretchen Lowell series, I’ve been hooked. For those who may not be aware, Gretchen isn't the protagonist, but the villain, and one who has made quite an impression as amoral serial killer obsessed with Portland, Oregon detective Archie Sheridan who knew her on more intimate terms. Some would say that Archie was a willing victim because he allowed himself to be placed in the situation where she tortured and mutilated him, but he
...more
Reviewed first at Brunner's Bookshelf
This is one of those series that I keep in my back catalog. It's the kind of book you read when there isn't anything else you want to read and you need a filler. The first book Heartsick was really good and it was my first Advanced Reader copy I had ever gotten. The story was really good and I liked the characters. As the series has gone on I have sort of fallen out of love with these books yet I keep going.
This is the first book in the series that doesn't ha ...more
This is one of those series that I keep in my back catalog. It's the kind of book you read when there isn't anything else you want to read and you need a filler. The first book Heartsick was really good and it was my first Advanced Reader copy I had ever gotten. The story was really good and I liked the characters. As the series has gone on I have sort of fallen out of love with these books yet I keep going.
This is the first book in the series that doesn't ha ...more
Famous female serial killer, Gretchen Lowell has been arrested for the second time. It does not look good for Gretchen this time. Meanwhile, Archie has been seeing a psychiatrist and been staying off the prescription medications for a while now. Archie is actually communicating and working with his co-workers again.
Susan Ward works as a reporter for The Herald. Now that anyone is counting but she and Archie have saved each other’s lives a few too many times. You could almost call Susan and Arch ...more
Susan Ward works as a reporter for The Herald. Now that anyone is counting but she and Archie have saved each other’s lives a few too many times. You could almost call Susan and Arch ...more
There is an abrupt change in tone in this fourth installment of the Archie Sheridan series, and it doesn't work at all for me. Cain trades in yucks for yuks, and frankly, it sucks. Instead of a late night scare fest, all I got was a tepid script for a police procedural. Perhaps if this had been a standalone novel featuring new characters that were not already well-established, this style of novel would have worked better; with these characters living in the world Cain has already built for them,
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Challenge Fac...: V-Audio Nerd, Snowtulip, Heather & K-Terror - Gretchen Lowell Series | 177 | 19 | Dec 05, 2015 02:14PM | |
| Huntsville-Madiso...: Staff Pick - The Night Season by Chelsea Cain | 2 | 7 | May 31, 2012 07:26AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Chelsea Cain is the New York Times bestselling author of the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell thrillers Heartsick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart, The Night Season, Kill You Twice, and Let Me Go. Her next book One Kick (August, 2014) will be the first in her Kick Lannigan thriller series. Her book Heartsick was named one of the best 100 thrillers ever written by NPR, and Heartsick and Sweetheart were na
...more
Other books in the series
Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell
(6 books)
Related Articles
If you love a page-turning mystery, you are in for a treat this month. We're seeing a great assortment of highly anticipated mysteries and...
68 likes · 23 comments
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
