The Night Season

A Thriller

By: Chelsea Cain

Narrated by: Christina Delaine

With the Beauty Killer Gretchen Lowell locked away behind bars once again, Archie Sheridan—a Portland police detective and nearly one of her victims—can finally rest a little easier. Meanwhile, the rest of the city of Portland is in crisis. Heavy rains have flooded the Willamette River, and several people have drowned in the quickly rising waters. Or at least that's what they thought until the medical examiner discovers that the latest victim didn't drown: She was poisoned before she went into the water. Soon after, three of those drownings are also proven to be murders. Portland has a new serial killer on its hands, and Archie and his task force have a new case.

Reporter Susan Ward is chasing this story of a new serial killer with gusto, but she's also got another lead to follow for an entirely separate mystery: The flooding has unearthed a skeleton, a man who might have died more than sixty years ago, the last time Portland flooded this badly, when the water washed away an entire neighborhood and killed at least fifteen people.

With Archie following the bizarre trail of evidence and evil deeds to catch a killer and possibly regain his life, and Susan Ward close behind, Chelsea Cain—one of today's most talented suspense writers—launches the next installment of her bestselling series with an electric thriller.

Critic reviews

<p>“A suspenseful story of buried secrets and the tales that long-dead men can tell, The Night Season comes alive from Christina Delaine's stellar narrative performance. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys listening to a good, spine-chilling mystery.” —<i>The Midwest Book Review</i><br><br>“…Christine Delaine's inspired interpretation of the ditsy, self-effacing, surprisingly professional reporter and intuitive sleuth. Her sotto voce, monotone Archie, is on the money, too. He sounds as if he's still a long way from recovering from the mental and physical damage caused by Lowell.” —<i>Publishers Weekly</i><br><br>“Christina Delaine's expert portrayal of the lead female character is spot on…Delaine also does a credible job with the lead male character, Archie…He has been badly injured, and Delaine rises to the challenge of giving voice to his damaged throat and developing pneumonia…the overall tension, humor, and pathos remain strong.” —<i>AudioFile Magazine</i><br><br>“Superb…Cain pinned readers to their seats with a unique mix of horror, black humor, and psychological tension. This time she adds another arrow to her narrative quiver: the interplay between landscape and mood…. Terrifying.” —<i>Booklist (starred review)</i><br><br>“Superb… [Cain is] the new queen of serial-killer fiction.” —<i>Kirkus Reviews</i><br><br>“She's the most twisted--and most beautiful--serial killer on the planet, and she's back.… It's not to be missed.” —<i>USA Today on Evil at Heart</i><br><br>“You have to hand it to Cain, who's made the serial-killer genre a thoroughly female-friendly experience.… [She] churns stomachs with a delicate touch.” —<i>The New York Times Book Review on Evil at Heart</i><br><br>“We've been down Hannibal Lecter Avenue many times, and these two books shouldn't work...but they do. Chalk it up to excellent writing and Cain's ferocious sense of humor.” —<i>Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly on Sweetheart</i><br><br>“The forces that conspired to make Cain's Heartsick a bestselling page-turner last year have reunited in its sequel.... With her preternatural grasp of pacing and ability to create vivid characters with astonishing economy, Cain expertly drives her narrative.” —<i>Los Angeles Times on Sweetheart</i><br><br>“Steamy and perverse.” —<i>The New York Times on Heartsick</i></p>

Great!

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and am looking forward to the next. Only wish is that it was longer than 8 hours.

Good. Not great but good.

There is no Gretchen in this book. And to those who have read the first 3 that will be disappointing. But most disappointing is that they changed narrators and I personally didn't love the new one. I am looking forward to the next installment and hope that she writes Gretchen in to the story line. Still worth listening to though!

Poor narration - stopped halfway through

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I couldn't even finish listening. The reader read with such a monotone that I kept losing interest. I'm pretty sure it isn't the story since I've loved Chelsea Cain's other books.

Would you be willing to try another book from Chelsea Cain? Why or why not?

Not with same narrator.

Would you be willing to try another one of Christina Delaine’s performances?

NO WAY!!

Was The Night Season worth the listening time?

No

RIVETING AND GROTESQUE!

I have listened to this series so many times and it still shocks me how my heart pounds with each twisted story. This particular book always makes me want to vomit because of the details .

Book 4 Archie Sheridan

Following the Archie Sheridan storyline has been a roller-coaster ride. This hiatus from the Gretchen Lowell aspect has been a nice change, and I really enjoyed the suspense build up from a weather catastrophe perspective rather than serial killer spree (although, of course, there is that).

My one criticism of this audiobook is that at an (ahem) ebb in the story telling, the narrator quietens her voice so much that I had a hard time hearing what was going on. I understand there needs to be nuance and modulation of speech, but it did irritate me.

Otherwise, enjoyed the story and narration. Looking forward to the next step in Gretchen's storyline.