Bibliography: Cain, Chelsea. (2011). The Night Season. New York: Minotaur Books. ISBN: 978-0312619763
Plot Summary: Heavy rains have caused the Williamette River to swell, threatening the city of Portland. Several people have been caught in the swiftly rising waters and appear to have drowned. The medical examiner discovers that the latest victim was poisoned before she ever went into the water. Other drownings are soon shown to be poisonings as well, and Archie Sheridan has a new serial killer on his radar. Susan Ward is sure that the killings have something to do with the Vanport Flood of 1948. Archie and Susan are racing against the rising waters, trying to track a killer without becoming his next victim.
Critical Analysis: It hardly seems fair to the author or the reader to advertise this as book 4 in the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell series. Gretchen barely makes an appearance, and when she does, it is secondary to the action and the story. Don’t worry, there is still plenty of action, thrills, suspense and murder to go around. But even more than that, the looming presence of the river, the rain and the rising waters add to the atmosphere, sense of place, a sense of urgency. The story feels leaner and tighter than the previous entries in the series, perhaps because the focus really is on the core group of Archie and Susan with Henry and Clare, and the events are clustered within a short time frame. It seems reviews are quite mixed, but count me as one who is pleased to see that Cain can write quite a story without an assist from the Beauty Killer.
Review Excerpts: “Perfect for readers who want to mix true crime history with their contemporary serial killers….The pace is as relentless as the floodwaters engulfing Portland.”–Library Journal
“[T[he story is deftly handled, the suspense is plentiful and Cain’s evocation of the gloomy atmosphere and Portland setting is superb.”–Kirkus Reviews
“Cain easily weaves the history of the real-life Vanport flood with her trademark heart-stopping moments, and fans will be pleased to see the series flourishing without Gretchen on every page.”–Publisher’s Weekly
“The enveloping floodwaters are every bit as terrifying as the octopus-toting killer (many of the key action scenes take place in or under the black water), and the river itself takes on a kind of evil persona, a superhuman antagonist of unfathomable power.”–Booklist
Reviewed from public library audio book. Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.
