denaiir's review against another edition
5.0
great as usual, and the audiobook was way better than the first in the series
thegeekyblogger's review against another edition
4.0
Listened for Fun (Borrowed from the Library)/Read for Fun (Paperback)
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.00
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished: I missed Gretchen but I think this book proved Chelsea Cain can write a pretty good Archie book without her!
Story Thoughts: Archie is a good detective! He sucks at pretty much everything else but as a detective he knows his stuff. This was an interesting case that kept me guessing for a very long time. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle Gretchen not being in the book (much) but it turns out that I was pretty compelled without her. Oh, I missed her but the case was solid, the action was intense, and the suspense about killed me for the last 1/3. The fact that the killer drug some of my favorite characters into the mix was enough to have me biting my nails.
Character Thoughts: Here is what I love about Chelsea Cain's characters: they are all damaged! Each of them are scarred, good and bad, make questionable decisions, and yet you still root for them. I think her characters are as compelling as her story lines. That is not always the case in thrillers but in this case it is true. I find myself often times getting personally worried about them and their welfare. Heck, I was even glad when we got a Gretchen check in so we knew where she was during the flood.
Audio Thoughts:
I am usually not a fan of switching up narrators in a series but in this case it really worked. I think Christina is more suited to the characters that Chelsea Cain has created. Her pacing was brilliant and her voices were pretty spot on. I just checked and she does the next one so I am excited.
Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed Night Season and can't wait to dig into the next one :)
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 4.00
Character Rating: 4.00
Audio Rating: 4.50 (not part of the overall rating)
First Thought when Finished: I missed Gretchen but I think this book proved Chelsea Cain can write a pretty good Archie book without her!
Story Thoughts: Archie is a good detective! He sucks at pretty much everything else but as a detective he knows his stuff. This was an interesting case that kept me guessing for a very long time. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle Gretchen not being in the book (much) but it turns out that I was pretty compelled without her. Oh, I missed her but the case was solid, the action was intense, and the suspense about killed me for the last 1/3. The fact that the killer drug some of my favorite characters into the mix was enough to have me biting my nails.
Character Thoughts: Here is what I love about Chelsea Cain's characters: they are all damaged! Each of them are scarred, good and bad, make questionable decisions, and yet you still root for them. I think her characters are as compelling as her story lines. That is not always the case in thrillers but in this case it is true. I find myself often times getting personally worried about them and their welfare. Heck, I was even glad when we got a Gretchen check in so we knew where she was during the flood.
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated By Christina Delaine / Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
I am usually not a fan of switching up narrators in a series but in this case it really worked. I think Christina is more suited to the characters that Chelsea Cain has created. Her pacing was brilliant and her voices were pretty spot on. I just checked and she does the next one so I am excited.
Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed Night Season and can't wait to dig into the next one :)
kwheelies2495's review against another edition
4.0
A smidge disappointed that Gretchen wasn’t a bigger part of this book, but overall I really really enjoyed the book! The loss of one star is because I really love Gretchen as a villain. Overall it was great to see Archie a little healthier too! Can’t wait to finish the series! Only two more books!!
michellesantiago's review against another edition
3.0
Set in a cold, wet Portland, Washington, The Night Season is the fourth book in the Gretchen Lowell series which follows Detective Archie Sheridan, reporter Susan Ward and Beauty [serial] Killer Gretchen Lowell. In Night Season Gretchen is in jail once more and Archie is after another serial killer after they found victims during a flood that didn't drown but instead were poisoned. Susan is trying to solve another mystery from a devastating flood that occurred 60 years ago in the same area Willamette River area.
It took me a while to really get into the mystery. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, especially Susan who was extremely likable. She was smart, tough, persistent and tell-it-like-it-is yet she's also vulnerable and at times very young. Archie was more reserved, a mystery man but likable as well. I enjoyed the dynamics between the two of them. There may or may not be some sort of romantic tension between Susan and Archie. I haven't read the first three books in the series so I don't fully know their relationship but if you're looking for a romantic suspense this book is not it--this is straight up suspense. As for the villain, he was just so-so--when I read this genre I want to be disgusted by the evil villain and hate him. That didn't happen here but his method of killing of his victims was definitely interesting. If I had to pick a favorite part, it would be the setting and the dark atmosphere of the novel. I loved the way the author made you feel as if you were there in a wet, rainy, muddy and dark Portland on the verge of a flood. Overall, I thought the book was slow moving but I kept going because the writing was really good. The last third of the book did have more action and I was riveted then.
Although Night Season is the fourth book in the series, you don't need to read the first three to enjoy it. If you are following the series and is sad that Gretchen isn't a prominent character here, she is referred to throughout and the havoc she left behind is still being felt by Archie and the others. The Night Season has great characters, the setting definitely matches the mood of the story and the writing itself was fantastic that I had to keep reading but with the not-very-exciting first half, it took a bit to get going.
It took me a while to really get into the mystery. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, especially Susan who was extremely likable. She was smart, tough, persistent and tell-it-like-it-is yet she's also vulnerable and at times very young. Archie was more reserved, a mystery man but likable as well. I enjoyed the dynamics between the two of them. There may or may not be some sort of romantic tension between Susan and Archie. I haven't read the first three books in the series so I don't fully know their relationship but if you're looking for a romantic suspense this book is not it--this is straight up suspense. As for the villain, he was just so-so--when I read this genre I want to be disgusted by the evil villain and hate him. That didn't happen here but his method of killing of his victims was definitely interesting. If I had to pick a favorite part, it would be the setting and the dark atmosphere of the novel. I loved the way the author made you feel as if you were there in a wet, rainy, muddy and dark Portland on the verge of a flood. Overall, I thought the book was slow moving but I kept going because the writing was really good. The last third of the book did have more action and I was riveted then.
Although Night Season is the fourth book in the series, you don't need to read the first three to enjoy it. If you are following the series and is sad that Gretchen isn't a prominent character here, she is referred to throughout and the havoc she left behind is still being felt by Archie and the others. The Night Season has great characters, the setting definitely matches the mood of the story and the writing itself was fantastic that I had to keep reading but with the not-very-exciting first half, it took a bit to get going.
sjj169's review against another edition
4.0
I missed Gretchen but not much. Love these characters and I want more. :)
gicuzziol's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I had such a hard time deciding if I liked this book or not, and here's why (there aren't plain spoilers but you could get a glimpse of the plot perhaps):
1) Unfortunately, and I think I'm alone on this one, Susan gets on my nerves, and reading more about her makes me so tired of it. Especially since she seems to getting each book more involved, instead of less. I don't feel any kind of connection between her and Archie, and their relationship ends up being so fake to me; I am unsure of where the author is heading with that. At least in this book she actually helped with something (the boy) instead of being in the way of everything.
2) I felt that the story was refreshing for almost not mentioning Gretchen, but I was also confused at the same time. Why is this story in this series? Why not make a series only about Archie and his cases? I failed to understand the connection with Gretchen, except for her being mentioned here and then, and the part where they had to move her. Maybe I'll better understand why this story was here in the next book. On the other hand, it was very nice to have a different villain, a different story in the spotlight.
3) The whole plot seemed a bit... weird? I mean, they explained it all, but it was close to being unrealistic.
Sometimes I felt like I was loving the book, and sometimes like I couldn't understand it at all, so... 3 starts make sense. It was a good book after all. Honestly, at this point, I'm reading the series out of stubbornness, I just want to see how it will all end because it is been enough already :P
1) Unfortunately, and I think I'm alone on this one, Susan gets on my nerves, and reading more about her makes me so tired of it. Especially since she seems to getting each book more involved, instead of less. I don't feel any kind of connection between her and Archie, and their relationship ends up being so fake to me; I am unsure of where the author is heading with that. At least in this book she actually helped with something (the boy) instead of being in the way of everything.
2) I felt that the story was refreshing for almost not mentioning Gretchen, but I was also confused at the same time. Why is this story in this series? Why not make a series only about Archie and his cases? I failed to understand the connection with Gretchen, except for her being mentioned here and then, and the part where they had to move her. Maybe I'll better understand why this story was here in the next book. On the other hand, it was very nice to have a different villain, a different story in the spotlight.
3) The whole plot seemed a bit... weird? I mean, they explained it all, but it was close to being unrealistic.
Sometimes I felt like I was loving the book, and sometimes like I couldn't understand it at all, so... 3 starts make sense. It was a good book after all. Honestly, at this point, I'm reading the series out of stubbornness, I just want to see how it will all end because it is been enough already :P
hpstrangelove's review against another edition
5.0
I very much enjoyed this book, although with the lack of Gretchen Lowell in it, the series needs to be renamed Detective Archie instead. As much as I liked the Gretchen Lowell plot lines in the prior books, I think I liked this book even more because she wasn't in it. I was glad to see Susan, Henry, and Claire back too. I look forward to book 5.
meganmreads's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally published at Love Literature Art and Reason book review blog.
The Night Season was great, although it had less to do with Gretchen than the other books. Still, her presence was there because Archie was still moving on from her. The case revolved around a string of murders disguised as drownings, which came at a time when the rain was causing all sorts of damage and flooding.
Henry found himself in a precarious situation, while Archie tried to do everything he could to solve the mystery. Susan was digging up old history that seemed to have an uncanny relation to the present murders. She was doing news articles on the Vanport flood and one of the skeletons recently found due to the brutal rain was dated back to the time period of the Vanport flood.
I liked the way that past mixed with present and that the killer didn’t necessarily have anything to do with Gretchen. I realized how much I liked the characters in The Night Season, even without the glue of the psychopath to hold them all together.
I highly recommend the Gretchen Lowell series. It’s a refreshing take on crime fiction because it’s different. The characters are all unique and multidimensional. Archie and Gretchen had this whole screwed up.. thing.. that is interesting and compelling. Susan’s quirky personality grew on me and I found myself on the edge of my seat whenever anyone’s life was at stake.
The Night Season was great, although it had less to do with Gretchen than the other books. Still, her presence was there because Archie was still moving on from her. The case revolved around a string of murders disguised as drownings, which came at a time when the rain was causing all sorts of damage and flooding.
Henry found himself in a precarious situation, while Archie tried to do everything he could to solve the mystery. Susan was digging up old history that seemed to have an uncanny relation to the present murders. She was doing news articles on the Vanport flood and one of the skeletons recently found due to the brutal rain was dated back to the time period of the Vanport flood.
I liked the way that past mixed with present and that the killer didn’t necessarily have anything to do with Gretchen. I realized how much I liked the characters in The Night Season, even without the glue of the psychopath to hold them all together.
I highly recommend the Gretchen Lowell series. It’s a refreshing take on crime fiction because it’s different. The characters are all unique and multidimensional. Archie and Gretchen had this whole screwed up.. thing.. that is interesting and compelling. Susan’s quirky personality grew on me and I found myself on the edge of my seat whenever anyone’s life was at stake.