Forty-year old homicide detective Archie Sheridan has taken up residence in the Providence Medical Center psychiatric ward in Portland, Oregon. After being victimized by serial killer Gretchen Lowell and becoming addicted to pain pills, Archie signed himself in voluntarily. Because of Gretchen's hold over him, Archie wrecked his marriage and is on leave from his job. His goal is to rid himself of his twin obsessions: Vicodin and Gretchen. In spite of Lowell's cruelty, Archie admits that he craved the company of this gorgeous but deadly predator. He has progressed enough to concede that he has serious issues to work through before he can be considered "cured." Unfortunately, Gretchen is still at large and the mayhem has not yet ended. Human bodies and body parts begin to show up all over town; either Gretchen is back at work or a copycat is emulating her.

This is a fast and easy read that fans of the series should definitely check out. I don't know how plausible it all is, but it's an effective enough thriller. I, myself, don't like to think that anyone can be turned into a demented killer--but Gretchen seems to be able to convert a whole battalion of weak-willed souls to do her evil bidding (and in three books, there has been a battalion)! One major warning, however. Cain's book presupposes that you are familiar with her story and its characters. This is not a stand-alone novel. So little time is spent with back story or character development, I think a new reader would likely be lost or simply loathe the superficiality of the tale. ( )

A big not-really-a-surprise revelation at the end of Sleepwalker is carried forward in this book. If Allison and Mack expected to be safe, they aren't. I did like the way Ms. Staub worked in revelations from the first two books, giving them a twist. We finally find out what sad secrets Mack's first wife, Carrie, had been keeping. Frankly, I think it was just as well that Carrie and Mack didn't have children. Allison's life is endangered and the climax is pretty tense. I still don't like the writing style, but the plot kept me listening. ( )

I hate to do this but I have tried finishing this book several times. It just isn't working for me. On a whole, I really like Wendy Corsi Staubs writing but this book just wasn't for me. (The first two in the series were pretty good though)