<DIV>“[A] masterful blend of psychological suspense and straight-up gore, chronicling the twisted bond between police detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell.”<BR>—<I>Criminal Element</I><P> </P><P>Detective Archie Sheridan just has to get through the next few days, then his birthday and Halloween will be over. But with escaped serial killer Gretchen Lowell on the loose, the investigation into the murder of a DEA agent demanding his attention, and journalist Susan Ward showing up at his apartment needing a favor, it’s going to be a long weekend.</P><P><B> </B></P><P><B>“Grabs you like a deadly undertow and doesn’t let you go.”—<I>Parade </I><I>magazine</I></B><B></B></P><P> </P><P>Soon Archie finds himself crashing a masked ball on a private island owned by Jack Reynolds, a notorious local drug kingpin. By morning, Archie is back on painkillers, a guest is dead, and Archie quickly realizes that little is what it seems. One thing is clear: Gretchen is back, and Archie’s nemesis and sometime lover has something special in mind for the birthday boy. Now, on Halloween Eve, with time running out and the life of someone close to Archie on the line, Archie knows his only chance is to give Gretchen exactly what she wants. But Gretchen will prove more horrifying, and unpredictable, than Archie ever could have imagined…</P><P><B>“Gretchen Lowell isn’t just the most fascinating villain…to appear in crime fiction in many, many years; she’s also becoming a multifaceted character capable of engendering a much wider range of emotions than one would expect of somebody who enjoys carving up spleens.”</B><B>—<I>Booklist </I>(starred review)</B><B></B></DIV>