en-US Thu, 23 Jan 2025 06:38:17 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 24179527 'Crime writing at its unputdownable, nerve-tingling best' HARLAN COBEN


THE VICTIMS

In Boston, Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles investigate a bizarre murder. A man has been found gutted and hanging in his home. When the remains of another victim are found, it is clear that this murderer has been at work for years, and not just in Boston.


THE KILLER

Five years ago, a group of travellers set off on an African safari. None of them was seen again – apart from one woman who stumbled out of the bush weeks later, barely alive. The only woman to have seen the killer’s face.


THE SURVIVOR

Has the ‘safari killer’ resurfaced in Boston? Jane is sent to Africa to find the one link between the two cases – the only survivor.


And convince her to face death once again...]]> 432 Tess Gerritsen 0857502131 John 4 tess-gerritsen
The twist at the end was good. An enjoyable read and a page turner. I did wonder about the motive of the murderer for the original murders. The current ones was obviously to protect his identity. I liked this story because it made sense to why Rhodes wanted to eliminate Millie the sole survivor from Botswana. She could identify him.]]> 4.29 2014
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/28
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
A great page turner. The gutting and murder of a hunter leads Jane and Maura to an investigation which overlaps with murders in Botswana. I liked the flipping back and forth between Botswana and Boston. The safari that went wrong and the murders in the US. The big cat theme with Leopards, cougars and a Bengal tiger was fascinating and their behavior.

The twist at the end was good. An enjoyable read and a page turner. I did wonder about the motive of the murderer for the original murders. The current ones was obviously to protect his identity. I liked this story because it made sense to why Rhodes wanted to eliminate Millie the sole survivor from Botswana. She could identify him.
]]> 32259
It's when the FBI starts taking an interest in the investigation that Rizzoli begins to wonder just what makes this case so different, so dangerous that the Feds feel the need to get involved.

But then the unthinkable happens: the Surgeon escapes. And suddenly there are two brilliant, twisted killers on the loose - master and apprentice, united in their hunt for the most challenging prey of all: the very woman who is hunting them.]]> 411 Tess Gerritsen 0553817078 John 4 tess-gerritsen
Rizzoli is under a lot of pressure and having nightmares as well as dealing with her family. The Surgeon escapes and joins forces with the other killer. Not really sure who is the apprentice.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The ending is abrupt but does make sense. We never find out the real identity of the other killer who works as a limousine driver which is how he selects his victims. It’s also how he captures Jane at the airport. She escapes her bonds in the boot accesses her gun on the boot and the killers get a surprise. The Surgeon is still around albeit not very mobile but may have a new female acolyte. ]]> 4.03 2002
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/24
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
A great sequel to the Surgeon. Still not a lot of Isles in this story although she is introduced. Korsak also appears but unlike the one in the tv series! Overweight, likes a drink and very blunt. Gabriel Dean also is introduced as they together investigate several murders which have Surgeon similarities.

Rizzoli is under a lot of pressure and having nightmares as well as dealing with her family. The Surgeon escapes and joins forces with the other killer. Not really sure who is the apprentice.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The ending is abrupt but does make sense. We never find out the real identity of the other killer who works as a limousine driver which is how he selects his victims. It’s also how he captures Jane at the airport. She escapes her bonds in the boot accesses her gun on the boot and the killers get a surprise. The Surgeon is still around albeit not very mobile but may have a new female acolyte.
]]> 41015049 In the twelfth gripping novel featuring Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles, the crime-solving duo—featured in the smash-hit TNT series Rizzoli & Isles—are faced with the gruesomely staged murder of a horror film producer.

The crime scene is unlike any that Detective Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles have ever before encountered. The woman lies in apparently peaceful repose on her bed, and Maura finds no apparent cause of death, but there is no doubt the woman is indeed dead. The victim’s eyes have been removed and placed in the palm of her hand, a gesture that echoes the terrifying films she produces. Is a crazed movie fan reenacting scenes from those disturbing films?

When another victim is found, again with no apparent cause of death, again with a grotesquely staged crime scene, Jane and Maura realize the killer has widened his circle of targets. He’s chosen one particular woman for his next victim, and she knows he’s coming for her next. She’s the only one who can help Jane and Maura catch the killer.

But she knows a secret. And it’s a secret she’ll never tell.]]> 384 Tess Gerritsen 0525619747 John 4 tess-gerritsen
SPOILERS AHEAD

The investigation uncovers the links to those two murders and another one ruled initially as accidental arson. They all are killed as Catholic martyr’s were and Maura uncovers the link.

All three victims were involved in a sex abuse scandal at a nursery 20 years ago where also a 9 year old girl disappeared. The family running the school were convicted of the crime with the son Martin still alive and recently released from prison. They were innocent.

The perpetrators were a 11 year old boy and Holly the sociopath who only wanted the hat the girl had on from Paris. Billy and his mother did the murders together and in trying to eliminate Holly are both killed. However, Jane knows that Holly is involved but cannot prove anything. So Holly goes free.

A sub plot was Maura and Daniel getting back together after her mother the serial killer dies of cancer. Overall an entertaining story if not a bit morbid. ]]> 4.40 2017
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/02
date added: 2024/07/02
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
Number 12 in the series. A good story about a female sociopath and what happened 20 years ago. Jane and Frost investigate the death of a young woman. Initially Maura cannot determined how she died. Although her eyeballs were removed after she died. Then another death occurs in again bizarre circumstances. Three arrows in the victims chest.

SPOILERS AHEAD

The investigation uncovers the links to those two murders and another one ruled initially as accidental arson. They all are killed as Catholic martyr’s were and Maura uncovers the link.

All three victims were involved in a sex abuse scandal at a nursery 20 years ago where also a 9 year old girl disappeared. The family running the school were convicted of the crime with the son Martin still alive and recently released from prison. They were innocent.

The perpetrators were a 11 year old boy and Holly the sociopath who only wanted the hat the girl had on from Paris. Billy and his mother did the murders together and in trying to eliminate Holly are both killed. However, Jane knows that Holly is involved but cannot prove anything. So Holly goes free.

A sub plot was Maura and Daniel getting back together after her mother the serial killer dies of cancer. Overall an entertaining story if not a bit morbid.
]]> 846115 Dr. Maura Isles makes her living dealing with death. As a pathologist in a major metropolitan city, she has seen more than her share of corpses every day-many of them victims of violent murder. But never before has her blood run cold, and never has the grim expression "dead ringer" rung so terrifyingly true. Because never before has the lifeless body on the medical examiner's table been her own.
Yet there can be no denying the mind-reeling evidence before her shocked eyes and those of her colleagues, including Detective Jane Rizzoli: the woman found shot to death outside Maura's home is the mirror image of Maura, down to the most intimate physical nuances. Even more chilling is the discovery that they share the same birth date and blood type. For the stunned Maura, an only child, there can be just one explanation. And when a DNA test confirms that Maura's mysterious doppelganger is in fact her twin sister, an already bizarre murder investigation becomes a disturbing and dangerous excursion into a past full of dark secrets.
Searching for answers, Maura is drawn to a seaside town in Maine where other horrifying surprises await. But perhaps more frightening, an unknown murderer is at large on a cross-country killing spree. To stop the massacre and uncover the twisted truth about her own roots, Maura must probe her first living subject: the mother that she never knew . . . an icy and cunning woman who could be responsible for giving Maura life—and who just may have a plan to take it away.]]> 339 Tess Gerritsen 0345458931 John 4 tess-gerritsen
Nature versus nurture. This story starts with a bang with Maura coming home from a trip to Paris. Outside of her house she finds in a car her dead identical sister she never knew about. Rizzoli is 8 months pregnant and is investigating who murdered Anna the mysterious sister.

The other plot revolves around a serial killer harvesting babies around the US. It is all linked to Maura’s natural parents. She finds answers in the end and walks away from her imprisoned psycho mother.

The twist with Rick Ballard was excellent. A shame that Maura is stuck for the time being in a sexless relationship with her catholic priest. I liked Mattie the last victim and her escape and discovery her husband Dwayne is a shallow narcissistic idiot.

All in all a good read.]]> 4.06 2004
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/13
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
SPOILERS AHEAD

Nature versus nurture. This story starts with a bang with Maura coming home from a trip to Paris. Outside of her house she finds in a car her dead identical sister she never knew about. Rizzoli is 8 months pregnant and is investigating who murdered Anna the mysterious sister.

The other plot revolves around a serial killer harvesting babies around the US. It is all linked to Maura’s natural parents. She finds answers in the end and walks away from her imprisoned psycho mother.

The twist with Rick Ballard was excellent. A shame that Maura is stuck for the time being in a sexless relationship with her catholic priest. I liked Mattie the last victim and her escape and discovery her husband Dwayne is a shallow narcissistic idiot.

All in all a good read.
]]> 54830217 IN BOSTON, THERE'S A KILLER ON THE LOOSE...

A killer who targets lone women, who breaks into their apartments and performs terrifying ritualistic acts of torture on them before finishing them off. His surgical skills lead police to suspect he is a physician - a physician who, instead of saving lives, takes them.

But as homicide detective Thomas Moore and his partner Jane Rizzoli begin their investigation, they make a startling discovery. Closely linked to these killings is Catherine Cordell, a beautiful doctor with a mysterious past. Two years ago she was subjected to a horrifying rape and shot her attacker dead.

Now the man she believes she killed seems to be stalking her once again, and this time he knows exactly where to find her...]]> 416 Tess Gerritsen 055381706X John 4 tess-gerritsen
The crime is similar to one that happened two years ago in Savannah and where Catherine Cordell managed to survive and kill the perpetrator. Now it’s happening again in Boston and she is a surgeon who is also being stalked and terrorized.

A good solid beginning with Jane’s partner Moore who falls for Catherine. A good ending and I look forward to reading the Apprentice. ]]> 4.17 2001
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/01
date added: 2024/06/01
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
The first book in the series minus Maura Isles. Jane is introduced as an angry, frustrated detective seeing all or most of her male colleagues as against her being in the team. They are hunting a psychopath who cuts out women’s uterus’s and leaves them dead.

The crime is similar to one that happened two years ago in Savannah and where Catherine Cordell managed to survive and kill the perpetrator. Now it’s happening again in Boston and she is a surgeon who is also being stalked and terrorized.

A good solid beginning with Jane’s partner Moore who falls for Catherine. A good ending and I look forward to reading the Apprentice.
]]> 17612916
A PLACE OF SAFETY?

Forensic pathologist Maura Isles already has a connection with the school - Julian 'Rat' Perkins, the 16-year-old boy she met during a previous case, is now living there. But she suspects that the Evensong founders may be using the school for their own agenda. And her concerns grow when Detective Jane Rizzoli is asked to investigate yet another attempt on the life of one of the orphans at the school . . .

OR A PLACE OF DANGER?

What both Jane and Maura soon discover is that even a school protected by locked gates and acres of forest cannot shut out a gathering threat. When three blood-spattered twig dolls are found hanging from a tree, they wonder if the threat comes from outside the school . . . or from within.]]> 448 Tess Gerritsen 0553820524 John 4 tess-gerritsen
Who is hunting the children? Why? The ending is good with a good twist.

Its interesting how different the stories on the tv show and also the characters in minor ways. ]]> 4.06 2012
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/22
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
A great story. Three children’s parents have been murdered and then their foster parents are then killed. The children are sent to Evensong a private school in an isolated area of Maine. It is run by Anthony Sansome a friend of Maura’s.

Who is hunting the children? Why? The ending is good with a good twist.

Its interesting how different the stories on the tv show and also the characters in minor ways.
]]> 12367433 'Gripping . . . Both women deal with personal and family issues that reveal their humanity and lend credibility to this deft thriller' Publishers Weekly

EVIL IS ON THE PROWL

A severed hand is found in an alleyway in Boston’s Chinatown. Detective Jane Rizzoli discovers the rest of the body on a nearby rooftop, the head nearly severed.

The only clue Jane has is two strands of hair, but it’s enough for Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles to make a startling connection. This violent attack has its roots in an unsolved murder-suicide case from nineteen years ago. The only witness, a beautiful martial arts master, has never dared to speak.

And she may never get the chance...]]> 446 Tess Gerritsen 055382094X John 4 tess-gerritsen
I liked the Monkey King and ninja mysterious aspect. Tam a Chinese officer is assigned to the homicide unit with Jane. Their investigation leads them to the Irish mafia and the father of one of the daughters missing, Patrick a multimillionaire who has a stepson Mark. I liked the flow of the story and the determination and perseverance of Jane to find the killer. ]]> 4.14 2011
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/15
date added: 2024/05/15
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
An entertaining story. The plot revolves around a murder suicide in Chinatown 19 years earlier. Maura doesn’t feature greatly and Rat and Bear make a brief appearance. Iris husband was one of the murder victims and runs a martial arts studio not believing it was murder suicide. There also is linked to the mystery the disappearance of the daughters of two of the victims.

I liked the Monkey King and ninja mysterious aspect. Tam a Chinese officer is assigned to the homicide unit with Jane. Their investigation leads them to the Irish mafia and the father of one of the daughters missing, Patrick a multimillionaire who has a stepson Mark. I liked the flow of the story and the determination and perseverance of Jane to find the killer.
]]> 8583837 443 Tess Gerritsen 0553820516 John 4 tess-gerritsen
What follows is a great story of a boy called Rat and his dog Bear saving Maura although she is initially a reluctant participant. The cult angle was interesting and the red herrings excellent.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Cathy the social worker turns out to be an ex cult member and gets her revenge by shooting the prophet although she also perishes. The great twist is the murdered 41 cult members was not done by the cult it was an accident. During construction of new buildings their bulldozer hit a nerve gas container disposed of illegally. A great twist with Sansone also involved in the story a millionaire friend of Maura’s. ]]> 4.17 2010
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/09
date added: 2024/05/09
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
Great story. Set in Wyoming in winter. Maura goes to a conference and decides to spontaneously join an old friend on a ski trip with his two friends and daughter. Doug is a positive sort of guy who trusts his GPS directions. Say no more. They end up in Kingdom Come a community where everyone has suddenly disappeared.

What follows is a great story of a boy called Rat and his dog Bear saving Maura although she is initially a reluctant participant. The cult angle was interesting and the red herrings excellent.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Cathy the social worker turns out to be an ex cult member and gets her revenge by shooting the prophet although she also perishes. The great twist is the murdered 41 cult members was not done by the cult it was an accident. During construction of new buildings their bulldozer hit a nerve gas container disposed of illegally. A great twist with Sansone also involved in the story a millionaire friend of Maura’s.
]]> 846119 Vanish sports precisely those qualities that her much-acclaimed Body Double had in profusion: razor-sharp plotting, tight and economical characterisation and (most of all) the inexorable capture of the reader's attention as her grim plot disturbingly unfolds.

Of course, none of this will come as a surprise to long-term Gerritsen fans (an ever-growing legion)--The Surgeon rang some fascinating changes on the serial killer theme, with a threat from the grave terrifying a doctor, and )--The Apprentice, with its killer utilising medical acumen, took no prisoners. But Body Double was the ace in the hole, with resourceful cop Jane Rizzoli tracking down the murderer of her doppelganger. Jane Rizzoli, readers will be glad to hear, is back in Vanish.

Medical examiner Maura Isles is looking at another body in a slab. Not a new experience for her, but she's in for another shock when the body opens its eyes and proves to be alive. And violence swiftly follows, as the mystery woman--strikingly beautiful--kills a security guard in the hospital she's taken to, before capturing a group of hostages. One of them is a pregnant woman--Detective Jane Rizzoli, no less. And if Jane can find out what this lethal abductor wants, she may be able to save her own life--and those of the other hostages. But the clock is ticking.

One might argue that Gerritsen has played safe with this scenario in terms of ratcheting up the tension. After all, a hostage situation is always surefire, with its constant threat of impending violence. But the author (as ever) studiously avoid clichés, and ensures a palm-sweating experience for the reader. A good notion, too, to make Jane Rizzoli more vulnerable in this outing. --Barry Forshaw]]> 352 Tess Gerritsen 0345476972 John 3 tess-gerritsen
The story is fast paced with Jane dealing with motherhood and her feelings of inadequacy as a mother. All a bit far fetched but entertaining with a fast pace throughout.]]> 4.07 2005
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2023/02/07
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
A 3.5 for me. Jane is having a baby and is held hostage by a woman who Maura discovers alive in her morgue in a body bag. We then find a conspiracy involving the murder of Russian sex slaves. Two escaped and took with them video evidence of a high ranking government official raping and murdering a woman.

The story is fast paced with Jane dealing with motherhood and her feelings of inadequacy as a mother. All a bit far fetched but entertaining with a fast pace throughout.
]]> 2653637 328 Tess Gerritsen 0778302032 John 2 tess-gerritsen
A virus being developed to kill enemy young soldiers. Er my only thought was if it was difficult to rollout vaccinations wouldn’t it kill their side too. Some cliche villains with the psychopathic killer and mad soldier with a dodgy pharmaceutical company bent on money not profits.

I did like Sam Polowaski the overweight FBI agent. He was very tenacious and entertaining. ]]> 3.40 1992
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1992
rating: 2
read at: 2023/06/13
date added: 2023/06/13
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
I like Gerritsen stories but this one was a harlequin romance wrapped up in an unbelievable story. It did make me laugh though especially the romantic consummation of their love on the living room floor. Victor the nerdy ethical hero and Cathy the insecure needy heroine.

A virus being developed to kill enemy young soldiers. Er my only thought was if it was difficult to rollout vaccinations wouldn’t it kill their side too. Some cliche villains with the psychopathic killer and mad soldier with a dodgy pharmaceutical company bent on money not profits.

I did like Sam Polowaski the overweight FBI agent. He was very tenacious and entertaining.
]]> 1249643 The quiet scandal surrounding her parents' deaths twenty years ago has always haunted Beryl Tavistock. Now she's decided that the only way to exorcise the ghosts of the past is to search for the truth. Beryl starts asking dangerous questions, and the answers are proving that old secrets die hard.
Caught in what's become a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, her quest takes her from the rain-slick streets of Paris to the sun-drenched isles of Greece. And as she gets pulled into a world of espionage, Beryl quickly discovers that she needs help. Richard Wolf, an ex-CIA agent and a man she's only just met, is her only hope.
But in a world where trust is a double-edged sword, friends become enemies, and enemies become killers . . .]]> 329 Tess Gerritsen 0778300897 John 3 tess-gerritsen
SPOILERS AHEAD

People are murdered in Paris and Greece. The murderer turns out to be Helena whose drunken husband Reggie loved Beryl’s mother. Seems a bit farfetched that she murdered them over his obsession with Madeline. ]]> 3.47 1994
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 3.47
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/06
date added: 2023/03/06
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
A bit over dramatic and soppy love story. Overall not my favorite Geritsen story. Her work gets a lot better. Thank goodness. Beryl investigates with her brother Jordan the murder of her parents 20 years ago. She meets Richard Wolf an ex-CIA agent and its lust at first sight.

SPOILERS AHEAD

People are murdered in Paris and Greece. The murderer turns out to be Helena whose drunken husband Reggie loved Beryl’s mother. Seems a bit farfetched that she murdered them over his obsession with Madeline.
]]> 25124096
The first time Julia Ansdell picks up The Incendio Waltz, she knows it’s a strikingly unusual composition. But while playing the piece, Julia blacks out and awakens to find her young daughter implicated in acts of surprising violence. And when she travels to Venice to find the previous owner of the music, she uncovers a dark secret that involves dangerously powerful people—a family who would stop at nothing to keep Julia from bringing the truth to light.]]> 285 Tess Gerritsen 0593075307 John 3 tess-gerritsen 3.81 2015
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2017/07/16
date added: 2023/02/19
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
A good read but did not really get enthralled. The story of a lost waltz composed by a Jewish Italian in the Second World War was interesting. The story of his love and the parallel story of Julie was good. Her suspicions of her three year old daughter trying to kill her for me was a bit far fetched. Overall I have read better novels by Gerritsen.
]]> 7233416 347 Tess Gerritsen 0778303314 John 4 tess-gerritsen
Miranda’s lover Richard is found stabbed to death and she is presumed guilty. Richard’s brother comes back to the island to support Evelyn and her children the wife of Richard. He slowly falls in love with Miranda.

Other suspects include Evelyn, her father, Jill the editor and the mob. Miranda ends up staying with her friend Annie and several attempts are made on her life. This brings Chase, Richard’s brother and her closer together. In the end there is a confrontation with the real murderer Annie on top of the news office roof.

Overall a good mystery but the Mills and Boom flowery language is hilarious]]> 3.59 1997
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/19
date added: 2023/02/19
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
I think the author unintentionally had me in stitches with lines like ‘…she closed her eyes and felt herself melting, flowing like warm liquid against him.’ Or ‘She tasted of summer and warmth and warm amber honey.’ This book would make a great comedy mystery film.

Miranda’s lover Richard is found stabbed to death and she is presumed guilty. Richard’s brother comes back to the island to support Evelyn and her children the wife of Richard. He slowly falls in love with Miranda.

Other suspects include Evelyn, her father, Jill the editor and the mob. Miranda ends up staying with her friend Annie and several attempts are made on her life. This brings Chase, Richard’s brother and her closer together. In the end there is a confrontation with the real murderer Annie on top of the news office roof.

Overall a good mystery but the Mills and Boom flowery language is hilarious
]]> 6548796 The Surgeon, as kinetically involving as one could wish for, with a welcome reluctance to pull punches for her readers (the very thing, in fact, that her legion of admirers praise her for). Her heroines, detective Jane Rizzoli and medico Maura Isles, are distinctive figures, with a host of striking traits (the new book, Keeping The Dead, deliberately sidelines these traits for a narrative that fairly barrels along; something that won’t necessarily give regular admirers of Gerritsen pause, but which perhaps means that the book is not the best place for new readers to start).

At Pilgrim Hospital, reporters and doctors are gathered for a highly unusual event. A dead woman is placed under an X-ray, with Maura Isles looking on with interest. However, the twist is that the subject has been dead for many years – it is not someone recently dead, but a centuries-old mummy. To the surprise of everyone present, the x-ray reveals that a bullet is lodged in the body, and Maura contacts her colleague, Detective Jane Rizzoli. What began as a historical investigation has, it seems, become a case of homicide. Soon, unpleasant revelations are found hidden behind a wall in a museum owned by a venerable family. Before long the two women realise that they are dealing with a killer of ruthless intelligence who is toying with them. As usual with Gerritsen the tension in Keeping the Dead is generated with skill, though there is less of the inexorable build-up than we are used to. --Barry Forshaw]]> 446 Tess Gerritsen 0553818384 John 3 tess-gerritsen
The side plot of Maura having it away with a priest is weird. The story revolves around the discovery that a mummy in the Crispin museum is only 25 years old and then other bodies turning up leads the pair to a woman called Josephine who has secrets.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I thought the twist of Bradley Rose being who was murdered instead of Jimmy a bit farfetched. If they went to the trouble of DNA surely they would also check fingerprints. I also cannot see the police doing background checks on all volunteers and employees at the museum. This might have revealed that Jimmy’s equally insane sister was working there. The ending with the mad father trying to kill the mother of Josephine also seemed farfetched and the delay of the police getting there. His suicide seemed out of character as well. Still it was enjoyable read and the extra bit of why the author became a crime thriller writer fascinating.

A solid 3.5]]> 4.08 2008
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: John
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/31
date added: 2023/02/19
shelves: tess-gerritsen
review:
My first Rizzoli and Isles thriller. I enjoyed it. A few twists and the archeological aspect of mummies and shrinking heads was novel. A bit predictable in places with the bonkers millionaire and his mad son.

The side plot of Maura having it away with a priest is weird. The story revolves around the discovery that a mummy in the Crispin museum is only 25 years old and then other bodies turning up leads the pair to a woman called Josephine who has secrets.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I thought the twist of Bradley Rose being who was murdered instead of Jimmy a bit farfetched. If they went to the trouble of DNA surely they would also check fingerprints. I also cannot see the police doing background checks on all volunteers and employees at the museum. This might have revealed that Jimmy’s equally insane sister was working there. The ending with the mad father trying to kill the mother of Josephine also seemed farfetched and the delay of the police getting there. His suicide seemed out of character as well. Still it was enjoyable read and the extra bit of why the author became a crime thriller writer fascinating.

A solid 3.5
]]>