The Surgeon (Rizzoli and Isles #1)

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

Age: Adult
Category: Crime; mystery
Rating: 5 stars

Helen Thinks: There’s a killer stalking the lone women of Boston and the ‘skills’ that the medical examiner identifies at the autopsies leads the detective’s to one fact - the killer is a doctor but instead of saving lives, he’s taking them. Detective Thomas Moore and Detective Jane Rizzoli are working the case where they find a link to Dr.Catherine Cordell, who shot and killed her rapist two years previous. Cordell is now being targeted by this new killer which causes Rizzoli to ask questions. Is Cordell lying? What is she missing out when she tells them what happened on that fateful night two years ago? However, as Rizzoli pushes at Cordell to find out more, Moore becomes attracted to the damaged doctor causing a rift between the two partners. Can they find this new killer before any more girls are killed or before he finally claims his greatest prize, Dr.Cordell?

This is the first novel in the Rizzoli and Isles series which inspires the TNT crime drama starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. Despite being a Rizzoli and Isles book, Doctor Maura Isles is not present in this first novel and makes her debut appearance in book two; The Apprentice. However, this doesn’t take away from the writing. In my opinion, it makes it greater as the first novel focuses on Rizzoli. It shows her trials as the only female in the department, how she acts around her fellow detective’s as well as how she copes with her family life - a family where she’ll never be as good as her two brother’s.

The highlight of this novel is that we get an insight into the killer’s thoughts such as the opening chapter being from his point of view. From the very first sentence; when the killer tells you that he knows the detective’s will find his victim’s body; Gerritsen has her audience hooked until the very last page.

As previously mentioned, it is the inspiration behind the Rizzoli and Isles television programme on TNT but the books are darker, grittier and on a whole different level. So if you’re a fan of the show then check out the first book behind it but even if you’ve never seen it then this is a crime novel for you! As soon as you open it, I hope you have nothing planned as you won’t be able to put this one down...