Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen

Sometime ago, I was introduced to Tess Gerritsen's novels. Jane Rizzoli piqued my interest. Later, Maura Isles left me head over heels with the Queen of the Dead. It wasn't an easy journey. Tess Gerritsen's history of writing romance novels featured heavily in the first few novels, and, at times, it overshadowed the main plot.

The tenth novel in the Rizzoli & Isles series hit shelves last Tuesday, and I received my copy in the mail Thursday. I drove right into it, using my Labor Day weekend to devour all 338 pages of it. I entered the book still feeling the buzz from the previous novel, but I left feeling hungry still. Is it just me or has Gerritsen lost her "edge?"

Some will argue that she never had an edge, but I don't let the naysayers deter me from enjoying a book - unless, like Fifty Shades of Grey, it's godawful. I'm not ashamed that I like the series. Not even ashamed that I own all the novels in it. But the books felt too quick. And the ongoing insult of her very intelligent characters still stabs at me. How is that Jane Rizzoli is well respected, yet she always finds herself on the wrong side of the suspects blade in the end? Sure, one or two books might not have her falling victim, but Maura does. It gets knackering, you know?

The Legend of the Monkey King by Tess Gerritsen

Okay. Okay. The books called The Silent Girl - can you blame a monkey lover for renaming it in his post? Isn't that what the books mostly about, though? Forget the "silent girl" character in Tess Gerristen's novel, the ninth book in the Rizzoli and Isle series, the Monkey King steals the show!

A Jane Doe, murdered on a roof top, starts off this mystery. What irks Boston PD most is how she died. Not a gun shot - though the victim was holding a weapon. And not quite a knife, either. Her severed hand and slit throat indicates that this woman killed on the roof tops of Chinatown bit more than she could chew. And it leads Rizzoli and gang down the alleyways of this district into the land of mythical - and historical - China. But when Jane starts searching for clues, it leads her to the grips of a murder-suicide case nineteen years old. And if anyone knows that seeing isn't exactly believing, what she unearths is far more than any woman, mother, detective can take.

Of course, there are personal drama at hand, as well. Maura Isles begins her side of the tale in the midst of a trial. A vigilante cop indited on taking the law into his own hands by brutally beating and killing a cop-killer. The once beloved pathologist is now public enemy number one within the Boston police department, placing her at odds with long-time friend - and semi-partner - Jane Rizzoli. Still recovering from her relationship with Father Brophy and her near-death entanglement, there's no telling what lies in Maura's future. Only that Rat - the child-hero who saved her life in the snow-capped mountains of Wyoming - still offers her comfort, and let's it slip that Anthony Sansone talks about her a lot.

New on the team is Detective Johnny Tam, an Asian-American who joins Rizzoli and Frost in the Chinatown investigation. He adds the reminiscent of Jane's own fight to prove herself, which sparks admiration from both Rizzoli and the reader. 

Like a few other books in the series, Gerritsen mixes reality with fantasy by introducing the lore of the Monkey King, Sun WuKong. Because as the story gets deeper, a humanoid figure steps in to take matters in his hands.

It's a fantastic read, though I expected nothing else from the writer. I can't wait for what she has in store for us next. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

A book I'm looking forward to this summer

I fell in love with Rizzoli & Isles last year, after Amazon suggested I check out the first novel of the Rizzoli series, The Surgeon. It was a hard sell at first. Somewhere in the story muddled with romantic subplots was the heart of a beast waiting to be released. Of course, at the same time I decided to pick up The Surgeon, I learned TNT was releasing a television series. The series, in my opinion, failed miserably. I wasn't expecting gold - they can't all be Dexters, can they? - but was expecting something that was worth my while. 

On 5 July 2011, the ninth novel in the series - The Silent Girl - will be released and this reader is giddy with excitement. After the twists and turns of the last novel - Ice Cold - I can't wait to see what Tess Gerritsen has in store for us. 

More Rizzoli & Isles

All Good Things Must Come to an End (Until They Start Up Again, That Is)

By the time I finished reading The Keepsake, I wasn't looking forward to reading Ice Cold. I was even considering to put it off for another week, read another author for a change. Maybe it would freshen my outlook on the Rizzoli & Isles series - giving myself some time to forgive Tess Gerritsen for the seventh novel. But I couldn't resist. I cracked the novel and dove in. And while at the beginning of the novel, I felt like Gerritsen was working on some deadline to release a novel during the time the series was going to be released, the journey it took me on caught me off guard. Has it renewed my faith in Gerritsen's prose? Perhaps. Has it left me pining away until she releases a ninth novel? You bet your sweet ass it has.

Unlike the predecessors, Ice Cold seems to focus mostly on Dr. Maura Isles. Jane Rizzoli still remains the series's central character, however. Starting up on the winter after the events in The Keepsake, we open up with the beginning of the end of Maura and Father Daniel Brophy's affair. Leaving for Wyoming, Maura doesn't want to face the facts that have been so painfully obvious for months now. Still, rather than ending it there at the airport, she boards the plane knowing that the one person who has made her the happiest has also left miserable. At the conference in Wyoming, she meets up with an old college alumnus, Douglas Comley - a character who is Maura's opposite. Seduced into living a little wild, Maura agrees to join him, his daughter and two friends on a road trip to sight see after the conference commences. However, a wrong turn takes them on a deadly path that neither foresaw. 

Taking shelter in an abandon compound called Kingdom Come, the quartet begin to uncover a mystery. Meals have been abandoned; pets are found dead. Something strange has happened in Kingdom Come, and someone is watching them intently.

When Jane Rizzoli learns of Maura's failure to board the flight back to Boston, she sets off for Wyoming - husband Gabriel Dean and Father Daniel Brophy in tow. The trio learn of Maura's death, leaving a greater mystery to uncover. 

I don't want to give too much away, because I liked being on the edge of my seat. However, if you remember correctly, Maura Isles has died before in Body Double. I was confused about the novel when I first started reading it. Several times I found myself wondering if any of the actions were really those of the characters. It felt like Gerritsen was meeting some deadline - a way to promote the TNT series by labeling the novel "A Rizzoli & Isles Novel" rather than the usual "Jane Rizzoli Book #". Some of Maura's actions were questionable, but I learned to accept them. However, the ending was a little flat. Not to mention the mystery's ending was a little too familiar, as well (ahem, can anyone remember The Sinner?).

Old friends are brought back - Anthony Sansone returns, as well, with a cameo appearance from The Mephisto Club victim, Lily Saul - and new ones are made - possibly the most memorable, Julian "Rat" Perkins, who serves as the sort of anti-hero. 

Even though it might not have been the best book in the series, it still garners a four-star rating from this book hunter. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

New Books, Changes & Future Challenges

My final package from BetterWorldBooks came in today; it contained The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation by Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr., and Edward Cook and the misleading title, The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels. Misleading because the book is about the Gnostic Gospels rather than the Gnostic Gospels. Minor set back - those gospels are available online, anyway and this will just aid me through reading them, I suppose. 

In other news, I'm changing the set up of the "reviews" I write on here. And it's a simple change, so you don't have to worry about getting all confused. Rather than the picture being on this side of the post ====> it'll now be located on this side <====. I'll also be posting film "reviews" rather than just sticking to books - though, these reviews will consist of movies actually worth reviewing. Music reviews might find a home here, but it's too early to speak considering most of what I've been listening to isn't worth my time. 

Included in this change, I started a Twitter account (@ObservantReader) for the new year. I'm still unsure if this will work to bring in more traffic - for the most part, the account will be used for linking posts I make here. However, I'll include Amazon specials, book news links and other things of the sort - not to mention, book finds while I'm on the move. I'll also embed a Twitter app here on the homepage. 

If my Twitter idea does work with bringing in more traffic, I'll start shopping around for used books to put as giveaways. Possibly four times a year, plus other small giveaways in between - these can consist of journals to stationery to (possibly) DVDs. If I do go forth with this idea, it'll be late in the year. 

I'm beginning back snapshots, as well. Though, I imagine it won't be like the ones I'm posted in the past. I don't aim for artistic - I'm not a photographer, nor do I have the time or patience to learn how to be a successful one (I'll leave that to you pros out there), so these will be very amateur (the very essence of snapshots). I doubt they'll be edited other than cropping and (perhaps) shadowing. 

The last thing - and possibly the most challenging - I plan to do on this blog is live blogging during book hunts and book sales. Video might be implemented later on, but it's doubtful so don't count on it. 

This year, I partook in two challenges: the 100+ books in a year and the read-books-you-normally-wouldn't. I only managed to complete the latter with the Rizzoli & Isles novels - which I've grown to love. Next year's is full of potential challenges, but the only one I'm going to focus on is my religious texts challenge. This challenge might spawn a spin-off blog of its own - possibly a WordPress blog, though I'm leaning more toward Tumblr (though lately, that site is a let down). I'll post a link if I do go forth with it. 

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Checkout these deals @ BetterWorldBooks:

The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen

Picking up the summer after the events of The Mephisto Club, The Keepsake opens with Maura Isles entering Pilgrim Hospital to witness the event of the century - the CT scanning of Madam X, a mummy found in the basement of the Crispin Museum. There she is introduced to Dr. Nicolas Robinson, museum's curator, and Dr. Josephine Pulcillo, the museum's Egyptologist. As the scan is processed, the three doctors - as do the other witnesses - notice something anachronistic. Lodged in the leg, there is a bullet and a broken bone that had started the process of healing. Suddenly this thousand year discovery became a modern day crime, one that has Detective Jane Rizzoli taking the lead.

I wouldn't know where to start with The Keepsake. Part of me was hoping the book would get interesting, while another wanted to put the book down and just start Ice Cold - the series's eighth novel. It's uncertain if Tess Gerritsen's heart wasn't in the book when writing, or when mine was absent when reading it, but the book seemed like it was written on some deadline. It lacked the essential thing that kept me turning the pages of the other novels - suspense. The only time I felt like I was on the edge of my seat was when I noticed how many pages I had left. My reading pace became slacked. I didn't care about the victims or the killer(s) presented in the novel. Already, things were sounding alarms in my head, so when the revealing of the killer(s) was brought up, there was no mind blowing revelations - the aha experience* wasn't present in the conclusion, especially when the mastermind was revealed.

While Maura Isles is the first on the scene in the novel, her presence - and importance - in the novel is minimum. Her relationship with Father Daniel Brophy, which blossomed in The Mephisto Club, is continued in the novel. His relationship with the church, however, is still an unresolved issue. Anthony Sansone - of the Mephisto Foundation -is brought in as the other guy, even though that never really takes off, either. The novel's ending simple has Jane thinking of Maura and Daniel's relationship, rather some resolution from the characters. We can only assume that something will happen in Ice Cold that wraps that plot line up, though - after the reading the front flap of the novel, I seriously doubt we'll get the closer we need on Maura's character.

The only good part of the novel was the character build-up of Detective Barry Frost. Finally, after seven novels, we get a little bit of insight of his abilities and his relationship with Alice - his heard of but never seen (until now) wife. Whether we learn more about his life after the novel, is still up in the air - unless you already Ice Cold, in which case, don't tell me.

I look forward to reading the final novel (thus far, anyway), but will be reluctant to ever read this one again. Well, until next time, keep on huntin'.

*aha experience - A descriptive term for the emotional reaction that typically occurs at a moment of sudden insight after a long process of problem solving, learning or psychotherapy; it is the moment when various elements of a problem situation come together and seem to make sense. (via: The Encyclopedia of Mental Health)

Peccavi: The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen

With The Surgeon, Tess Gerritsen gave us a killer with the fondness of blood. In The Apprentice, Warren Hoyt returns to haunt Jane Rizzoli's life - teaming up with another brutal killer. Rizzoli also partner's up with a new pathologist, Maura Isles. The Sinner brought us a desperate man wanting to hide his secrets. With Body Double, we learn of the monsters that lurk in our past. Vanish shed some light on the brutality of human trafficking and conspiracy theory. Now with The Mephisto Club, Gerritsen takes us into the dark world of mythology and dead rites. 

Peccavi, Latin for "I have sinned," is found at a grisly crime scene on Christmas Eve. The victim, Lori-Ann Tucker, is laid out in several locations in the house. It's the sort of crime scene that Detective Jane Rizzoli never wants to witness again. Along with partner Detective Barry Frost, Jane leads pathologist, Dr. Maura Isles, down the path of a madman, one they've never encountered before in their two-and-a-half years as friends. Digging deeper, they're led to an almost unknown group of people - The Mephisto Foundation - whose sole mission in life is to hunt demons. When members of their group start to fall victim to the madman, they fear the worse: They feared that their greatest fears has arise from the depths of Hell.

Gerritsen brings back a few old friends from novels past, including Father Daniel Brophy - as Maura Isles's love interest - and Dr. Joyce P. O'Donnell - the bitch who seems to turn up in every even number novel of the series. New characters include Anthony Sansone - multimillionaire member of the Mephisto Foundation - Gottfried Baum - also a member - and Lily Saul - who is running from a dark past.

The novel is deeply rooted in Christian, as well as other, mythology - mostly concerning demons and the Nephilim - the hybrid offspring of angels and humans. You don't need any background to these subjects to enjoy the book, luckily. Adding in characters who studied the significance into the plot line, Gerritsen made it easy to grasp (no matter your dogmatic preference).

Background of our killer is included in the text - much like Warren Hoyt's thoughts in the first two novels and Mila's (although she wasn't the killer) in Vanish.

At first, I wasn't too impressed with the idea of the Mephisto Foundation and its work. However, the open ending of the new team leaves me wondering if Tess Gerritsen ever plans on giving them their own series (which would be great). While the novel's plot line ends, several of the subplots are left unresolved - such as, Jane's parents' marriage and the relationship between Daniel and Maura.

All in all, the novel is worth the read - especially as someone gets her just desserts and two people fall at the hands of human nature.

I'm off to start the seventh book in the Rizzoli and Isles series - The Keepsake. Until next time, keep on huntin'!

Vanish by Tess Gerritsen

As I continue down the Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles series, I can't help but to imagine how the TNT series Rizzoli & Isles could have been better. Each novel could have been easily transformed into a season. I'm just saying. Maybe if Showtime or HBO had picked up the show, it might have been worth my while. Instead, we got a typical cop show with female leads. Nothing special, but it has been renewed for a second season, so it might have done something right.

Anyway, this post isn't about insulting the TNT series, but remark on the fifth book in the series, Vanish. Unlike its four predecessors, Vanish cuts off the romantic drama. It still lingers, but it's downplayed. With Jane Rizzoli now married to Gabriel Dean, it doesn't seem like an important factor. What's not missing, however, is Gerritsen's ability to draw you into the story, an ability that never falters, no matter which direction you're being pulled toward.

Picking up about a month after the events of Body Double, the novel opens when Maura Isles discovers that one of the bodies in the cold room isn't dead. Rushing the Jane Doe to the neighboring hospital, Maura witnesses a woman who is struggling to escape her "captors." While the doctors struggle to learn the  identity of the Jane Doe, a very pregnant Detective Jane Rizzoli sits in a courtroom. When the unruly defendant gets out of line, Rizzoli subdues him, causing her water to break. In the early throes of labor, she is transported to the hospital at the same time Maura Isles returns to check on the Jane Doe, only to see her struggling against two men, on of which is a security guard. When the latter's gun falls into the wrong hands, Maura finds her life in peril. As the police arrive, the Jane Doe returns into the hospital, taking six hostages with her. As the news soon becomes apparent, both Maura Isles and Agent Gabriel Dean realize the worse: One of those hostages is Jane Rizzoli. What happens next, leads the trio down a path neither have ventured down before. And the only question that remains is, who can they trust?

The book had the same air as The Sinner did when I first picked it up. Unlike the third book, Vanish managed to suck me in quickly. What starts off with human trafficking tangles you into a conspiracy theory that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Gripping as it is, when the story shifted after the events of the hospital, I nearly placed the book down. Of course, while the novel is in third person - as are the those that came before it - it does contain a few chapters in the first. A character named Mila is introduced off the bat, describing the horrors of sex slavery to child prostitution.

The romance is toned down, allowing for a smoother read. Since the story seems to revolve around Jane Rizzoli's new motherhood, Maura Isles returns to her supporting character role. Thomas Moore - who played a major role in The Surgeon and a minor in The Apprentice - returns, as does Vince Korsak and Darren Crowe (whose absence was greatly noticed in Body Double).

Tess Gerritsen's description of human trafficking for sex slavery is chilling to core. Since so few are educated on the subject, I hope the chilling tale of murder and conspiracy is an eye opener to those who continue to think that everyone who crosses the border are out to  steal jobs. Some of them are brought here with promises of a better life, only to get one that is worse than that they left behind.

Her writing leaves me guessing what happens next in the series - Vanish is followed by The Mephisto Club.

As my list winds down, I notice I'm only three books left before I'm caught up with the series. My copy of Ice Cold hasn't arrived in the mail, yet. I'm moving on to read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or, possibly if the local library has it, the George W. Bush memoir, Decision Points (mostly for my morbid fascination how he justifies his crimes against America and the world).

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Some Doors Are Best Kept Closed

When I first picked up The Surgeon - mostly because Amazon recommended that I should read it - I didn't know if I could make it through. The romantic aspect of the story nearly killed it for me - echoing Harlequin romance. With The Apprentice, my gut told me that I was reading the chick lit version a mystery - but I ignored the romance and stuck to the plot (which made it enjoyable). The Sinner nearly killed me because of the triangle that was introduced and Rizzoli's defiance against falling in love with Agent Dean. With Body Double, being the fourth book in the series, I've come to accept the romantic aspect. 

Tess Gerritsen's writing is marvelous. She has the power to suck you into the story and not let go. While it took me longer to read than I expected - mostly due to other reasons - the book was hard to put down the moment I picked it up (and if i wanted to do any writing, I had to force myself to put it down). 

Maura Isles returns from France to find a crime scene near her neighborhood. Her neighbors are shocked to see here. Her friends stare at her as if she's a ghost. Even her friend Father Brophy seems taken aback by the sight of her. Someone was shot and killed in front of her house. She doesn't know why people are acting so surprised to see her standing before them. That is until, the victim is revealed to her. Slumped in a car, a bullet hole against her head, sits Anna Jessop. While Maura has never met Anna before, her face is nevertheless familiar. It's the face she wakes up to every morning - Anna Jessop could be her twin sister. 

When DNA confirms it, Maura sets out to learn more about her twin sister, leading her to a family with dark secrets. Secrets that would very much leave her dead.

Unlike the other novels - with the exception of The Surgeon - this one seemed to focus more on Maura Isles than it did on Jane Rizzoli, even though the latter is supposed to be the main character. It's understanding, considering the content of the book - why would something clearly about Isles focus solely on Rizzoli's findings? 

The story is gritty and dark. It leads you to believe several things at once, and keeps you guessing. Even though revealing evidence is presented, it doesn't turn out quite the way you expect it. From being misled on who killed Anna Jessop to the pivotal ending, the book is a page turner. Even the most astute probably didn't see the ending coming. I know I suspected the wrong people, and I'm usually good at these sort of things. 

Once again, the forbidden desire for Father Brophy (who was introduced in The Sinner) keeps Maura at bay relationship wise. She knows nothing can come of it, even though there are signs that his affection for her is almost mutual. New character, Detective Ballard, on the other hand, gives her hope that she can find love again. Nearly absent character, Gabriel Dean (first introduced in The Apprentice) doesn't play a role in the story at all. He's mentioned to be out on a mission, leaving a pregnant Rizzoli behind. 

Gerritsen's voice is resonating. No one before her has captured my attention like this. As I read on, her voice grows more established. She's gone from guilty pleasure to the top of my list. Can't decide if I want to continue on with Vanish or give Moxyland a go before continuing on with Rizzoli & Isles.

The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen

Unlike The Surgeon and The Apprentice, there was some problems with my reading of Tess Gerritsen's The Sinner. As the third book in the Rizzoli & Isles series (actually, the second book as Isles didn't pop up until The Apprentice), I had to adjust with the absence of the villain of the first two novels.

Just months after the events of The Apprentice, The Sinner opens up with Maura Isles entering an unlikely crime scene. A brutal attack at a local convent leaves on nun murdered and another one fighting to live. Digging through the murdered nun's past, both Rizzoli and Isles uncovered secrets she took to the grave. But when a Jane Doe is discovered mutilated, Maura soon discovers that both murders might be related. As the mystery grows, so does drama in the personal lives of our female leads.

I wasn't sold on The Sinner as I was with The Surgeon and The Apprentice. While the latter two had elements of romance, The Sinner seemed to be flooded with them. It's not to say I'm not a fan of romance - I have read a couple of Nicholas Sparks novels in my time - but I really don't like to see it in my crime fiction. Of course I know that romance is a character builder and it's must if you want three-dimensional characters, but the focus was on it - at least for me - quite often in this novel. From the uncertainty of Rizzoli's situation to Maura's ex-husband returning to after a three-year estrangement, it seemed too much like a TV crime drama where aspects of their case mirror their persona lives.

But Gerritsen doesn't fail me with her prose. Still compelling as ever, The Sinner is much a page turner as its predecessors.  I only hope that the next book in the series, Body Double, lives up to her work. Might be some time before I pick up that novel, however. I'm going to read Death Troopers next. Might even get Moxyland in before returning to Rizzoli and Isles.