BOOK REVIEW: THE APPRENTICE BY TESS GERRITSEN

Story wise, it has been a year since the conclusion of the first Rizzoli and Isles novel The Surgeon.
Jane Rizzoli is now more respected amongst her peers in the Boston (Massachusetts, USA) Police Department, while Doctor Maura Isles serves as the city's new Chief Medical Examiner, when a new serial killer arises.
But while at first the suspect is thought to be a simple copycat, it soon grows more obvious that the killer is actually The Apprentice of The Surgeon.
Or is he?

There are a couple of (unanticipated) twists and turns during the course of the investigation, especially in the second half of the book as it races towards the climatic confrontation, that I will not spoil for those who haven't read the novel for themselves.

Tess Gerritsen has certainly created an interesting cast of characters that will grow even on the casual reader, even if they aren't fans of the TNT television series.
Speaking of which...

As established in my review of the first novel in this series, there is obviously continuity differences between books and television.
For one, the author has more time to develop the characters within the course of the first two books, limited only to her imagination and word count; compared to the budget constraints, spare soundbites and background moments when the show's stars are not investigating murders or capturing the guilty in weekly episodes.
For another, Rizzoli and Isles are, at best, working acquaintances during this novel, and not the good friends that they will become.
The TNT series started with an adaptation of this novel, but with a more advanced friendship of the title characters, before going on to new adventures. While points from subsequent novels have been touched upon since, this book is the only one to make any kind of transition between the two mediums.
But even if you're like me, who discovered the show before the novels, do yourself a favor and read the books.
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Lee Houston, Junior, one of the founders of this fine blog, is the Editor-In-Chief of The Free Choice E-zine and the writer/creator of Hugh Monn, Private Detective and Alpha the superhero.
When not busy writing, in what he laughingly calls his "spare" time, he wishes he had more spare time to finish the manuscript for ALPHA, BOOK 2: WAYWARD SON, among other projects.
He maintains a presence on G+, Facebook, and his own writer's blog. His creative work can be found in both print and e-formats at Amazon.com and other outlets.

BOOK REVIEW: THE SURGEON BY TESS GERRITSEN

Okay folks, when I'm not working on writing my own books, I have read a lot more of other authors' books than I have posted reviews for, so it's time to do something about the backlog...

As a fan of the Rizzoli and Isles television series on TNT, I became curious of their literary origins, and so checked out the first book in their series from my local public library.

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen is a complex and intense thriller about a serial killer apparently picking up where he left off after resettling to Boston, especially considering that the only survivor of his previous rampage has relocated there herself.

The book is a real page turner. There were times when I was almost too scared to read any more, yet anxious to find out what happened next. Gerritsen herself has a strong medical background that is well displayed within her writing. I freely admit that there were times when I didn't quite understand all the science, but that did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

However, while fans of the aforementioned television series might be disappointed that only the Jane Rizzoli character (and some of the supporting cast) is established in this book, they can take heart in the fact that she is accurately portrayed as presented here. It is my understanding that Doctor Maura Isles debuts in The Apprentice, a direct sequel to this novel, which I hope to read and review at a future date.

I do recommend this novel, although I also humbly suggest taking a break and reading something in a different genre to relax and destress with afterwards.

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Lee Houston, Junior, one of the founders of this fine blog, is the Editor-In-Chief of The Free Choice E-zine and the writer/creator of Hugh Monn, Private Detective and Alpha the superhero.
When not busy writing, in what he laughingly calls his "spare" time, he wishes he had more spare time.