The Apprentice- Tess Gerritsen

In the book The Surgeon we met Jane Rizzoli a hard as nails detective with the Boston Police. She is responsible for the arrest of "the surgeon" the serial killer that had been hunting on the streets of Boston.A year later and with many emotional as well as physical scars later Detective Rizzoli is called to another murder scene with chilling similarities to the Surgeon Case. After the investigation gets under way FBI agent Gabriel Dean shows up and is given all access to the investigation. Jane does not understand why he is there, he won't tell her anything but he does have the uncanny ability to know where to look for evidence and what kind of evidence to look for. Then just when things start to get going Warren Hoyt "the surgeon" escapes from prison and looks to have hooked up with the Dominator. Working together these two murders led investigators on a chase that includes some shocking twist and turns.This was a well-written book that allowed you to get to "know" detective Rizzoli and perhaps even like her this time around. The characters were all well developed and the use of medical terminology was not left undefined so a layperson could understand what was going on. This is a sequel to the book "The Surgeon" but it can still stand-alone. You will not have a hard time following the storyline or how characters interact with each other. This was a true edge of your seat read but be aware that some of the descriptions of murder scenes , and autopsies are very vivid. A great read for the fan of Thrillers!

I have been patiently waiting to get my hands on this book and finally I have. I have read every single book that Gerritsen has released and in The Apprentice I have not been disappointed. It is more or less a continuation of her earlier novel, The Surgeon. The big difference is that this novel focuses more on the female detective that helped crack the case in the first one. Jane Rizzoli was to me not a very likable character in the first book, but in this book she takes on a new light. She was portrayed as a very masculine type of female in The Surgeon, but in The Apprentice she takes on the role of the strong woman who is feminine yet at the same time a spitfire.When murders start happening in Boston a year after the Surgeon has been in jail, Rizzoli is the only one who sees the connection at first. But as the body count mounts suddenly an FBI agent appears on the scene. Rizzoli who in all of her years as a detective has never seen the FBI work in this way, is very puzzled. Her puzzlement only deepens as her attraction to the FBI agent Gabriel Dean does also. When The Surgeon, Warren Hoyt, who she put behind bars in the first book, escapes from prison, all hell breaks loose. Rizzoli has suspicions that The Surgeon and their new killer, The Dominator are working together to fulfill their murderous fantasies. Tensions increase as Rizzoli and her fellow officers keep coming up with dead ends and no suspects in sight. The only problem that I had with this story was its abrupt ending.Once again, I am impressed with Gerritsen's style and attention to detail. She is a wonderful story teller and I fully intend to keep reading her books and I highly recommend them to anyone!

It's cliché to say a book kept you up all night, but in this sequel to last year's THE SURGEON, there is no other way to say how riveted I was to turning the pages in this novel. I found myself skipping over words to get to the next sentence, the next paragraph, the next step in figuring out who was killing in Boston. The tension just never lets up. Rizzoli is still the only female detective in the Boston PD Homicide Division. She feels the need to measure up to the guys and exceed their expectations. She won't let herself break down or crumble, yet her authority as lead on the case is being questioned by a "fibbie," an FBI agent from Washington requested by higher authorities. Her lieutenant is concerned that her personal involvement with The Surgeon will underscore her new case. Rizzoli professes that her fear will not interfere with the execution of her job.Part of that job is attending the autopsies, which are vividly portrayed, definitely not for the weak of stomach. The smells from the autopsy table wafted under my nose, so intense is the portrayal of the best-of-the-best medical examiner teamed up with a forensic anthropologist. We learn about the tiniest details that help identify the victims, including such facts as: the stage of development of the fly papillae left behind; what evidence is left behind on the adhesive of duct tape; what happens to hair as it stays in a decomposing body; and how wounds taped back together can reveal the weapon that split it apart. Fascinating medical and forensic information is included.Yet what it all really gets down to is human emotion. Tess Gerritsen has taken a chilling look at a vicious killer and entered his mind. We learn of his fantasies, his secrets, his ambition. Gerritsen also takes us into the mind of a fiercely determined female homicide detective and finds the source of her strength and her vulnerability. What a fascinating dichotomy we witness.Breathtaking in its intensity, this book raised the hairs on my arms, gave me shivers, fascinated me at every turn. I won't escape its images very soon. Gerritsen took me on a roller coaster and loved watching me enjoy the thrills and chills of that ride. She can sure write, and I hope she never stops.

THE SURGEON aka Walter Hoyt has been in prison for over a year but the Boston police detective who put him away still bears the emotional and physical scars he inflicted on her at their last meeting. She is not confident in her abilities anymore and she uses three locks on her front door to keep out the predators that she knows lurks out there.A copycat killer emulates the crimes of THE SURGEON and Jane is the lead detective on the case when Walter escapes from prison. He joins his copycat associate with both perpetrators focusing their attention on Jane and making very sure she knows it. FBI agent Gabriel Dean, who is working on his own agenda, tries to get Jane to remove herself from the case but the feisty detective is determined that she will bring down Walker and his partner with him.Tess Gerritsen can always be counted on to give crime thriller fans a fantastic reading experience and she succeeds with her latest novel THE APPRENTICE, which is heading to all the bestseller lists. Her wounded heroine is very likable and readers feel as if they share a bond with her because of her emotional scars. Ms. Gerritsen's works appeal to readers who love the novels of Patricia Cornwell and Linda Fairstein.Harriet Klausner