Vanish (Jane Rizzoli, Book 5)

'Vanish' is a page-turner of the highest caliber. Tess Gerritsen has written a finely honed thriller that goes from a hostage crisis in a hospital to a federal cover-up thriller without missing a beat. The story and characters are all believeable (for the most part...it is a thriller, y'know), and there's just enough humor and plot twists to keep you turning pages one right after another, even when you're supposed to be getting out of the house to go to work. Strongly recommended.

"Vanish," the latest novel from bestselling author Tess Gerritsen, is a terrific "high concept" thriller -- a story built around an easy-to-grasp premise that grips an audience right away and won't let go. It begins with the body of a beautiful woman in the Boston morgue. Just another accidental death -- until she suddenly comes back to life. At the hospital, she seizes a security guard's gun and takes several hostages. One of them is homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, who is due to give birth at any moment. It is up to Rizzoli's husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, to get his wife and unborn child out safely. From that basic set-up, the author weaves a spellbinding tale of government conspiracy and white slavery, with themes as current as the morning newspaper. Some of it might be a little overblown, but there's no denying the power of Gerritsen's storytelling. "Vanish" is a perfect example of the best-selling thriller: action-packed, entertaining and compulsively readable.

Tess Gerrtisen's "Vanish" has the same general theme as another engrossing novel that I read a few weeks ago--"Dead End," by Mariah Stewart. Both books deal with the loathsome practice of importing vulnerable young girls into the United States from countries such as Mexico and the former Soviet Union. These girls are beaten, drugged, imprisoned, and sold into prostitution. "Vanish" features some familiar faces, including Boston Detective Jane Rizzoli, who is nine months pregnant, Gabriel Dean, Jane's devoted FBI agent husband, and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. The book opens as a seventeen-year-old girl named Mila, from Belarus, tells the heartbreaking tale of how she and other like her were lured into the United States under false pretenses. Gerritsen then switches gears as a startled Maura Isles finds a corpse in her morgue who is still breathing. Next, a man and woman with a hidden agenda hold Jane Rizzoli hostage. A negotiator is brought in an attempt to bring the standoff to a peaceful conclusion. These seemingly unrelated plot lines gradually merge into one suspenseful and horrifying narrative about the abuse of power by influential, wealthy, and immoral individuals. I have always loved Jane Rizzoli, and motherhood takes away none of her feistiness. Whether she is trying to control her pain during labor contractions, attempting to soothe her screaming baby, or confronting a vicious murderer, Jane is always thinking, planning, and looking for solutions. Gabriel, Jane's beleaguered husband, wishes his wife were just a little more laid back, but he cannot help admiring her honesty and depth of feeling. These two are an interesting and offbeat couple, and their scenes together are wonderful. Gerritsen is in top form here. She incorporates many elements seamlessly--gentle humor, political skullduggery, terrifying and suspenseful confrontations, betrayal of trust, and a nail-biting conclusion. Using a spare style that avoids melodrama, the author's realistic dialogue, well-developed characterizations, and excellent pacing make "Vanish" a first-rate and thought-provoking thriller.

Medical examiner Maura Isles is called to examine the body of a beautiful, nameless woman but she gets the shock of her life when the corpse opens her eyes... The woman, who mistakenly was pronounced dead, is rushed to the hospital where doctors scramble to help her, but things turn deadly as she steals a guard's gun, kills him, and takes hostages. One of the hostages is none other than detective Jane Rizzoli who is on the verge of going into labor. As things begin to spiral more out of control, the crazed woman calls a local radio station with a simple message "The die is cast." Now it's up to Jane's husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean to use all of his negotiating and investigative skills to get his wife and child out of this alive. 'Vanish' is the best novel Tess Gerritsen has written and one of the finest thrillers to come out in a long time. From page one the reader is pulled into a tension filled novel that surprises with each new plot twist. Combining well-drawn characters with expert plotting 'Vanish' is a novel that begs to be read in one sitting. This is a page-turner of the first order and a definite MUST read. Nick Gonnella