The Surgeon
Ballantine, September, 2001.
Hardcover, 359 pages.
ISBN: 0345447832
Dr. Catherine Cordell, a cardiac
surgeon at one of Boston's prestigious hospitals,
has put behind her a terrifying incident in which she
was tortured and nearly killed. By a fluke,
Catherine escaped by shooting her assailant, and the
case was closed. Years later, another killer is
murdering young women in Boston
in a truly gruesome manner (he operates on them
without the benefit of anesthesia, then slits their
throats.) The press has nicknamed the killer "the Surgeon."
Detective Thomas Moore and his partner
Detective Jane Rizzoli of the Boston Homicide Unit are assigned
to the case. Moore is saddened by the death of his
wife, and Rizzoli has a major chip on her shoulder
from her continual harassment as the only female
in the homicide unit. The case is a puzzler; with the
original killer dead, could the new murderer be
a copycat killer? It seems unlikely, given that the
most gruesome details of the case were never revealed
to the public. But it's clear that the killer is determined
to finish the job on Catherine, and he grows closer
to his goal with every step.
Tess Gerritsen, a medical doctor and author, writes with knowledge and authority, especially in the gripping ER scenes. The suspense genre is an increasingly crowded one, and it's always exciting to find an author who excels in writing gripping stories which titillate as much as they entertain. Tess Gerritsen is one author whose works stand out for their excellent prose, well-drawn characters and high-octane suspense. Highly recommended.
--Claire E. White
The Surgeon is available for purchase on Amazon.com
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This review was published in the Oct. - Nov., 2001 of The Internet Writing Journal.
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