Product Description

In Boston, there's a killer on the loose. A killer who targets lone women, who breaks into their apartments and performs terrifying ritualistic acts of torture on them before finishing them off. His surgical skills lead police to suspect he is a physician - a physician who, instead of saving lives, takes them. But as homicide detective Thomas Moore and his partner Jane Rizzoli begin their investigation, they make a startling discovery. Closely linked to these killings is Catherine Cordell, a beautiful medic with a mysterious past. Two years ago she was subjected to a horrifying rape and attempted murder but she shot her attacker dead. Now she is being targeted by the new killer who seems to know all about her past, her work, and where she lives. The man she believes she killed seems to be stalking her once again, and this time he knows exactly where to find her...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3345 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 430 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Tess Gerritsen left a very successful career as an internist to raise her children and devote more time to writing. The Surgeon, following several books that met with moderate success, is a gruesome and frightening story that should put Gerritsen among the top women thriller writers working today.

A serial killer is on the loose in Boston. The victims are killed in a particularly nasty way: cut with a scalpel on the stomach, the intestines and uterus removed, and then the throat slashed. The killer obviously has medical knowledge and has been dubbed "the Surgeon" by the media. Detective Thomas Moore and his partner Rizzoli of the Boston Homicide Unit have discovered something that makes this case even more chilling. Years ago in Savannah a serial killer murdered in exactly the same way. He was finally stopped by his last victim who shot him as he tried to cut her. That last victim is Dr Catherine Cordell, who now works as a cardiac surgeon at one of Boston's prestigious hospitals. As the murders continue, it becomes obvious that the killer is drawing closer and closer to Dr Cordell, who is becoming so frightened that she is virtually unable to function. But she is the only person who can help the police catch this copycat killer. Or is it a copycat? To complicate matters even further, Detective Moore, often referred to as Saint Thomas as he continues to mourn the loss of his wife, is getting emotionally involved with the doctor.

The suspense in The Surgeon is almost unbearable. The writing is superb and the stunning twists and turns make it almost impossible to put down. --Otto Penzler, Amazon.com

Review
Boston detective Thomas Moore has to track down a serial killer who commits bizarre torture upon his female victims before killing them. The murderer's surgical skills lead police to believe he is a medical man and closely linked to the killings is Catherine Cordell, a beautiful surgeon with a mysterious past.

Stephen King
'If you've never read Gerritsen, figure in the price of electricity when you buy your first novel by her, cause baby, you are going to be up all night'

Customer Reviews

Exciting Medical Thriller
The Surgeon introduces us to Jane Rizzoli and Thomas Moore, detectives investigating the brutal murder of a woman which links to other murders in the past – and the survivor of one of the attacks, Dr Catherine Cordell, a surgeon.

The characters are strong and interesting. The growing romantic relationship between Thomas Moore and Catherine Cordell may be predictable, but is believable. However the character that really stood out for me was Jane Rizzoli. This is a woman who is BITTER; about her family relationships (her mum and dad are much more interested in her brothers), about her status as the much put upon only female homicide detective for Boston PD, and about Thomas Moore’s attraction to Cordell which she deems as inappropriate and unfair. In many ways Jane and Catherine are polar opposites, Catherine is cold, icy and attractive, whilst Jane is fiery and blunt, and described as intense rather than pretty. I loved her character although she was often rude and belligerent, simply because she was so intriguing. It made a nice change for a woman to take centre stage in fiction who is complex, not classically beautiful, and rather controversial.

Overall The Surgeon accomplishes much. It is a smooth, thoughtful novel and I much admire Tess Gerritsen’s stylish writing. The plot is clever and pacy, and the insights into the murderer are chilling. The only complaint I have is when Catherine Cordell and Thomas Moore fall out for a long time when a simple phone call would have set everything straight, however, I suppose the nature of fiction requires some conflict to drive the plot along so I can forgive that! I’d recommend this to people who like competent thrillers, absorbing characters and are also looking for a bit of romance thrown into the mix as well.

If you like serial killer thrillers, here's a goodie
This was my introduction to Tess Gerritsen and it has left a very positive impression, such that I have quickly ordered half-a-dozen more from her portfolio to add to the three I already own. As a background, I enjoy the works of Val Mcdermid, Karin Slaughter, Mark Billingham, PJ Tracy, Jeffrey Deaver, Simon Kernick and Jilliane Hoffman, all of whom have produced their own particular take on serial murder and who have at times also developed stories whose central theme is sexual assault, as is the case in The Surgeon.

There is never any doubt as to the authenticity and credibility of the events in and around the operating room, for this is a thriller with heavy emphasis on the anatomical aspects of assault and murder rather than a display of violence for its own sake. In this way the imagery created is altogether more convincing because the impression is always that the author is completely confident in describing the medical, physical and forensic details of events leading up to, and all police investigations after, a horrific sexually oriented murder.

In this, the first of what has become a series involving Boston-based homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and her partner in crime Detective Thomas Moore, three women have been assaulted (two fatally) and in a particularly gruesome fashion. It emerges that the very attractive surgeon Catherine Cordell is being hunted down by the killer, for she was once assaulted by a friend of his two years earlier when she lived further south in Savannah, Georgia. It seems that the killer has followed her to Boston and has a uniquely intimate understanding and knowledge of her body and movements, even though she has no recollection of ever having met him. Love blooms between Catherine and Moore, much to the disgust and possible jealousy of the less than stunning Rizzoli. Suspects in the form of red herrings are dangled here and there, and in fairness this is a thriller that could be said to thrill right to the very end - it could not be accused of being clichéd or formulaic, and the conclusion was, for a pleasant change, constructed and executed with skill and finesse. This is a story which cried out for a good ending and did not disappoint in this regard.

Welcome to the serial killer club, Tess - I hope the follow-ups to this introduction to the series are at least as good as this one. Definitely recommended.

Easily a Cover to Cover Read
This book was absolutely brilliant - I am a fan of Patricia Cornwall , but she has not had anything out lately and I was missing that type of novel. Tried some other authors, but came across nothing sensational, then picked up The Surgeon - could not put it down and the last few chapters I actually had to stay up half the night until early hours of the morning to finish it, I honestly could not put it down even though my eyes were begging me to sleep.........
Now, I have to start The Apprentice......