The Surgeon - Softcover

Gerritsen, Tess

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345517822 ISBN 13: 9780345517821

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2009

Synopsis

Dr. Catherine Cordell, who is still recovering from a brutal attack and hiding her fear behind a mask of professionalism, is the only one that can stop a psychotic killer known as "The Surgeon" before he kills again.

About this title

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

"Grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until its hair-raising finish. Deep, dark and very disturbing" (Tami Hoag)

"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" (Stephen King)

"If you're home alone, do not risk even the first sentence. Once you've started reading this book, putting it down and saving it 'til later is not an option" (Mo Hayder, author of "Birdman")

"This book is going to make you squirm... a taut, well-placed and throughly realistic thriller" (The List)

"Superior to Patricia Cornwell and as good as James Patterson... Macabre and gruesome but absolutely riveting" (Bookseller)

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0345517822
• ISBN 13: 9780345517821
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360