The Silent Girl - Hardcover

Gerritsen, Tess

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593063244 ISBN 13: 9780593063248

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2011

Synopsis

In the murky shadows of an alley in Boston's Chinatown a hand has been discovered. On the rooftop above lies a woman's severed head. Two strands of silver hair - not human - cling to the body that lies nearby.

These are Detective Jane Rizzoli's only clues, but they are enough for her and Dr Maura Isles to make a startling discovery: that this violent death had a chilling prequel.

Seventeen years early a horrifying attack in a Boston restaurant left five people dead. Only one woman connected to the massacre is now still alive - a mysterious martial arts master who knows a secret she dare not tell. A secret that lives and breathes in the shadows of the city. A secret that may not even be human.

It soon becomes clear than an ancient evil is stirring in Chinatown: an evil that has killed before, and will kill again - unless Jane and Maura can track it down, and defeat it.

About this title

Review:

In this ninth outing, Tess Gerritsen’s much-loved series heroines, forensic anthropologist Maura Isles and detective Jane Rizzoli, are on cracking form. The duo often find themselves investigating gruesome murders – and The Silent Girl is one of the most compelling (and disturbing). Gerritsen is a leading light among the new cadre of female crime writers who are quite as ready to tackle hyper-violent crime fiction as any of their male confreres – and this is a field, remember, that boasts several stellar talents (including, notably, Kathy Reichs). But one of the most talented practitioners of this nerve-shredding genre is Gerritsen, still on a roll after such highly impressive thrillers as Body Double and Vanish. The latest book, The Silent Girl, is a particularly notable outing for Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli.

In a Chinatown alley in Boston, a severed human hand is found. On a roof in the vicinity is the decapitated head of a woman. Nearby is a body, and on the corpse are found strands of non-human hair. Involved in the investigation of the crime are Rizzoli and Isles, who quickly discover some starling facts about events that preceded the murder: nearly two decades before, a grim assault on a restaurant in Boston claimed the lives of five people, with only one survivor of the carnage -- a woman skilled in martial arts who is party to a dark secret. Rizzoli and Isles realise that there is something malign and ancient in Chinatown – and that more lives are at stake.

As so often with Tess Gerritsen, this is a book that guarantees a raising of the pulse rate, and if you harbour the slightest squeamishness, perhaps you'd better pick up something less confrontational. However, the burgeoning army of Gerritsen fans will (quite rightly) have no such pussyfooting objections – and more power to their (and Gerritsen’s) elbow. --Barry Forshaw

Review:

"Suspense doesn't get smarter than this. Not just recommended but mandatory."--Lee Child "Another great thrill ride . . . "The Silent Girl "is one of [Tess] Gerritsen's best."--Associated Press "Gripping . . . Both women deal with personal and family issues that reveal their humanity and lend credibility to this deft thriller."--"Publishers Weekly" " " "Chilling and thrilling . . . an exciting and suspense-filled adventure."--Wichita Falls "Times Record News" Praise for "The Silent Girl " "Suspense doesn't get smarter than this. Not just recommended but mandatory."--Lee Child "She did it to me again! I can't get anything done when Tess puts out a new book and this one caught me as I was starting work on Season 2 of "Rizzoli & Isles." So instead of memorizing my lines, I was sucked up into Boston's Chinatown with Jane, Maura, and company and could not put this one down. Just like the other books. Every time. And to top it off, now I have to wait for the NEXT one to come out--you're killing me, Tess! So good..."--Lorraine Bracco "[A] deft thriller."--"Publisher's Weekly " Praise for "Ice Cold" and Tess Gerritsen "Gerritsen paces Ice Cold with surgical precision."--"Salon" "The kind of book you'd read in one sitting."--"Chicago Sun-Times" "Amazing . . . another winner."--"The Plain Dealer" "[Gerritsen] has an imagination that allows her to conjure up depths of human behavior

About this edition

• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0593063244
• ISBN 13: 9780593063248
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 336