"Last to Die" Rizzoli & Isles Novel by Tess Gerritsen

 

SUMMARY :

 

For the second time in his short life, Teddy Clock has survived a massacre. Two years ago, he barely escaped when his entire family was slaughtered. Now, at fourteen, in a hideous echo of the past, Teddy is the lone survivor of his foster family’s mass murder. Orphaned once more, the traumatized teenager has nowhere to turn—until the Boston PD puts detective Jane Rizzoli on the case. Determined to protect this young man, Jane discovers that what seemed like a coincidence is instead just one horrifying part of a relentless killer’s merciless mission.

Jane spirits Teddy to the exclusive Evensong boarding school, a sanctuary where young victims of violent crime learn the secrets and skills of survival in a dangerous world. But even behind locked gates, and surrounded by acres of sheltering Maine wilderness, Jane fears that Evensong’s mysterious benefactors aren’t the only ones watching. When strange blood-splattered dolls are found dangling from a tree, Jane knows that her instincts are dead on. And when she meets Will Yablonski and Claire Ward, students whose tragic pasts bear a shocking resemblance to Teddy’s, it becomes chillingly clear that a circling predator has more than one victim in mind.

Joining forces with her trusted partner, medical examiner Maura Isles, Jane is determined to keep these orphans safe from harm. But an unspeakable secret dooms the children’s fate—unless Jane and Maura can finally put an end to an obsessed killer’s twisted quest.

 

 

PARTICULARS OF THIS BOOK :

Published by:  Ballantine Books

Pages:  338

Genre:  Fiction/Suspense

More about the author:  Tess Gerritsen

Purchase your copy:  Barnes & Noble

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

  

 

 

While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. In 1987, her first novel was published. Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller, was followed by eight more romantic suspense novels. She also wrote a screenplay, “Adrift”, which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.
Tess’s first medical thriller, Harvest, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Her suspense novels since then have been: Life Support (1997), Bloodstream (1998), Gravity (1999), The Surgeon (2001), The Apprentice (2002), The Sinner (2003), Body Double (2004), Vanish (2005), The Mephisto Club (2006), The Bone Garden (2007), The Keepsake (2008; UK title: Keeping the Dead), Ice Cold (2010; UK title: The Killing Place), The Silent Girl (2011), and Last To Die (August 2012.) Her books have been published in forty countries, and more than 25 million copies have been sold around the world.
Her books have been top-3 bestsellers in the United States and abroad. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon). Critics around the world have praised her novels as “Pulse-pounding fun” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “Scary and brilliant” (Toronto Globe and Mail), and “Polished, riveting prose” (Chicago Tribune). Publisher Weekly has dubbed her the “medical suspense queen”.

Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the TNT television series “Rizzoli & Isles” starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.
Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.

Book Trailer:

Ms Gerritsen Talks About Her Characters:

 

 

A BOOKISH REVIEW :

 

I have to admit that I put off reading this novel because many years ago I read a Tess Gerritsen novel and wasn't impressed.  When Ballentine Books sent me a request to review this one, I decided to get off my high horse and try her again.  I'm so glad I did.  Ms Gerritsen has come a long way!  "Last to Die" is a great suspense thriller with plenty to keep any who love a fast paced novel flipping pages.

 

I had not seen the television series.  Really had no interest as I have my other favorite shows and you know, I do so much reading, so no time.  I much prefer reading to watching, anyway.  So I had no preconceived notions about Rizzoli and Isles when I picked up this book.  I'm glad for that.  I think if I had it may  have spoiled it for me. Now, though, I would watch the show.

 I prefer my own perceptions which are a little different than the tv characters, however.

 

I love Ms Gerritsen's hard core Rizzoli with her snappy comebacks and her bravery, and Isles's intelligence and ability to rise to the occasion.  Both are very interesting and vibrant in their roles.

Both balance the novel beautifully.

 

This particular book is a kicker!  I was completely in the dark most of the way through it.  Couldn't figure out the mystery of it for the life of me until about midway through.  I loved it.  The premise is strong and engaging.  Loved the twists in the plot and the eccentric children invested in it.  Actually, they played a larger role than the villian and I liked that about the book.

 

I'm now a believer in both Tess Gerritsen as an author and her creations, Rizzoli and Isles.  I'll be coming back for more in this series.  Couldn't recommend them more although this is not writing that will tax the most brilliant of brains.  It's for the above average and it's extremely good reading!

 

4 stars        Deborah/TheBookishDame