surgeon

Title: The Surgeon

Author: Tess Gerritsen

Date Finished: April 09, 2011

Personal Book Count: 11 out of 75

Rating: 4 out of 5

Genre/ Subject: mystery

First Line: Today they will find her body.

Why did I pick this book?: it was on my reading pile for a while. I wanted to read it since I heard they made it into a TV show in the states with Angie Harmon. Luckily, it was this month’s book club pick.

Summary and Review: taken from the author’s website-

“He slips into their homes at night and walks silently into bedrooms where women lie sleeping, unaware of the horrors they soon will endure. The precision of the killer’s methods suggests he is a deranged man of medicine, propelling the Boston newspapers and the frightened public to name him “The Surgeon.”

The cops’ only clue rests with another surgeon, the victim of a nearly identical crime. Two years ago, Dr. Catherine Cordell fought back and killed her attacker before he could complete his assault. Now she hides her fears of intimacy behind a cool and elegant exterior and well-earned reputation as a top trauma surgeon.”

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR MY BOOK CLUB* (everyone else is OK) -if you are in my book club, beware, you may not want to read any further…*

LOVED this. In fact, I am kind of cursing myself for it having taken so long to start this series. I became aware of it a long time ago, but I like to start series at the beginning, and for some reason, I dragged my feet at locating this one, and then again in to start reading in. In fact, it was my book club that finally motivated me.

It did think the descriptive violence was a little over the top. Is it necessary? Maybe. Does it add anything? Maybe. But I have put down books and walked away for less. Why was this one different? I guess I like the characters enough, and was hooked on the plot by that point. Also, I have to admit, waiting so long, I think I would have been crushed if it was disappointing. Less so then if I had just picked it up on a spur of the moment.

Also, I was a little confused. There was a rhyme repeated. “Where we go depends on what we know, and what we know depends on where we go.” And yet I didn’t think it had much weight in the story. Why keep coming back to it, and then not tie it in to anything?

But, to me it made a great deal of difference that Gerritsen had been a doctor. In my eyes it made the story stronger and more believable. It will be interesting to see if she can carry this forward, throughout the series with the same consistency.

There was an odd sex scene in there. To me, it felt a bit forced for the two characters. It was like someone said, “Oh, there needs to be a sex scene. We will slot it in here, and put it between these two characters.” Or maybe it felt out of place in a mystery. Either way, I found the whole thing a bit… odd.

It was a little odd to me this was the first book in the Rizzoli and Isles series. Rizzoli wasn’t even a main character, and Isles was never mentioned. But, it leaves the author room to grow, and it will be interesting to see how she develops the series and moves forward.

If you asked me right now today, I will say yes, not only will I be reading the next book, but I will also be reading this rest of the series. =D

Agree? Disagree? Recommendations? Any insights, suggestions, or comments on the book or format, or blog at all are most welcome. If you have read this and/ or review it yourself, please let me know. Can you think of any books like this? Give me a recommendation! =D