The Silent Girl {with bonus short story 'Freaks'}

The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen made me a loyal fan. I couldn't love this book more. It is filled with mystery, riveting suspense and a solid story. The author incorporates the Chinese legend of the Monkey King and adds details of the history of sword making. I loved the author’s description of Boston’s Chinatown. The author’s background as a physician added expertise to method of the killings.

A severed hand of a young woman is found in an alley. This murder over time becomes connected to previous killings in a Chinese restaurant that occurred nineteen years prior. Details are slowly released to the reader as the characters of Maura Isles, the Boston forensic pathologist, Detective Jane Rozzoli and the characters of the suspects show more are developed. I didn’t see the end coming until I felt in my gut that Rozzoli was too trusting of the one of the characters. The ending was a complete and very satisfying surprise.

Even though this is a part of a series of Rozzoli and Isles books, I had no feeling that I missed anything by not reading the previous books, now I am excited about the promise of excellently crafted suspense in the other books. show less

This was far more enjoyable in the first half. The legend of the monkey king and the story of a female general in the Ming dynasty were excellent additions to round out the world building. Jane starts to show a more balanced world view in this one. She understand the grey areas that exist in her profession.

Another five star read for the year! And my second Tess Gerritsen. She's a new favorite. I was worried about reading this book so much out of order, but it turns out it stood alone very well, even if there was some character development stuff that piqued my interest in earlier books. :) Especially the relationship between Rizzoli and Isles, which I got the feeling was quite different in this book than usual.

There's a lot going on in this book, it's very multilayered and quite mysterious. As a writer myself, I can't fathom the talent it takes to plot something like this. I did guess some aspects before the author revealed them, but it felt like I figured it out rather than the book just being silly and predictable.

Content stuff: This show more book broke my heart as a parent, so definitely be warned about that. I also didn't like the couple of times where the Lord's name was taken in vain, but besides that and a couple of swear words it wasn't too bad compared to a lot of books. show less

The Silent Girl (Rizzoli & Isles, #9) by Tess Gerritsen

A red-haired woman is found in dead Boston's Chinatown, hand severed, head close to decapitated with non-human silver hairs on her. Nineteen years prior a horrific murder-suicide with five dead and one survivor, a martial arts expert, who now may be a target. Is there a connection to the (old) crime and the current? Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles are on the case.

The story moves at a steady pace with suspense, thrills and a bit of Chinese folklore. Well developed and intriguing characters drew me in from the start. Secrets slowly revealed that had me guessing until the end.

Overall I found The Silent Girl very enjoyable. I highly recommend to those who enjoy a great show more crime/procedural/thriller. Fans of Tess Gerritsen will not want to miss this one. Truly a good read. show less

I have read several in this series, but not necessarily in order. This one follows right after [b:Ice Cold|7202831|Ice Cold (Rizzoli & Isles, #8)|Tess Gerritsen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320520492s/7202831.jpg|7897982] and there are a few references to it. Maura gets a visit from Rat, which provides an interesting diversion from the main plot. But for most of the book, it didn't feel like I was reading a Rizzoli and Isles book. They seemed like minor characters at most.

Most of the book concerned solving a twenty year old mystery of a supposed murder/suicide in Chinatown. There is the enigmatic Chinese martial arts expert and her mysterious apprentice. Both are fighting to find the truth about the events of the past. The mystery show more was interesting, and fun to figure out, although the little "twist" at the end seemed almost cliche. I find Chinese culture fascinating, and thought this book was very entertaining. show less

Gerritsen books continue to be among my favorites. This novel follows form as she presents a suspenseful, tight, and fairly believable story of a serial killer who is literally hiding right under the Boston PD's noses. Throw in the main protagonist, Jane Rizzoli, and ties to ancient Chinese martial arts mysteries and this one just seems to flow right off the pages. Gerritsen's strength, I think, is the fact that she makes her characters seem real, people that the reader can identify with. Looking forward to the next Rizzoli/Isles novel.

"Fresh Meat" by Laura K. Curtis for Criminal Element

I admit it. I didn’t love Tess Gerritsen’s Ice Cold, and I was nervous that I might be about to lose a favorite author. But with the ninth in her Rizzoli & Isles seris, The Silent Girl, she’s returned to the realistic dialogue and strong sense of place that has always made me look forward to picking up her books.

Don’t be confused by the TV show. The Maura Isles of Gerritsen’s books doesn’t speak like a nerd, and her relationships are considerably more complex.

Read the rest at http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2011/06/fresh-meat-the-silent-girl-by-tess-...