I Know a Secret

A psychopath is picking off targets one by one in Tess Gerritsen's stunning novel, "I Know a Secret." Twenty-six year old Cassandra Coyle was a filmmaker whose assailant murdered and mutilated her, but left no visible injuries. Detective Jane Rizzoli of the Boston PD and her partner, Barry Frost, are assigned to the case. Medical examiner Maura Iles conducts the autopsy, but cannot, at first, determine the cause of death. When another murder occurs with eerie similarities to the first one, Maura again conducts the postmortem. This time, she cleverly figures out how the perpetrator is dispatching his victims.

The author juggles a variety of plots and subplots adroitly, inserts passages of grim humor, horrifies us with backstories of show more disturbed people behaving brutally, and explores such controversial themes as the reliability of children's repressed memories. We revisit Jane's beleaguered mother, Angela, who rashly took her husband back after he cheated on her. In addition, Maura reconsiders her decision to cut off contact with the man she loves. As if this were not enough to hold our attention, we are confronted with a first-person narrator who is a cold-hearted sociopath, cunning liar, and unabashed narcissist.

"I Know a Secret" mesmerizes us from its absorbing opening chapter through its chilling finale. Gerritsen wastes no words, delineates key characters with deft strokes, enlivens each scene with vivid figurative language, and moves her well-crafted story along swiftly and satisfyingly. In addition, she does not pacify us with feel-good solutions. This tale of cruelty, heartache, and deceit demonstrates that, at its worst, life can be messy, painful, and grossly unjust. Jane and Maura are dedicated and tenacious professionals; they do everything possible to see that the bad guys are punished. If they fail, and they sometimes do, it is not for lack of trying. "I Know a Secret" is a must-read for thriller fans and one of the best works by Tess Gerritsen to date. show less

I know the premise of the long-running Rizzoli & Isles tv show though I never watched it. But I was in the mood for a mystery and grabbed this book to read, having read the author's The Bone Garden.
Jane Rizzoli is a detective and Maura Isles is a pathologist in Boston. They are both called to the scene of the murder of a young woman who is dead from no apparent cause and whose eyeballs have been scooped out and placed in her hand. The investigation leads to a case from twenty years previously, several more murders, and some very interesting twists and turns.
I do like books where I get clues to decide on the murderer but keep getting new information that sends me off in a new direction. It's even better when I don't figure out the show more ending. I Know a Secret delivers on all counts. I was so sure I knew where it was going and I was completely wrong (well, I did get a few things correct but not the ending).
I also liked the main characters. Jane is stubborn but thorough and Maura is a scientist who relies only on what the science can tell her. Frost is a fun sidekick, and the rest of the family characters add to the personal backgrounds of Rizzoli and Isles. The bad guys are remorseless and based on the McMartin child abuse trial in the 1980s. It's a quick and thoroughly satisfying read. show less

One of my favorite things about Tess Gerritsen's writing is her ability to create characters that feel like they could walk right off the pages. Even her minor characters have complex personalities and full lives.

With Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles, we have two women who excel in their careers. They both have a firm sense of right and wrong, though they occasionally stumble in the gray areas. The family dynamics in both their lives ensure they don't feel like caricatures or superheroes, but more like real life working women.

The plot ventures into some dark corners, though this is well balanced with the lighthearted banter and comical family moments. I had part of the later twist figured out, which is more a product of reading a whole lot show more within this genre rather than any fault of the author. Still, some aspects surprised me and I thoroughly enjoyed the story's execution.

I also love the way Gerritsen tackles the controversy surrounding Maura's romance. I don't want to risk spoilers for those unfamiliar with this ongoing storyline, so I won't give specifics. But the turmoil of this forbidden love is handled beautifully and could be a topic of discussion all its own.

While the 12th in a series, I think this book reads well as a stand-alone. Enough background on the characters is given for new readers to understand the history and relationships. If you're new to the books but had watched the TV series, you'll find the relationships are slightly different here.

*I was provided with an advance ebook copy by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.* show less

I Know a Secret is the twelfth book in Tess Gerristsen's celebrated Rizzoli and Ives series.

For those of you who haven't read this series yet (?!) - the two female leads are Boston PD detective Jane Rizzoli and her friend, Boston medical examiner Maura Isles.

This latest case is a puzzler. Two bodies with no cause of death that Isles can detect. They've both been posed after death in unusual circumstances. Rizzoli is having just as hard a time finding a connection between the two.

But there is one - and I have to say - it's clever. Using actual crimes as a starting point, Gerritsen has created an inventive plotline. Tess keeps the reader guessing with many players to choose from for the final whodunit. She skilfully manipulates the show more reader's thinking with dialogue and actions from many that are 'suspicious'. One of those characters is given a voice and chapters of her own. These chapters are 'teasers' with actions and motives being slowly doled out. I did have my suspicions, but was happy to find that I wasn't completely right at the end. And that ending leaves the door cracked open for further stories....

The personal lives of these two leads, as well as the supporting cast, are just as much of draw for me as the main plot is in this series. Their lives have moved along in real time, with a few somewhat startling threads. (Maura's mother is something else....) Their human quirks, ruminations, successes and failures only serve to make them more 'real'. The dynamic between the two leads is believable and enjoyble.

Gerristen's take on the medical aspects of her books is excellent, a she herself is a licensed doctor.

I Know a Secret can absolutely be read as a stand alone, but the evolution of this pair is worth reading from the first book, The Surgeon. An entertaining, enjoyable read for me - and one of the best of the twelve. show less

Book twelve in the series to feature Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles. This case they investigate a series of murders that also link to a case going back twenty years.

I have read the complete series of these books in order which is something I prefer to do. It gives me chance to know the characters and their lives. With this book it wouldn't make any difference, its just something I prefer.

Like all book series there are good and not so good stories, and some of the books I have enjoyed and some are just so so. This outing however is one of the better ones. The story is very engaging, with a very different way in which the victims are found dead. The story kept my interest and although the ending was a little show more predictable I quite enjoyed it. The story has plenty of blood and gore both on and off the mortuary table.

There is also the character's personal lives to follow with the ups and downs of Jane's parents and Maura and Daniel's love life dilemma. One character who I would like to see more of is Gabriel, Jane's husband. He's always mentioned so maybe it might be nice to see his character more involved rather than just reading Regina the bedtime story.

Another good offering from Tess Gerritsen and I highly recommend her books. show less

Unlike another well known mystery series author, I am still up to date with Rizzoli and Isles, and so I was eagerly awaiting this book to get my R&I fix now that the TV show is over. Since the first couple of books in the series the novels have gone up and down and I do think that this one was on the up swing (even though it has Daniel Brophy in it).

The body that Rizzoli & Isles get called to is a young woman and horrifically gruesome. And soon it's not the only dead body they're investigating. And again, Rizzoli and Isles are knee deep in quite a case that goes all twisty and turney almost from the beginning.

There's also some parts of the novel that are told by someone with a connection to the mystery, but we're not sure what it is show more until near to the end. (Or I wasn't totally sure how she'd connect at least).

There's also some family drama for both of the ladies. Maura and her birth mother have another go-round, and then there's Angela Rizzoli. The book Angela has always been so different from the TV Angela (probably have Lorraine Bracco to thank for that. Thank you Ms. Bracco). And so this subplot with Angela was an awesome breath of fresh air.

It was a good read. Neither the mystery/thriller nor the family subplots overwhelmed the other. There was Brophy in it, ugh, but it didn't seem to suck the novel down as having him in it usually does (sorry, can you tell that I don't like Father Daniel Brophy at all, or am I being too subtle?) I still miss the TV show a little bit, but, this particular book in the series filled that hole a bit.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of Ballantine Books. show less

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.




I Know a Secret is book twelve of the Rizzoli & Isles series. In this portion, Angela and Frank Sr. have reconciled after he ran off with another woman and she threw him out. What was she thinking, seriously??? Jane and Gabriel are happily raising little Regina. Meanwhile, Frank Jr. is preparing to take the FBI exam and has the misguided idea that because his brother in law is an agent, he's definitely in. Maura Isles is still trying to break ties with her biological mother. She's currently in prison dying of cancer and insists that Maura is no different than her biological family of murderers.

All of this is the backdrop to the mysterious deaths of the former children show more that accused the owners of The Apple Tree Daycare Center of child molestation and devil worship. Now Maura and Jane must uncover the truth, find out what really happened to Lizzie all those years ago,and find the killer before the final victim dies. There's only one person that knows the truth and she intends to take this knowledge to the grave.

I don't know how Tess Gerritsen does it, there is little story lines in the background that are so detailed that it feels like you're in each character's living room. The mystery was so intense, I wasn't able to solve it and was in complete shock when the murderer was revealed. That is something that rarely ever happens and the reason I found this novel so extremely enjoyable. show less