Body Double

When I first picked up The Surgeon - mostly because Amazon recommended that I should read it - I didn't know if I could make it through. The romantic aspect of the story nearly killed it for me - echoing Harlequin romance. With The Apprentice, my gut told me that I was reading the chick lit version a mystery - but I ignored the romance and stuck to the plot (which made it enjoyable). The Sinner nearly killed me because of the triangle that was introduced and Rizzoli's defiance against falling in love with Agent Dean. With Body Double, being the fourth book in the series, I've come to accept the romantic aspect.

Tess Gerritsen's writing is marvelous. She has the power to suck you into the story and not let go. While it took me longer to show more read than I expected - mostly due to other reasons - the book was hard to put down the moment I picked it up (and if i wanted to do any writing, I had to force myself to put it down).

Maura Isles returns from France to find a crime scene near her neighborhood. Her neighbors are shocked to see here. Her friends stare at her as if she's a ghost. Even her friend Father Brophy seems taken aback by the sight of her. Someone was shot and killed in front of her house. She doesn't know why people are acting so surprised to see her standing before them. That is until, the victim is revealed to her. Slumped in a car, a bullet hole against her head, sits Anna Jessop. While Maura has never met Anna before, her face is nevertheless familiar. It's the face she wakes up to every morning - Anna Jessop could be her twin sister.

When DNA confirms it, Maura sets out to learn more about her twin sister, leading her to a family with dark secrets. Secrets that would very much leave her dead.

Unlike the other novels - with the exception of The Surgeon - this one seemed to focus more on Maura Isles than it did on Jane Rizzoli, even though the latter is supposed to be the main character. It's understanding, considering the content of the book - why would something clearly about Isles focus solely on Rizzoli's findings?

The story is gritty and dark. It leads you to believe several things at once, and keeps you guessing. Even though revealing evidence is presented, it doesn't turn out quite the way you expect it. From being misled on who killed Anna Jessop to the pivotal ending, the book is a page turner. Even the most astute probably didn't see the ending coming. I know I suspected the wrong people, and I'm usually good at these sort of things.

Once again, the forbidden desire for Father Brophy (who was introduced in The Sinner) keeps Maura at bay relationship wise. She knows nothing can come of it, even though there are signs that his affection for her is almost mutual. New character, Detective Ballard, on the other hand, gives her hope that she can find love again. Nearly absent character, Gabriel Dean (first introduced in The Apprentice) doesn't play a role in the story at all. He's mentioned to be out on a mission, leaving a pregnant Rizzoli behind.

Gerritsen's voice is resonating. No one before her has captured my attention like this. As I read on, her voice grows more established. She's gone from guilty pleasure to the top of my list. Can't decide if I want to continue on with Vanish or give Moxyland a go before continuing on with Rizzoli & Isles. show less

This was SO good and creepy. Chores, be damned, I have a book to finish!

Rizzoli and Isles are a great pair and when it looks like Isles was murdered, the horror from her friends was palpable. Luckily, Isles was fine and it was really her....wait, identical twin??? Oh things just keep getting more complicated.

We also have a serial killer who abducts pregnant women and cuts out their babies to sell for cash money. Wait. What? Gods yes, and it gets weirder and worse from there.

The creepy factor starts you off in the Prologue and just keeps going. Super fast paced and kept me guessing (wrongly. Sorry, character that I kept blaming for everything). Tess Gerritsen is one of the best!

Body Double is the 4th in Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli/Isles series. The story starts with Maura Isles arriving home from a conference in Paris, to find the police at her home, called to a shooting. The victim looks uncannily like Maura, so much so that Rizzoli, Frost and co thought it was her. Whilst Maura was an only child, she was adopted, and DNA tests prove that this woman was her twin sister. Maura endures the singular experience of seeing her own body autopsied. As Rizzoli and Frost investigate, Maura learns some horrifying truths about her past. Once again, Gerritsen gives us a fast-paced story with an excellent plot and quite a few twists. And a gutsy victim who decides not to be. Gerristen also provides a bit of humour, some of show more it quite black: the eight-month pregnant Rizzoli “guarding” Isles; Rizzoli giving Isles relationship advice; and Maura, who has never exposed more than her hands and face at work, present as her morgue colleagues, Rizzoli and Frost see a body identical to hers under the knife. Gerritsen also gives us food for thought about “private” adoptions and where those babies come from. Another excellent read. show less

The book grabbed me from the first chapter. It honestly was a lot of fun to read, even though this is my first book from this author. So I have no previous knowledge of Jane Rizzoli or her previous adventures, I still enjoyed this book a lot, it does well as an stand-alone work. The kidnapped pregnant mother thing is all the more creepy when you realize just what is going on, and there were a couple of twists I had not anticipated. Still, a very good read.

Der vierte Fall für Detective Jane Rizzoli und die Pathologin Maura Isles -- lesen Sie einen Textauszug (pdf-Download).

Als die Gerichtsmedizinerin Dr. Maura Isles von einer Paris-Reise nachts ins heimische Boston zurückkehrt, erwartet sie eine unangenehme Überraschung: Ihr Haus ist von Polizisten umlagert. Gleichzeitig reagieren Isles Kollegen schockiert auf ihre Ankunft, denn sie hatten sie bereits für tot gehalten. Aus gutem Grund, denn eine in der Nähe ihres Hauses ermordet aufgefundene Frau sieht ihr zum Verwechseln ähnlich.

An diesem Abend verändert sich Mauras Isles Leben grundlegend. Da sie bereits im frühesten Kindesalter adoptiert wurde, weiß sie nichts über ihre wirkliche Herkunft. Nun stellt sich das Mordopfer als show more Mauras Zwillingsschwester heraus, die offenbar auf der Suche nach der Familienhistorie war. Maura führt die Suche ihrer Schwester fort und spürt ihre leibliche Mutter in einer psychiatrischen Haftklinik auf. Während die Polizei unter Leitung der hochschwangeren Detective Jane Rizzoli nach einem gefährlichen Serienmörder fahndet, schwebt über der verwirrten Maura neben der schmerzhaften Frage ihrer Herkunft eine unausgesprochene Drohung: Wer hat ihre Schwester umgebracht und weshalb?

Tess Gerritsen, die mit ihrem Roman Die Chirurgin einen großen Erfolg verbuchen konnte, legt mit Schwesternmord den vierten Roman um die Bostoner Polizistin Jane Rizzoli vor. Mit Blick auf die Serienvorgänger gewinnt man unwillkürlich den Eindruck, dass Gerritsen die Erzählmotive ihrer Serie hin und wieder entgleiten. In Schwesternmord etwa verliert Maura den grausamen Tod ihrer Zwillingsschwester mehrmals völlig aus den Augen, obwohl sie davon zunächst tief getroffen ist. Auch wirken Gerritsens Figuren trotz aller Introspektiven, Rückblenden, eingeflochtener Lovestory und den damit verbundenen Spannungsmomenten in diesem Buch seltsam blutleer. So lässt dieser überkonstruierte Psychothriller leider erneut erkennen, welch mächtigen Einfluss Thomas Harris' Das Schweigen der Lämmer wohl noch immer auf die Thrillerliteratur ausübt. Zudem wird deutlich, wie sehr die daraus abgeleiteten obszönen Fantasien dieses Genre überlagern. Statt sich mit einem gut ausgedachten Plot über einen primitiven Spannungsaufbau zu erheben, erzählt Gerritsen ihren Roman also lieber nach bewährtem Erfolgsrezept.

So jagt sie ihre Leser in einem Katz-und-Maus-Spiel förmlich durch die Handlung. Trotz fadenscheinigem Verwirrspiel, Effekthaschereien und unbefriedigender Auflösungen werden Gerritsen-Fans aber sicher über viele Widersprüche hinwegsehen und die Autorin auch für diesen wendungsreichen Thriller lieben. Einige Leser werden sich jedoch mit dem Rezensenten fragen, welche abgeschmackten Klischees uns die Autorin hier doch letztlich auftischt ... --Christian Koch show less

I thoroughly enjoy the momentum of Gerritsen's writing. Dr Maura Isles returns from Paris to find a dead woman in a car outside her house. The event is not surreal, but the woman seems to be a mirror image of Dr Isles. What follows this amazing coincidence is Maura's discovery of a twin sister, and a path to their biological mother. Gerritsen presents two stories running in tandem, with little connecting the narratives. A heavily pregnant Jane Rizzoli attempts to protect Maura from the villains and the awful truth. Maura 's mind wanders to thought of love, but with unattainable men. The story ends with that infamous discussion of nature versus nurture.

When a murdered woman turns out to be Dr. Maura Isles’s twin sister that she never knew about, Maura starts searching for answers about her biological parents. The more she learns, the more she wonders if some things are better left not knowing. This was a thoroughly captivating read with some genuinely chilling moments. Disturbing and a bit twisted, as well. It kept surprising me throughout.