Rizzoli and Isles - Partners in crime - Pictures - CBS News Next Det. Lennie Briscoe and many others Jerry Orbach played Det. Lennie Briscoe, right, on "Law & Order" for 12 seasons from 1992-2004. He was joined by Jesse L. Martin, right, as Det. Ed Green from 1999 until Orbach left the show in 2004. Briscoe's other partners were Mike Logan (played by Chris Noth), Rey Curtis (played by Benjamin Bratt) and on the spin-off "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," Hector Salazar (played by Kirk Acevedo). Before Orbach joined the show, Paul Sorvino and George Dzundza played detectives on the series. Credit: AP Photo/NBC Chris Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey Sharon Gless, left, as Chris Cagney, and Tyne Daly as Mary Beth Lacey from "Cagney & Lacey" chased down bad guys and personal demons for 125 episodes. Gless and Daly dominated the Best Actress in a Drama category for six years. Gless won two Emmys and Daly won four.

Credit: AP Jimmy McNulty and others At the beginning of HBO's "The Wire," Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), right, had one true partner, Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce). As the show progressed, he worked with lots of other police in a special unit, including Lester Freamon (pictured, left, played by Clarke Peters). McNulty had lots of problems. He was a serious alcoholic, a womanizer and he bent the rules, finally breaking them when created a fictional criminal on the show for the police to pursue. Credit: Paul Schiraldi Maddie and David On "Moonlighting," David Addison (played by Bruce Willis), a quick-thinking private eye, and his business partner, Maddie, frequently bickered and talked to the audience. The show put Willis and his now-famous smirk on the map. After David and Maddie slept together on the show and Cybill Shepherd took a break when she was pregnant with twins, "Moonlighting" often got by on David's charm alone. Plus, the "Taming of the Shrew" episode is great.

Photo: Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis in "Moonlighting" Credit: Lionsgate Rizzoli and Isles Based on a series of novels by Tess Gerritsen, "Rizzoli & Isles" follows the partnership of Det. Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. Like "Castle," this series begins with a copycat killing that brings the two professionals together. Photo: Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander as Det. Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. Credit: Doug Hyun Benson and Stabler Mariska Hargitay, left, as Det. Olivia Benson, and Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler on "Law & Order: SVU" are up to their elbows each week in the nastiest cases handled by the NYPD. Meloni will not return to the series for the 2011-2012 season. Who will play Benson's new partner? Credit: NBC Ricardo Tubbs and Sonny Crockett They made pink look macho and introduced slouchy deconstructed Italian suits to the masses. They wore loafers with no socks and t-shirts under suits. And, of course, there was stubble.

Oh, and as "Miami Vice" cops, they killed a lot of bad guys, too. Photo: Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs and Don Johnson as "Sonny" Crocket. Credit: AP Ricardo Tubbs and Sonny Crockett Tubbs and Crockett, played here by Jamie Foxx, left, and Colin Farrell in Michael Mann's 2006 film, were grubbier. They still killed lots of criminals, of course. Credit: AP Photo/Universal Pictures Ken Hutchinson and Dave Starsky Robbery-homicide detectives Ken Hutchinson and Dave Starsky tore through the streets of Bay City, Calif., in a Ford Gran Torino for 92 episodes of "Starsky & Hutch" from 1975-1979. Whenever the call sign "Zebra Three" came over their radio, you knew there was going to be some action. Photo: From left, David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser as Ken Hutchinson and Dave Starsky from "Starsky & Hutch" Credit: AP Ken Hutchinson and Dave Starsky For the big screen version of the 1970s show, Ben Stiller played Starsky and Owen Wilson was Hutch.

At the end of the movie, the actors shared a scene with their television counterparts, Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul. Photo: From left, Ben Stiller, Paul Michael Glaser, Owen Wilson and David Soul from "Starsky & Hutch," in London Credit: AP Ponch and Jon Baker Erik Estrada, left, and Larry Wilcox played California Highway Patrol motorcycle cops Francis Llewellyn "Ponch" Poncherello and Jon Baker, respectively, on "CHiPs." The show ran from 1977-1983 but Wilcox left after the fifth season. Estrada stayed on for the sixth. Credit: AP Det. Andy Sipowicz and Dets. Kelly, Simone and Clark Dennis Franz, left, played Det. Andy Sipowicz on "NYPD Blue" for the series' entire run, from 1993-2005. Rick Schroder was his partner Danny Sorrenson from 1998-2001. Sorrenson was killed off camera and was replaced by Det. John Clark, Jr., played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

Sipowicz, who struggled with everything on the series from alcoholism to being a racist to his wife getting shot and killed, was also partnered with Det. John Kelly (David Caruso) from 1993-1994 and Det. Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) from 1994-1998. Credit: AP Det. Sgt. Joe Friday Det. Sgt. Joe Friday from "Dragnet" had several partners during the show's two runs. Sgt. Ben Romero (played by Barton Yarborough), Sgt. Ed Jacobs (played by Barney Phillips) and Officer Frank Smith (Herbert Ellis and, later, Ben Alexander) worked with Friday from 1951-1959. When the series returned in 1967, Bill Gannon (played by Harry Morgan) was Friday's partner until the show ended in 1970. There were two more "Dragnet" TV series, but neither featured Friday. Photo: Jack Webb as Joe Friday from the TV series "Dragnet," Aug. 1, 1956.

Credit: AP Friday and Streebek Dan Aykroyd, left, and Tom Hanks starred in a misguided big screen version of "Dragnet" in 1987. Aykroyd is Joe Friday, nephew of Jack Webb's Joe Friday, and Hanks is Friday's goofy new partner, Pep Streebek. Credit: CBS/Getty Thomas Magnum Technically, Thomas Magnum didn't have a partner. However, he would have been lost without his friends Rick and T.C. (played by Larry Manetti and Roger E. Mosley, respectively) week in and week out. On "Magnum, P.I.," Magnum's pals were always bailing him out of a situation gone wrong or aiding him in his detective work. Photo: Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum in "Magnum, P.I." Credit: CBS Bones and Seeley Though technically not partners, where would FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth be without "Bones," Dr. Temperance Brennan? The two solve cases involving unidentified human remains.

Photo: Brennan (Emily Deschanel, left) and Booth (David Boreanaz) are surprised at what they find when they examine a sarcophagus in the "Bones" episode "A Night at the Bones Museum." Credit: Greg Gayne/FOX Charlie and Don Eppes "Numb3rs" was a little different than the standard detective show. Don Eppes was an FBI agent and his brother, Charlie, a math genius and professor who consulted for the FBI and NSA. Photo: David Krumholtz, left, and Rob Morrow, who play FBI agent brothers Charlie and Don Eppes, respectively, pose on the set of "Numb3rs." Credit: CBS Mulder and Scully On "The X-Files," David Duchovny played FBI agent Fox Mulder and Gillian Anderson played his partner, Dana Scully (who was also an M.D.). Mulder believed in, among other things, extraterrestrial activity, and Scully was a skeptic. Ironically, Scully seemed to have more dealings with aliens on the show.

Photo: David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from "The X-Files" Credit: AP Steve and Danno Alex O'Loughlin, left, and Scott Caan play Steve McGarrett and Daniel Williams on the rebooted "Hawaii Five-O." Jack Lord and James MacArthur played Steve and Danno in the original series, which ran from 1968-1980. Credit: AP Willows and Grissom Technically, they weren't partners, but Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) and Gil Grissom (William Petersen) worked together in the Clark County, Nevada, CSI unit. He was a forensic entomologist. She has a degree in medical science. When Grissom resigned, Willows got command of the night shift.

They paved the way for David Caruso as Horatio Cane in "CSI: Miami" and Gary Sinise as Mac Taylor and Melina Kanakaredes as Stella Bonasera on "CSI: NY." Credit: Bill Inoshita/ CBS Beckett and Castle While suffering from writer's block, mystery novelist Richard Castle is questioned by police when a woman is murdered in a similar fashion as a murder in one of his novels. He uses the experience to help him plan his next book. For better or worse, he models the main character after Det. Kate Beckett. Hilarity and murder mysteries ensue on "Castle." Photo: ABC's "Castle" stars Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett and Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle. Credit: CBS/ABC/Bob D'Amico Lisbon and Jane Patrick Jane is a psychic (of sorts) who doesn't believe that psychic abilities exist. He's more of a con man. Nonetheless, he works with the California Bureau of Investigation as a consultant. (His goal in life is to bring the serial killer Red John to justice for the murder of his wife and child.) On the show, he works primarily with Teresa Lisbon, a senior agent for the CBI.

Photo: CBI Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney, left) shows CBI Consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker, right) her bridesmaid dress for an upcoming wedding on "The Mentalist." Credit: Michael Yarish/Warner Bros. Curatola and Reagan On "Blue Bloods," Danny Reagan comes from a long line of cops. His father, played by Tom Selleck, is the NYPD commissioner. On the show's fourth episode, Danny was partnered up with Jackie Curatola. Photo: Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Jackie (Jennifer Esposito) on "Blue Bloods." Credit: John Paul Filo Renzull and Reagan Jamie Reagan is the youngest cop in a family of cops on "Blue Bloods." He ends up being instrumental in the investigation of his older brother's death, a police detective killed by other cops. Sgt. Anthony Renzull is Reagan's partner and training officer. Photo: Sgt.

Anthony Renzull (Nick Turturro) and Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) on "Blue Bloods." Credit: John Paul Filo Live In The Interrogation Room With 'Rizzoli & Isles' Executive Producer Janet Tamaro | The Huffington Post Live In The Interrogation Room With 'Rizzoli & Isles' Executive Producer Janet Tamaro 05/31/2012 02:54 pm ET | Updated Aug 18, 2012 Janet Tamaro Creator, Writer, & Executive Producer, "Rizzoli & Isles" The following is a series of Q&A sessions that will compound over time. Check back for updates and answers to all your burning questions before the cases reopen with the June 5 premiere of Rizzoli & Isles on TNT. As fans prepare to dive into a new season with their favorite Boston crime solvers, we checked in with Janet Tamaro to get her thoughts about the show she developed based on characters created by author Tess Gerritsen. The third season premieres Tuesday, June 5 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). Q: What are you most excited about this season?

A: I'm really excited about the stories. I'm also excited by the fact that we've seen all of these characters, particularly Jane and Maura, evolve onscreen. They have more complex flavors and are more nuanced this season. Q: Do you have a favorite Rizzoli & Isles episode from the past two seasons? A: That's like asking me who's my favorite kid (which is usually the one who emptied the dishwasher last). I have to say I still love the pilot episode and the two season finales. Q: What's the best part of your job? A: The best part of my job is watching what happens after what's in my head makes its way (laboriously and painfully) onto the page and then finally to the screen. I love to see these phenomenal actors breathe life into the story, the dialogue, the theme and the intent behind it all. And I love the final mix on the screen, because so much work has gone into every one of these episodes from so many creative, talented hands. Q: Do you have any writing rituals? A: Yeah, a bunch of dumb ones. I never throw away brads (those metal things that hold scripts together).

I must drink a flat, extra-hot latte before I write. And I pace... a lot. Maybe I need a treadmill so I can pace and write at the same time. -------------- Season 3 - Week Ten Do you have a question about Rizzoli & Isles? Each week, show creator Janet Tamaro will answer questions from fans of the show, so Become a fan of Rizzoli & Isles on Facebook and you'll be able to ask your questions and keep up with all things Jane and Maura. Question from Patricia Morton: When will the seasons go to DVD and Netflix? Janet's response: Season 2 DVD will be released on May 22, 2012. Fans can pre-order now. I've seen it, and I'm biased, but I think it's pretty fun. :-) Question from Danna Cravens: In the books there are some scenes of R&I in the courtroom testifying. Any chance you take these cases off the streets for any episodes? Janet's response: We are dying to do a courtroom episode. It's on my list.

Since real homicide detectives and medical examiners spend plenty of time in court, seems like we should see Jane and Maura there, too. It's partially an issue of sets. We don't have a courtroom set lying around. However, thanks for reminding me. I'm on it...;-) Question from Laura Noel Baran: Will Jane and Maura become good friends again especially after what happened in the season 2 finale? Will Maura forgive Jane after she shoots Maura's father? Janet's response: I think it'd be awfully un-fun to write if our two BFFs stayed frenemies... But I think, as in a real friendship, they'll have to work at resolving their conflict, don't you? -------------- Season 3 - Week Eleven Question from Debbie Santos: Will we ever find out who Maura's mother is?? Love the dynamic between Angie and Sasha. Janet's response: Why...I think we MIGHT, Debbie. In fact, I'm sure we will right around episode hmmm...which one did I put Maura's bio mom in??? And THANK YOU. We all love these two women, me especially. Question from Mary Wilcox: Will we learn Jane's middle name this year?

Janet's response: Mary: You will know very, very soon. In fact, sometime on June 5, depending on your time zone. -------------- Curious about where Jane's middle name, Clementine, came from? Janet has answers! Janet's response: How Jane got her middle name: I was playing hooky (FOR A FEW HOURS!! C'mon, I work nights and weekends) from work one afternoon because I really (really) missed my younger daughter, who is hitting that "OMG! Can you not stand so close?" phase of young teen years... I picked her up at school, and for an instant, she forgot to be embarrassed that she has parents and threw me a HUGE smile. We started talking in the car about her middle name ("Frances"), and she said, "What's Jane's middle name?" And I said... "I don't know. Time to make one up." So... I took her to a little coffee shop and over herbal tea and scones, we both tossed out a bunch of names.

And she was being so sweet and so lovely, I had to ruin it by embarrassing her with my rendition of "Oh my darling, Oh my darling, Oh my darling!" We suddenly both shouted, "CLEMENTINE!" I called Tess Gerritsen (who wrote the books and created Jane & Maura) and made her bless the name. Eh, voila: Jane Clementine Rizzoli. :) Question from Kathy Killian Blanchard: Thanks for the show. Will Maura be spending more time in field or lab this season? Janet's response: You're so welcome. Maura will be splitting her time again, BUT I expect we'll see her in the field more and more. -------------- Question from Sarah J Waters: Do you ever take inspiration for plots from actual real-life crimes? Janet's response: I'm a former journalist, so I try to read several newspapers and blogs every day. I said it when I was a reporter, and I'll say it now as the writer of a fictional drama: You cannot make up the sh*t people do. Real life crimes never cease to amaze me.

-------------- Season 3 - Week Fourteen Question from Alyssa Benalfew: How long have Jane and Korsak known each other? Jane and Korsak have said "I've known you a long time." So how long has it been? :) Janet's response: They worked together in the Drug Unit before Korsak was promoted to Homicide. They've known each for over 10 years. -------------- Season 3 - Week Fifteen Question from Kristen Cohn: I've noticed several of the episodes names share their names with song titles. I'm thinking it's on purpose, but I'm not sure. Janet's response: Yep, it's on purpose. I decided after the pilot and the first episode to start naming episodes after song titles...because I could...;-) Question from Nathalia Conti: Relevant question: Are we going to see Maura's walk-in closet and shoe collection this season? Janet's response: It's a VERY relevant question. Don't tell anyone, but I'm hoping we'll be able to build Maura's bedroom in season 4. If you look behind the curtain here at Oz, you'll see that there currently IS no bedroom...

so don't look until we have something to show you... ssshhh... it's our little secret. Question from Alyssa Benalfew: Will we see more Jane and Frost or Frost and Frankie interaction? Jane and Frost have nice moments and Frost and Frankie look like they could be great friends. Janet's response: I completely agree, and yes, we will see more of this adorable threesome. Frost and Frankie also do some very funny stuff together in upcoming shows. I personally love the ongoing brother-sister, towel, sibling-rivalry, "I love you but you annoy the heck out of me" relationship between Jane and Frankie. Question from Victoria Baljo: When you developed Rizzoli's character, did you use one person in your life to model her after or more than a few?? Janet's response: Tess Gerritsen created Det. Jane Rizzoli for her books. I identified with the fictional Jane in Tess's books, but when I created the TV "Jane Rizzoli," I think without intending to, I imbued her with many of my own traits -- and with many traits I see in Angie.

Tess, who is a wonderful writer and a master of suspense and mystery, will tell you her books aren't funny. I can't live without humor and did not want to spend all the hours I spend working on this show without the relief of humor. I try to balance the show with enough of it to satisfy myself, my audience, and my great cast while still constructing a good mystery and serving all these wonderful characters. Obviously, Jane isn't real, and Jane isn't me or Angie, but I've had to drop certain expressions I gave to Jane in dialogue because now I sound like I'm copying a fictional character... who says what I write for her to say... I've got some Maura ticks, too. I'm constantly referencing studies, facts, figures and any research I can remember. Plus, how did we live without GOOGLE? My children and husband are very nice about it, but I believe there's some secret eye-rolling that goes on... -------------- Season 3 - Week Sixteen Question from Bay Keech: Hi there, I have a question. Would Jane have to deal with Hoyt again after his death in season two?

Janet's response: One of the challenges of this show (because each episode is "closed-ended" and must stand on its own) is it's difficult to circle back and reference episodes new viewers may not have seen. I do my level best to keep our returning fans happy, but I also to try not to exclude new fans. So the short answer is probably not. Question from Tish Buford: Jane had asked Maura once in a previous episode if she played sports. One of Maura's answers was fencing. By any chance would we ever see Maura perform fencing in an episode? Janet's response: Just after I read this question, Sasha Alexander (who plays Maura Isles) asked me the same thing! So, yes, I suspect we're going to see Maura fence. Question from Melanie Reber: Janet, can you please tell us fans why there is so little of Rizzoli & Isles each season? I, as well as others (I'm sure), would like to know why the girls don't get as many episodes as other TV shows? Janet's response: Many cable networks order anywhere from 6 episodes to 15.

TNT orders 15 Rizzoli & Isles episodes, which is a heck of a lot better than 6. Thanks for your interest, though. Glad to know you'd like more. More: Rizzoli & Isles Interview - Author Tess Gerritsen on TNT's Rizzoli & Isles With Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander Average: No votes yet CHICAGO – Tess Gerritsen is in that situation that authors sometimes face – seeing her creations come to life in another medium. In this case, her characters Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles are being personified in the new TNT Network drama, “Rizzoli & Isles,” starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. Gerritsen introduced the homicide investigator Rizzoli and the medical examiner Isles as a team in the 2001 book, “The Surgeon,” and has written eight other books spotlighting the intrepid pair, which have become popular best sellers. Although focusing on other suspense novels and medical thrillers, Gerritsen has nurtured Rizzoli & Isles to be her mainstay, and the TNT Network have created a series featuring the characters.

Partners in Crime Solving: Angie Harmon as Jane and Sasha Alexander as Maura in ‘Rizzoli & Isles’ Photo Credit: Darren Michaels/TNT Network HollywoodChicago interviewed Tess Gerritsen recently, in anticipation of the premiere of Rizzoli & Isles, Monday, July 12th, on the TNT Network. HollywoodChicago.com: What will your book fans recognize the most in the TV series version of your characters Rizzoli & Isles? Tess Gerritsen: They’ll recognize Jane Rizzoli very quickly, she has her brilliance and that certain attitude. HC: In your pursuit of the fictional Rizzoli and Isles, what do you think is the audience fascination with crime fiction, even as our true world perpetuates more fear in regards to that type of criminal terrorism? TG: It’s an interesting thing that my primary readers are women. I’ve had this conversation with my readers before, as in ‘what is about crime novels that you are drawn to?’ And they almost universally say they like crime novels where the victims are women. That sounds kind of strange, because why would they like to read about themselves being victimized? But then I got to a psychological point where I’m was thinking about children.

And in children’s scary literature, kids like to read books where kids are threatened. I think that when we read a scary book, we are looking to identify with the victims, because in that way if the victim survives, you have the sense that anything is survivable. HC: Your lead characters are females populating crime scenes, station houses and medical investigations, taking jobs and assignments that in real life are typically done more by men. Why were you fascinated initially with women doing this kind of work? TG: Well, I’m a doctor, and when I was in medical training I was in a male dominated profession. So I am familiar with that sense of being a fish out of water. I have always identified with people who feel like outsiders. I am Asian American, the only Chinese girl in a white suburban school in San Diego. That is why I made Jane the way she is, she’s an outsider. HC: Also the character of Rizzoli seems to be as tough and brutal as the popular male image of crusading cop. Since this isn’t how girls are typically nurtured, what did you invent in Rizzoli’s psychosis that causes this brutality? TG: I wouldn’t say she’s brutal, as so much as she’s efficient.

[laughs] She’s trying to do a job, and police work is a very difficult job. The other thing about Rizzoli is that she can’t show weakness, otherwise her male colleagues are on her like a hyena. And that is the way I think it is in police work, women have to be tougher than the men. They really can’t show vulnerability or else they will lose the sense that they fit in. HC: Both the cop character and the crime scene investigation character is all over television right now. What do your characters give those typical TV jobs that the other shows don’t have? TG: I did start these books back in 2001, before many of these current cops shows came on, preceding the CSI sort of stuff. I think what I bring to it is that I’m a doctor, and certainly from a medical examiner’s point of view a sense of how doctors approach problems. To systematically go down the little computer list in your head of what is the diagnosis. It’s the same type of thought process that Maura Isles goes through. HC: Why do you think we as a society feels a need to keep our cops so heroic in our fiction.

Is it because the reality of them as flawed humans are too difficult to face? TG: Well, you have to have heroes in this world, and certainly enough TV shows have crooked cops. And that is the reality, there are crooked people in every profession. Jane Rizzoli may be flawed, but she does the right thing. If she weren’t that way, I don’t think I could write about her. HC: Your character of Warren Hoyt has similarities to Hannibal Lechter, in the sense that he is a so-called ‘educated’ sociopath. Why do you think readers enjoy this type of criminal more than an uneducated one? What fascinates you about an educated criminal? TG: Well, it’s not education as much as intelligence. You can have a completely uneducated but highly intelligent criminal. What we are looking for is someone so challenging that he is a good match for the investigator. You want to have someone that you go head-to-head with and might lose against.

Tess Gerritsen, Author and Creator of the Characters Rizzoli and Isles, in Chicago on July 8th, 2010 Photo Credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com HC: Where do you do your research when in comes to replicating the atmosphere of a police station? What do you observe in that atmosphere that you think the typical citizen would be surprised about? TG: I’ve been to the Boston Police Department, and what would surprise people is that the homicide unit looks like an office building. It is not in any way glamorous. It’s computer terminals, desks and carpet, unlike the hard driving atmospheric place in the TV show. The real place is a sterile atmosphere, that’s what I think would surprise people. HC: Rizzoli and Isles includes the Christ-like images of hands getting pierced somewhat like nails, with Rizzoli later doing the same thing as revenge. In your opinion, are cops like the modern day Jesus, suffering for our own criminal sins? TG: [Laughs] No, cops are doing a job, and are attracted to it for certain reasons. Some of them do it because it’s been in their families for generations. It’s what they do. Jane’s hand piercing was in the book.

I am totally non-religious, but I’m certainly aware of religious imagery and symbolism. Growing up in the U.S. we’re surrounded by it. HC: As a prolific writer specializing in mystery and thrillers, do you ever feel a need to explore outside the genre? Do you picture yourself writing a children’s book, for example? TG: I have written 22 books, included in them is a science fiction book called ‘Gravity’ and I’ve had a historical novel about Boston history [‘The Bone Garden’]. In terms of children’s books, I’d love to do a young adult spin off of a Jane Rizzoli story. It’s hard to break away, though, because the publisher and the public want the same book, over and over again. For me to switch gears means I’m going to make someone unhappy. “Rizzoli & Isles” premieres on the TNT network on Monday, July 12th, 10pm EST/9pm CST. Check local listings for channel locations. Featuring Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Lorraine Bracco, Bruce McGill, Donnie Wahlberg and Lee Thompson Young. Based on characters created by Tess Gerritsen.

Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles Series – A-Thrill-A-Week Born: San Diego, CA on June 12, 1953 Education: B.A. Anthropology-Stanford University, Stanford California M.D.- University of California, San Francisco, CA Thriller Sub-genre: Forensic Thriller Publisher: Ballantine Books Future of the series: Tess Gerritsen has entitled the next book in the series to be I Have A Secret with an expected release date of August 22, 2017. Review of the latest novel in the series-Die Again The Simon Review: For those fans that are in love with the Rizzoli & Isles Series on TNT and want a review that makes a comparison of the TV show with the book series, I am afraid to tell that you won’t find it here. I am not much of TV person mainly because my husband and I have very different taste in what we like to watch on TV. He likes anything about vintage cars and movies with mobsters, which is not my cup of tea, so he watches TV and I work on the computer.

With the exception of a few movies and Hoarders: Buried Alive on the TLC network , I watch very little TV. I don’t know what it is about the Hoarders show that I like so much, perhaps it is a fascination with the pathological psychology that makes a person become an excessive hoarder. I guess it is not much different than wanting to understand the psychology into what makes someone a serial killer, which of course is the focus of many of the thrillers that I read and review. Speaking of serial killers, Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles Series will not disappoint if that is something that you love and cherish as part of a good forensic thriller. In fact, the first book in the series, The Surgeon, is all about finding a serial killer nicknamed the surgeon, and I will let you use your imagination to figure out why. Detective Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles are the main protagonists in the series. In the first novel, Rizzoli is actually a secondary character and Isles doesn’t actually make her appearance until the second book of the series, The Apprentice.

The strength of this series is the relationship that develops between these two women who both feel alone in the male dominant field of law enforcement. Jane Rizzoli is a homicide detective that has a fiery personality and goes above and beyond the call of duty to catch the crook. Maura Isles is the medical examiner for the Boston Police Department and has been branded the ‘Queen of the Dead’ because of her cool and level headed behavior when working with the deceased. The two are actually slow in developing their friendship mainly because they both have developed a tough exterior to shield them from anyone in seeing their weaker side. Eventually the walls crumble and their friendship blossoms. What makes Rizzoli & Isles friendship so enjoyable is the large differences in their personalities. Rizzoli is a family person and we watch her get married, get pregnant, and have a child, as well as dealings with her very colorful Italian parents and siblings throughout the series. She often has to find a balance between her family life and her job and they often overlap with interesting consequences. On the other hand, Isles has virtually no family and falls in love with men that are very unattainable, such as the very untouchable Father Daniel Brophy, a Catholic priest.

Isles’ family ties are very complicated in the fact that her mother is estranged for reasons that I won’t elaborate here and she didn’t know she had a sister until the midway into the series (details on both relationships go into greater detail in Body Double). Isles desire to have a family develops as the series progresses and late in the series she becomes a surrogate mother to a teenage boy that she shares a hair-raising adventure with in Ice Cold. Tess Gerritsen is a doctor turned novelist and has been very successful with the changeover. Her medical background adds to the science experience that many of us techno junkies love to relish, though I do have to say that the medical jargon does seem to thin out as the series progresses. Tess Gerritsen is an excellent writer and you can’t lose with this series. The series should be read in order. Simon’s pick: Most Favorite Novel in the Series-The Apprentice, because I probably would pick the The Surgeon as my favorite but it does not have Maura Isles in it, so to be true to the Rizzoli & Isles series, The Apprentice is the next best choice.

Least Favorite Novel in the Series–Ice Cold, I like the setting in Boston for the other books in the series and much of the setting of this novel was in Wyoming. It is a minor point but I had to pick on something, because I really like all the books in the series. What about the science? Gerritsen was a practicing physician before she took up the pen to write fictional novels. She took up the cause when she took time off on maternity leave, and in between changing diapers and burping the baby, she found time to write some very good thrillers. She started with romantic thrillers and naturally gravitated to medical thrillers with the Rizzoli & Isles series being more on the side of a forensic thriller. So the the vast majority of the science in the series is in the area of medical science. The Maura Isles Technical Word in Review: Lewis Triple Response– is a skin inflammatory response that was first recognized by cardiologist Sir Thomas Lewis in 1924 when a blunt object brushed up against skin. The first response is formation of a red line on the skin also referred to as the FLUSH which occurs as a result of the dilation of the capillaries under the surface of the skin.

The second response is the skin turning bright red in an irregular pattern that surrounds the area of impact also referred to as the FLARE and is due to the dilation of the arterioles (small blood vessels that branch out from an artery). The final response is the formation of the WHEAL which is an elevation of the skin which is usually referred to as a welt, and is a result of protein enriched fluid that released from the capillary to fill in the interstitial space between skin and muscle. Moments later, when Isles lifted the right arm, she spotted the marks on the side of the chest. Beneath the magnifying lens, two faint red bumps stood out. Isles ran her gloved finger over the skin. “Wheals,” she said. “It’s a Lewis Triple Response.” “Lewis what?” asked Rizzoli. “Lewis Triple Response. It’s a signature effect on the skin. First you see erythema-red spots-and then a flare caused by cutaneous arteriolar dilatation. And finally, in the third stage, wheals pop up due to increased vascular permeability.” “It looks like to me a Taser mark,” said Rizzoli. Isles nodded.

“Exactly…” –The Apprentice Books in the Series by Order: Vote for your favorite Forensic Thriller on the Forensic Fiction List on Goodreads Listopia. Most Favorite in the series: Die Again with a score of 4.21 Least Favorite in the series: The Mephisto Club with a score of 4.01 Based on overall ratings from Goodreads, Barnes and Nobles, Library Thing and Amazon (US & UK) (Doesn’t include novellas) Winner of the 2001 Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Suspense Novel Winner of the 2002 RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense Novel Listed #6 out of 130 on Goodreads Forensic Fiction Book List Listed #104 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List A Sample Clip of the Audiobook First Line: Today they will find her body. Characters Catherine Cordell: The single survivor of a serial killer Lawrence Zucker: Psychologist and criminal profiler Barry Frost: Rizzoli’s partner Darren Crowe: Homicide detective and nemesis to Rizzoli The Setting Boston, Massachusetts In Boston, there’s a killer on the loose.

A killer who targets lone women, who breaks into their apartments and performs terrifying ritualistic acts of torture on them before finishing them off. His surgical skills lead police to suspect he is a physician – a physician who, instead of saving lives, takes them. But as homicide detective Thomas Moore and his partner Jane Rizzoli begin their investigation, they make a startling discovery. Closely linked to these killings is Catherine Cordell, a beautiful medic with a mysterious past. Two years ago she was subjected to a horrifying rape and attempted murder but she shot her attacker dead. Now she is being targeted by the new killer who seems to know all about her past, her work, and where she lives. The man she believes she killed seems to be stalking her once again, and this time he knows exactly where to find her… “Blood was the first thing that she saw, bright ribbons of it streaming down the wall. Then she looked at her patient, sprawled face down on the floor. Nina had fallen halfway between the bed and the door, as though she had managed to stagger a few steps before collapsing.

Her IV was disconnected and a stream of saline dribbled from the open tube onto the floor, where it formed a clear pool next to the larger pool of red. He was here. The Surgeon was here.” From The Best Bad Reviews: Meghan from Goodreads gave Tess Gerritsen’s novel The Surgeon a two star rating. I almost forgot! I intensely dislike books with blank pages in between each chapter. Aside from the fact that is a serious waste of paper, the only real purpose I see is to truly separate the chapters. To force the reader to digest one chapter before plowing headfirst into the next. I find this slightly insulting. As ifI am unable to control my reading habits and need you to step in and stop me. Or as if my eyes might stray from reading the backside of one page and greedily begin reading the next page and spoil whatever mini-cliffhanger the chapter ended with. So, from the paper wasting standpoint, eBooks make the blank page presentation slightly less offensive. But frankly, they are a pain in the back side. Unlike a real book where two pages are presented to the reader at once and they will read the left side, then move to the right, an eBook only presents one page at a time.

So, If page 1 ends with a cliffhanger, it isn’t until I press the button that I see the next page. But, with the blank-page-between-each-chapter-books instead of taking me to the next chapter, there is an entirely blank screen, which never fails to make my brain think “what’s going on? Did my battery die?” and then have to click next page again. My point is, blank pages are dumb…quit it. To make your life a living hell! Looking for a review of The Surgeon? Check out: Listed #35 out of 130 on Goodreads Forensic Fiction Book List Listed #106 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List First Line: Today I watched a man die. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Det. Thomas Moore, Det. Barry Frost, Det. Darren Crowe and Dr.

Lawrence Zucker Maura Isles: The Boston Police Department Medical Examiner Agent Gabriel Dean: FBI agent sent to investigate and becomes a romantic interest for Jane Rizzoli Frankie Rizzoli: Jane’s older brother Frank Rizzoli: Jane’s father Angela Rizzoli: Jane’s mother Michael Rizzoli: Jane’s other brother The Setting Boston, Massachusetts Although serial killer Warren Hoyt is behind bars, a copycat acolyte continues his diabolical legacy of murders performed with twisted medical techniques, and Detective Jane Rizzoli races against time to stop the vicious crime spree. Looking for a review of The Apprentice? Check out: Listed #105 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List First Line: The driver refused to take him any farther. Notable Quote: Only the forgotten are truly dead. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, Det.

Darren Crowe, Frankie Rizzoli, Frank Rizzoli, Michael Rizzoli and Angela Rizzoli Daniel Brophy: Priest of Our Lady Devine Light, romantic subject of Isles Ursala Rowland: Nun at Our Lady Devine Light The Setting Boston, Massachusetts Within the walls of a cloistered convent, a scene of unspeakable carnage is discovered. On the snow lie two nuns, one dead, one critically injured – victims of a seemingly motiveless, brutally savage attack. Medical examiner Maura Isles’ autopsy of the murder victim yields a shocking surprise, but the case takes a disturbing twist. The body of another woman has been found. And someone has gone to a lot trouble to remove her face, hands and feet. As long buried secrets are revealed so Dr Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, find themselves part of an investigation that leads to an awful, dawning realization of the killer’s identity… Maura crossed over to cubicle #10, where the patient was getting her final sponge bath.

Standing at the foot of the bed, Maura watched the nurse peel back the sheets and remove Ursula’s gown, revealing not the body of an ascetic, but of a woman heavily indulged in meals, generous breasts spilling sideways, pale thighs heavy and dimpled. In life, she would have appeared formidable, her stout figure made even more imposing by her voluminous nun’s robes. Now, stripped of those robes, she was like any other patient. Death does not discriminate; whether saint or sinners, in the end, all are equal. Looking for a review of The Sinner?

Check out: Amazon Rating-US: 4.30 out of 5 stars based on 413 ratings Amazon Rating-UK: 4.50 out of 5 stars based on 209 ratings GoodReads Rating: 4.12 out of 5 stars based on 29,047 ratings Barnes & Nobel Rating: 4.08 out of 5 stars based on 430 ratings Library Thing Rating: 3.87 out of 4 stars based on 542 ratings Total Score 4.12 (updated 6/1/16) Winner of the 2004 Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Contemporary Mystery Novel Listed #101 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List A Sample Clip of the Audiobook First Line: Matty Purvis did not know if it was day or night. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, and Daniel Brophy The Setting Boston, Massachusetts Dr. Maura Isles makes her living dealing with death.

As a pathologist in a major metropolitan city, she has seen more than her share of corpses every day-many of them victims of violent murder. But never before has her blood run cold, and never has the grim expression “dead ringer” rung so terrifyingly true. Because never before has the lifeless body on the medical examiner’s table been her own. Yet there can be no denying the mind-reeling evidence before her shocked eyes and those of her colleagues, including Detective Jane Rizzoli: the woman found shot to death outside Maura’s home is the mirror image of Maura, down to the most intimate physical nuances. Even more chilling is the discovery that they share the same birth date and blood type. For the stunned Maura, an only child, there can be just one explanation. And when a DNA test confirms that Maura’s mysterious doppelganger is in fact her twin sister, an already bizarre murder investigation becomes a disturbing and dangerous excursion into a past full of dark secrets. Searching for answers, Maura is drawn to a seaside town in Maine where other horrifying surprises await. But perhaps more frightening, an unknown murderer is at large on a cross-country killing spree.

To stop the massacre and uncover the twisted truth about her own roots, Maura must probe her first living subject: the mother that she never knew . . . an icy and cunning woman who could be responsible for giving Maura life-and who just may have a plan to take it away. Looking for a review of Body Double?

Check out: Amazon Rating-US: 4.54 out of 5 stars based on 403 ratings Amazon Rating-UK: 4.67 out of 5 stars based on 197 ratings GoodReads Rating: 4.15 out of 5 stars based on 30,360 ratings Barnes & Nobel Rating: 4.30 out of 5 stars based on 423 ratings Library Thing Rating: 3.88 out of 4 stars based on 571 ratings Total Score 4.16 (updated 6/1/16) Winner of the 2005 Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Suspense Novel Winner of the 2006 Nero Wolfe Award Listed #103 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List A Sample Clip of the Audiobook First Line: My name is Mila, and this is my journey. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, Det.

Darren Crowe, Frank Rizzoli, Angela Rizzoli and Thomas Moore The Setting Boston, Massachusetts A blessed event becomes a nightmare for pregnant homicide detective Jane Rizzoli when she finds herself on the wrong side of a hostage crisis. A nameless, beautiful woman appears to be just another corpse in the morgue. An apparent suicide, she lies on a gurney, awaiting the dissecting scalpel of medical examiner Maura Isles. But when Maura unzips the body bag and looks down at the body, she gets the fright of her life. The corpse opens its eyes. Very much alive, the woman is rushed to the hospital, where with shockingly cool precision, she murders a security guard and seizes hostages . . . one of them a pregnant patient, Jane Rizzoli. Who is this violent, desperate soul, and what does she want? As the tense hours tick by, Maura joins forces with Jane’s husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, to track down the mysterious killer’s identity. When federal agents suddenly appear on the scene, Maura and Gabriel realize that they are dealing with a case that goes far deeper than just an ordinary hostage crisis.

Only Jane, trapped with the armed madwoman, holds the key to the mystery. And only she can solve it-if she survives the night. “These are slaves, serving against their will. Thousands of girls brought into the US where they simply vanish.” Looking for a review of Vanish? Check out: Amazon Rating-US: 4.53 out of 5 stars based on 435 ratings Amazon Rating-UK: 4.69 out of 5 stars based on 191 ratings GoodReads Rating: 4.15 out of 5 stars based on 32,874 ratings Barnes & Nobel Rating: 4.20 out of 5 stars based on 377 ratings Library Thing Rating: 3.85 out of 4 stars based on 574 ratings Total Score 4.16 (updated 6/1/16) Listed #80 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List A Sample Clip of the Audiobook First Line: They looked like the perfect family. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, Det.

Darren Crowe, Frank Rizzoli, Angela Rizzoli and Daniel Brophy Anthony Sansone: Wealthy and head of the Mephisto Club The Setting Boston, Massachusetts PECCAVI The Latin word is scrawled in blood at the scene of a young woman’s brutal murder: I HAVE SINNED. It’s a chilling Christmas greeting for Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli, who swiftly link the victim to controversial celebrity psychiatrist Joyce O’Donnell, Jane’s professional nemesis and member of a sinister cabal called the Mephisto Club. On top of Beacon Hill, the club’s acolytes devote themselves to the analysis of evil: Can it be explained by science? Does it have a physical presence? Do demons walk the earth? Drawing on a wealth of dark historical data and mysterious religious symbolism, the Mephisto scholars aim to prove a startling theory: that Satan himself exists among us. With the grisly appearance of a corpse on their doorstep, it’s clear that someone or something is indeed prowling the city. The members of the club begin to fear the very subject of their study.

Could this maniacal killer be one of their own or have they inadvertently summoned an evil entity from the darkness? Delving deep into the most baffling and unusual case of their careers, Maura and Jane embark on a terrifying journey to the very heart of evil, where they encounter a malevolent foe more dangerous than any they have ever faced . . . one whose work is only just beginning. Jane looked around the table at Sansone and his guest. The so-called Mephisto Club. Even though Maura claimed not to be part of it, there she was, seated in their circle. These people might think they understood evil, but they couldn’t recognized it, even when it was sitting right here at the same table. From The Best Bad Reviews: ‘If you like Tess…’ from Amazon gave Tess Gerritsen’s The Mephisto Club a 1 rating. It seems that her review is a bit of an oxymoron. this is a great book – story gives a different slant on the TV portrayal of the characters – but a great read Looking for a review of The Mephisto Club?

Check out: Amazon Rating-US: 4.29 out of 5 stars based on 580 ratings Amazon Rating-UK: 4.50 out of 5 stars based on 214 ratings GoodReads Rating: 4.00 out of 5 stars based on 24,262 ratings Barnes & Nobel Rating: 4.10 out of 5 stars based on 322 ratings Library Thing Rating: 3.73 out of 4 stars based on 551 ratings Total Score 4.01 (updated 6/1/16) #7-The Keepsake (Keeping the Dead-UK title)– 2008 Listed #91 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List A Sample Clip of the Audiobook First Line: He is coming for me. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, Det.

Darren Crowe, Frank Rizzoli, Angela Rizzoli and Daniel Brophy The Setting Boston, Massachusetts For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston’s Crispin Museum. Now its sudden rediscovery by museum staff is both a major coup and an attention-grabbing mystery. Dubbed “Madam X,” the mummy–to all appearances, an ancient Egyptian artifact– seems a ghoulish godsend for the financially struggling institution. But medical examiner Maura Isles soon discovers a macabre message hidden within the corpse–horrifying proof that this “centuries-old” relic is instead a modern-day murder victim. To Maura and Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, the forensic evidence is unmistakable, its implications terrifying. And when the grisly remains of yet another woman are found in the hidden recesses of the museum, it becomes chillingly clear that a maniac is at large–and is now taunting them.

Archaeologist Josephine Pulcillo’s blood runs cold when the killer’s cryptic missives are discovered, and her darkest dread becomes real when the carefully preserved corpse of yet a third victim is left in her car like a gruesome offering–or perhaps a ghastly promise of what’s to come. The twisted killer’s familiarity with post-mortem rituals suggests to Maura and Jane that he may have scientific expertise in common with Josephine. Only Josephine knows that her stalker shares a knowledge even more personally terrifying: details of a dark secret she had thought forever buried. Now Maura must summon her own dusty knowledge of ancient death traditions to unravel his twisted endgame. And when Josephine vanishes, Maura and Jane have precious little time to derail the Archaeology Killer before he adds another chilling piece to his monstrous collection. “He didn’t want to let them go, so he turned them into keepsakes that would last forever.” “So why kill them at all?” asked Detective Crowe. “Why not just keep them as prisoners?” Looking for a review of The Keepsake?

Check out: Amazon Rating-US: 4.40 out of 5 stars based on 390 ratings Amazon Rating-UK: 4.60 out of 5 stars based on 207 ratings GoodReads Rating: 4.08 out of 5 stars based on 23,074 ratings Barnes & Nobel Rating: 4.20 out of 5 stars based on 346 ratings Library Thing Rating: 3.83 out of 4 stars based on 447 ratings Total Score 4.09 (updated 6/3/16) #8-Ice Cold (The Killing Place, UK Edition) – 2010 First Line: She was the chosen one. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, Anthony Sansone, and Daniel Brophy Julian Perkins: Also nicknamed ‘Rat’, is a teenaged boy who befriends Maura Isles The Setting Boston, Massachusetts and Wyoming In Wyoming for a medical conference, Boston medical examiner Maura Isles joins friends on a spur-of-the-moment ski trip.

But when their SUV stalls on a snow-choked mountain road, the group seeks refuge in the remote village of Kingdom Come, where twelve eerily identical houses stand dark and abandoned. The town’s residents seem to have vanished, but footprints in the snow betray the presence of someone who still lurks in the cold darkness. Days later, Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli receives the grim news that Maura’s charred body has been found in a mountain ravine. Determined to learn what happened to her friend, Jane plunges into the twisted history of Kingdom Come. As horrifying revelations come to light, Jane closes in on an enemy both powerful and merciless-and the chilling truth about Maura’s fate. Looking for a review of Ice Cold? Check out: The queen of the dead had arrived. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, and Det. Barry Frost The Setting Boston, Massachusetts Homicide cop Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles have seen their fair share of mortal crimes, but the death of Kimberly Rayner may qualify as inhuman in more ways than one.

When corpse of the emaciated seventeen-year-old girl is discovered next to an empty coffin in an abandoned church, mysterious bruises around the throat suggest foul play. Caught fleeing the scene is the victim’s closest friend, Lucas Henry, an equally skeletal, pale teenager who claims he’s guilty only of having a taste for blood—a craving he shared with Kimberly. But the victim’s distraught father doesn’t believe in vampires, only vengeance. And now, another life may be at risk unless Rizzoli and Isles can uncover the astonishing truth. Looking for a review of Freaks? Check out: Listed #86 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List A Sample Clip of the Audiobook First Line: All day, I have been watching the girl. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, Frankie Rizzoli, Frank Rizzoli, Angela Rizzoli, Anthony Sansone, Daniel Brophy and Julian Perkins The Setting Boston, Massachusetts Every crime scene tells a story. Some keep you awake at night. Others haunt your dreams. The grisly display homicide cop Jane Rizzoli finds in Boston’s Chinatown will do both.

In the murky shadows of an alley lies a female’s severed hand. On the tenement rooftop above is the corpse belonging to that hand, a red-haired woman dressed all in black, her head nearly severed. Two strands of silver hair—not human—cling to her body. They are Rizzoli’s only clues, but they’re enough for her and medical examiner Maura Isles to make the startling discovery: that this violent death had a chilling prequel. Nineteen years earlier, a horrifying murder-suicide in a Chinatown restaurant left five people dead. But one woman connected to that massacre is still alive: a mysterious martial arts master who knows a secret she dares not tell, a secret that lives and breathes in the shadows of Chinatown. A secret that may not even be human. Now she’s the target of someone, or something, deeply and relentlessly evil. Cracking a crime resonating with bone-chilling echoes of an ancient Chinese legend, Rizzoli and Isles must outwit an unseen enemy with centuries of cunning—and a swift, avenging blade. How many bodies are lying here, she wondered. How many silent girls who will finally be able to speak? Suddenly she felt overwhelmed by the task ahead..

Looking for a review of Silent Girl? Check out: Dr. Maura Isles did not enjoy cocktail parties. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, and Det. Barry Frost The Setting Boston, Massachusetts Maura is at a party. A handsome man approaches. He’s charming and sophisticated. She flirts and drinks champagne. And then nothing. Total blackness. Nothing, that is, apart from these two facts: a man is dead and her address is found in his pocket . . . “Olmstead Park. A body was found on the bank of the Muddy River, just south of Leverett Pond.” “It’s not my case, not today. Why are you telling me about it?” “Because we have a reason to think you might know him.” Maura sat up straight, staring. “Who?” “That’s just it, we don’t know. There’s no wallet, no phone on the body. At the moment, he’s a John Doe.” “Why do you think I know him?” “Because we found your business card tucked into his breast pocket.” Looking for a review of John Doe?

Check out: Amazon Rating: 4.36 out of 5 stars based on 325 ratings Amazon Rating-UK: 4.35 out of 5 stars based on 210 ratings GoodReads Rating: 3.92 out of 5 stars based on 2,642 ratings Barnes & Nobel Rating: 4.00 out of 5 stars based on 130 ratings Library Thing Rating: 3.79 out of 4 stars based on 24 ratings Total Score 3.99 (updated 6/3/16) Listed #73 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List First Line: We call him Icarus. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, Det. Darren Crowe, Frankie Rizzoli, Frank Rizzoli, Angela Rizzoli, Anthony Sansone, Daniel Brophy and Julian Perkins The Setting Boston, Massachusetts 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. All killed within days of each other. Now it’s two years later, and the sole survivors of those families are attacked again. It’s like someone’s determined to wipe out the bloodlines. And these three kids will be the last to die. Looking for a review of Last to Die? Check out: Listed #58 out of 130 on Goodreads Forensic Fiction Book List Listed #93 out of 163 on Goodreads Science Thriller Book List Listed #51 out of 106 on Goodreads Best Medical Thriller Book List A Sample Clip of the Audiobook Check here for my review on Die Again First Line: In the slanting light of dawn I spot it, subtle as a watermark, pressed into the bare patch of dirt. Characters Jane Rizzoli, Dr. Maura Isles, Agent Gabriel Dean, Det. Barry Frost, Det.

Darren Crowe, Frank Rizzoli, and Angela Rizzoli Millie Jacobson: Member of the Botswana safari group Johnny Posthumus: The bush guide for the safari expedition Richard Renwick: Novelist of thrillers, boyfriend to Jacobson and me member of Botswana group Elliot Gott: Member of Botswana safari group and son to Leon Gott Leon Gott: Well know taxidermist, murder victim The Setting Boston, Massachusetts, Botswana, South Africa, and Maine When Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are summoned to a crime scene, they find a killing worthy of the most ferocious beast—right down to the claw marks on the corpse. But only the most sinister human hands could have left renowned big-game hunter and taxidermist Leon Gott gruesomely displayed like the once-proud animals whose heads adorn his walls. Did Gott unwittingly awaken a predator more dangerous than any he’s ever hunted? Maura fears that this isn’t the killer’s first slaughter, and that it won’t be the last. After linking the crime to a series of unsolved homicides in wilderness areas across the country, she wonders if the answers might actually be found in a remote corner of Africa.

Six years earlier, a group of tourists on safari fell prey to a killer in their midst. Marooned deep in the bush of Botswana, with no means of communication and nothing but a rifle-toting guide for protection, the terrified tourists desperately hoped for rescue before their worst instincts—or the wild animals prowling in the shadows—could tear them apart. But the deadliest predator was already among them, and within a week, he walked away with the blood of all but one of them on his hands. Now this killer has chosen Boston as his new hunting ground, and Rizzoli and Isles must find a way to lure him out of the shadows and into a cage. Even if it means dangling the bait no hunter can resist: the one victim who got away. “Six years ago, in the bush, I found out what it’s like to die.” I shake my head. “Don’t ask me to die again.” From The Best Bad Reviews: Paper or Kindle “I live to read!” on Amazon reviewed Tess Gerritsen’s novel Die Again and gave it a so-so rating. Personally I think the “missing bus stop” novel deserves a 5 star rating.

This isn’t the best book in the series, but it was gripping enough to make me miss my bus stop because I was so wrapped up in it. Dagnabbit! Another thriller does it again. Wikimedia Common Looking for a review of Die Again? Check out: Amazon Rating-US: 4.56 out of 5 stars based on 1,155 ratings Amazon Rating-UK: 4.67 out of 5 stars based on 568 ratings GoodReads Rating: 4.15 out of 5 stars based on 10,885 ratings Barnes & Nobel Rating: 4.40 out of 5 stars based on 60 ratings Library Thing Rating: 4.08 out of 4 stars based on 163 ratings Total Score 4.21 (updated 6/3/16) #12-I Have A Secret (Expected Release Date August 22, 2017) The crime scene is unlike any that Detective Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles have ever before encountered.

The woman lies in apparently peaceful repose on her bed, and Maura finds no apparent cause of death, but there is no doubt the woman is indeed dead. The victim’s eyes have been removed and placed in the palm of her hand, a gesture that echoes the terrifying films she produces. Is a crazed movie fan reenacting scenes from those disturbing films? When another victim is found, again with no apparent cause of death, again with a grotesquely staged crime scene, Jane and Maura realize the killer has widened his circle of targets. He’s chosen one particular woman for his next victim, and she knows he’s coming for her next. She’s the only one who can help Jane and Maura catch the killer. But she knows a secret. And it’s a secret she’ll never tell.

Question: Which crime writer created the fictional partnership of Rizzoli and Isles?
Answer: Tess Gerritsen