A chilling murder story with detailed medical linings to garnish the plate of story cooked up in this book. It will make you think twice of stepping into an OR for any reason.
Women are found brutally murdered all over Boston; and they are all spotted with a similar pattern; whereby they have been drugged, had neat surgical incisions across their abdomens which were done while they were alive/conscious and had a neat slice across their throats.
There is always a neatly folded pair of nightclothes smudged with blood in a chair nearby and all the women have been found to have their uterus removed.
Detective Jane Rizzoli is on the scene; she is the main protagonist in all Tess Gerritsen’s books. Portrayed as the bold and unnerving policewoman who stands tall and proud in the male-dominated field, she will not allow herself to be intimidated by her sneering male colleagues and strives to prove herself in the field and to protect her own turf.
Her gender positioned her in a vulnerable and defensive mode and this was the front she showed to Detective Thomas Moore who was assigned to the same case. However, his cool and calm stature impressed her and soon, she found herself impressed by more than his professionalism at work.
Their investigations on the murders led them to a previous series of killings done by a killer who was dead for two years; Andrew Capra who had conducted his murders in the same manner and also following a certain pattern after he committed his murder.
Their search on Capra’s records led them to the beautiful Dr Catherine Cordell; who was Capra’s last and only surviving victim who was the one who shot him to death.
Dr Cordell was initially uncooperative as she was unwilling to relive her painful past that she had tried so hard to put behind and Detective Moore; who was working hard to solve the case, decided to try harder to persuade her and this led them closer, much to the dismay of Detective Rizzoli who now realized that she thinks more of Moore than just a friend.
However, when things took a worse turn and they realized that the killer is hot on Dr Cordell’s turn, they are led to believe that the killer seemed to be finishing off Capra’s unfinished business from the start and that the other victims were just his starters to brag to Cordell that she remains the main target.
As Detective Moore worries more about Cordell’s safety, he was drawn closer than the supposed line and he was retracted from the case by his superior.
Rizzoli pursued the case further, and they were left with no choice but to conduct a hypnosis on Dr Cordell to relive her past memories through medical works. She revealed a possible 2nd person present at the crime scene which suggested that the current killer could be a partner of Andrew Capra.
The investigation team then turned their attention onto Andrew Capra’s background and found out more about his records and revealed one of his close friends/lab partner during medical school who was expelled due to a disturbing past.
Hot on the trail, Rizzoli almost threw her own life away when she was pursuing the killer and her own vulnerability led her into the trap the killer set for her, while she was trying to rescue Cordell from the killer’s hands.
The killer was finally captured but Rizzoli could not brush the trauma of near-killed experience on herself.
It was truly chilling as you follow the killer’s mind when he committed all the murders and yet, it was intriguing and exciting as the detectives slowly uncover the true identity of the killer.
Of course, it was definitely a great thing when the psychotic killer is arrested and a tie-breaker for all at the end.
Another recommended read from Tess Gerritsen; and one thing is for sure, you will never walk into an OR or a laboratory feeling the same ever again!~
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