The Apprentice

by Tess Gerritsen

Ballantine, August, 2002.
Hardcover, 343 pages.
ISBN: 0345447859

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen

Boston is lucky to have serial killer Warren Hoyt, also known as The Surgeon, behind bars. Unfortunately, ghastly brutal murders very similar to the ones Hoyt committed are occurring again. Police detective Jane Rizzoli suspects an acolyte or copy-cat killer may be at large. Rizzoli is determined to find the new killer and prevent more deaths, and is less than pleased that the FBI has also joined in on the hunt for the killer. Rizzoli has her own beef with the FBI and with some of the men on the force, but the real battle is finding this new psychopath before he can kill again. As the serial killer manages to stay one step ahead of her, the personal danger greatly escalates for Rizzoli, when Hoyt himself escapes from prison determined to get revenge.

Tess Gerritsen, a medical doctor and author of the bestsellers Harvest and Bloodstream, is back with another serial killer novel involving detective Jane Rizzoli and Warren Hoyt, the serial killer from her previous novel, The Surgeon. Gerritsen excels at creating well-drawn characters, and her work has a sharp edge of realism with grisly autopsy scenes and extensive technical medical details which add greatly to the mise en scène. It is exciting to watch Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli back at work, battling not only to solve the crime but to also fight for her turf with the feds and with the male-centric investigative world. Tess Gerritsen is a terrific novelist, and her serial killer series is excellent. Fans of fast-paced and intense thriller novels will love The Apprentice.

The Apprentice is available for purchase on Amazon.com

Note: We may receive a commission from sales made through product links in this article.

This review was published in the December - January, 2003 of The Internet Writing Journal.