Memphis Reads Archive

This selection was recently a Popular Library ("7-day") book. The reviewer wanted to make sure you did not miss this noteworthy title. You can now check it out for 21 days!

I learn about the best books from library customers. Recently, a customer suggested Tess Gerritsen's medical thrillers, which she described as more detailed than Patricia Cornwell's.

I am starting with VANISH, even though it is the fifth entry in Gerritsen's Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles series (after THE SURGEON, THE APPRENTICE, THE SINNER, & BODY DOUBLE). After a long day's work, Boston medical examiner Maura Isles hears a noise from the morgue's cold storage. She discovers that a young woman is still alive in one of the body bags. After a quick recovery in a nearby emergency room, the young woman kills a security guard and takes Maura's friend Jane Rizzoli hostage. In order to save Jane, Maura must uncover dark secrets from the young woman's past.

I enjoy learning about authors, their careers and family lives. According to Gerritsen's website, she was awarded her M.D. in 1979 and began writing fiction while on maternity leave from her position as a physician. CALL AFTER MIDNIGHT, her first novel, was released in 1987. Eight more romantic thrillers followed. In 1996, Gerritsen published HARVEST, her first medical thriller and her first appearance on THE NEW YORK TIMES Best Sellers List. Her website features a blog in which she discusses the craft of writing, polishing her latest manuscript (THE MEPHISTO CLUB), and dealing with nasty reviewers.

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The Library's online databases contain a wealth of information about novelists. I often consult BIOGRAPHY RESOURCE CENTER for biographical sketches and book reviews. If you need help logging into the databases, please call 901-415-2700.

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For your consideration:

• What do you enjoy most about reading Tess Gerritsen's novels?


• How do Gerritsen's Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles compare with some of your favorites heroines?


• Who writes the best medical thrillers: Gerritsen, Patricia Cornwell or Robin Cook?


• How do you learn about good books?

Doris Dixon, Raleigh Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Doris Dixon, Suspense