BODY DOUBLE [2004] By Tess Gerritsen
My Review Five Stars*****
In this fourth installment of the Rizzoli & Isles book series, Jane Rizzoli is married to Gabriel and expecting their first child while her professional colleague Dr. Maura Isles is just returning from a brief stay in Paris, France for a medical conference. Maura is late getting home from her flight because of a series of annoying delays both before take-off and later at the airport terminal after landing. She eventually arrives at her house to find the whole area lit up like a Christmas Tree with police cars, emergency medical vehicles, and the coroner’s van. When the first person on the scene spots Maura the expression on his face is like he’s seen a ghost. Dr. Isles doesn’t initially understand what is happening around her, but she too is shocked when she finds out that a woman who could be her identical twin was shot to death execution style in front of her house. Everyone in attendance at the scene who knows Maura is convinced that she was murdered.
I became familiar with the word “unputdownable” a while back and frankly I was turning pages so fast on this one I’m surprised I didn’t get pulled over for speeding.
Fans who have read the series from its beginning will not only be riveted by this bestselling entry in the Rizzoli & Isles series but will also find this particular novel both exciting and truly fascinating. I have been a fan of Gerritsen’s since she made the NYT Bestseller List with her debut medical thriller HARVEST in 1996. However, it wasn’t until last year that I committed to reading her novels in the order of their publication (Medical Thrillers and Rizzoli & Isles to be specific). Naturally there are the inevitable re-reads but HARVEST for instance thrilled me all the way to my toes all over again. There is always a reader who will post the question whether or not he or she should read the prior installments first or if it makes a difference. Can a reader enjoy BODY DOUBLE as a standalone novel? Absolutely. However, I would never recommend to any reader NOT to start at the beginning of the series. I tend to think of plucking an installment out of any series to enjoy as a standalone as reading it in a vacuum.
BODY DOUBLE is just an outstanding reading experience. It was released going on two decades ago. That said, it is still an integral part of the series because it continues the character development of the two principal protagonists and the arcs of the relationships that form among the recurring characters. For example, at this juncture Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles work together amicably and respect one another professionally. But they are not yet friends with one another. More importantly, no reader could in my opinion fully appreciate the fleshing out of Maura’s back story, her genetic heritage, and the details of her past without first reading about the introduction of Maura Isles to the storyline. The “Queen of the Dead” was initially featured in THE APPRENTICE (Rizzoli & Isles Book 2) but at first blush she was an intriguing green-eyed dark beauty who was self-absorbed, detached, and a character that readers wanted to know more about. The author began fleshing out the enigmatic Maura in THE SINNER (Book 3), but it is in this fourth novel that Gerritsen truly excels in fully realizing the character of Dr. Maura Isles.
I loved this book and it was absolutely riveting from the first line to the period that ended the final sentence. Maura was adopted as an infant by a pair of loving parents, and knows virtually nothing about her genetic heritage. The lynchpin of the plot is Maura’s search for the answer to this question. The woman executed in her car in the front of Maura’s home proves to be her identical twin after DNA testing is performed. The answer to her search for the truth about her birth mother and father is a path that is littered with land mines and unimaginable horrors. The physically awkward very pregnant Jane Rizzoli is there all the way as layer after layer of the horrifying truth is gradually dragged out of the shadows of the past into the bright light of present day. The current execution style homicide of her identical twin is just the tip of the ice berg. The “Queen of the Dead” and the investigative team led by Rizzoli are up to their eyeballs in bodies as the compelling narrative unfolds.
The remorseless psychopaths in this book are refreshingly original and totally chilling. The plot twists are artfully crafted and both shocking and surprising. In my opinion, this is the best of the first four installments of Rizzoli & Isles. I am reminded of Lisa Gardner’s works at the pinnacle of her career with a dash of Slaughter. Gerritsen is without question an exceptional talent in the field of crime fiction and she is on par with the best of the best.
I am also working my way through her early medical thrillers, ready to cue download on BLOODSTREAM [1998]. Honestly, I am trying to pace myself with reading her book series because I enjoy each one so tremendously that I want to prolong the pleasure for as long as possible.
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Top reviews from other countries
And Maz
Tess Gerritson writes with such depth of character.
Reviewed in Canada on April 3, 2024
