The Surgeon: Tess Gerritsen

He slips into their homes at night and walks silently into bedrooms where women lie sleeping, about to awake to a living nightmare. The precision of the killer’s methods suggests he is a deranged man of medicine, propelling the Boston newspapers to name him “The Surgeon.” The cops’ only clue rests with the victim of a nearly identical crime. Two years ago, Catherine Cordell fought back and killed her attacker before he could complete his assault. Now this new killer is re-creating, with chilling accuracy, the details of Cordell’s own ordeal. With every new murder he seems to be taunting her, cutting ever closer, from her hospital to her home. Her only comfort comes from Thomas Moore, the detective assigned to the case. But even Moore cannot protect Cordell from a brilliant hunter who somehow understands – and savors – the secret fears of every woman he kills…

A serial killer is on the loose in Boston. The victims are being chosen based on their pasts and once they are captured, they endure the horrible fate of being cut, mutilated, their uteruses removed and throats slashed. It is known to police that the killer has medical knowledge because of how the uteruses are removed and the parts stitched (if he stitches them at all.)

The horrifying memories flood back to the survivor of a serial killer, Dr. Catherine Cordell, who now works as a cardiac surgeon in Boston. Two years ago in Savannah, a serial killer named Andrew Capra tried to murder her the exact same way, only she survived by killing him. Detectives Thomas Moore and Jane Rizzoli of the Boston Homicide Unit are on the case and discover her horrifying past, and investigate her to see if she has any knowledge of the murders or the identity of the killer.

Catherine fears the worse. The killer is leaving clues, and she knows that it is only a matter of time before he comes for her. The only man she can trust is Detective Moore, who is still grieving over the loss of his wife. He tries to help Cordell only to find that his emotions are getting involved.

The characters are awesome, and you could almost feel their emotions. They were easy to relate to -- with Moore’s grief of losing a loved one and trying to move on – but I especially related with Rizzoli. I understood her feelings of not being good enough for the force because she was a woman (growing up with five brothers, I know where she is coming from), and constantly being the butt of the mens' jokes. And who can’t relate to her jealousy over losing Moore to Cordell?

Figuring out the killer’s identity really kept me turning the pages. Throughout the book, I thought it was Cordell but the author would throw me for a loop with another new clue. The suspense in The Surgeon will keep you going right up until the end. I highly recommend this for someone looking to stay up all night chasing a serial killer.

-------------------------------------
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (July 30, 2002)
ISBN-10: 0345447840
ISBN-13: 978-0345447845
Buy the Book