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Tess Gerritsen

Biography

Tess Gerritsen

International bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A Stanford University graduate, Tess went on to gain her MD at the University of California, San Francisco.

While on maternity leave as a physician, she began to write fiction. She published her first novel in 1987 and has since sold over 40 million copies of books in 40 countries, winning the Nero Wolfe Award and the RITA Award.

Her novels have been top-three US bestsellers and number-one bestsellers abroad. Critics worldwide praise her novels as “pulse-pounding fun” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “scary and brilliant” (Toronto Globe and Mail), and “polished, riveting prose” (Chicago Tribune). Publishers Weekly has dubbed her the “medical suspense queen.”

Her series featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the TNT television series "Rizzoli & Isles," starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.

Now retired from medicine, she lives in Maine and writes full time.

Books by Tess Gerritsen

by Tess Gerritsen - Espionage, Fiction, Thriller

When former spy Maggie Bird retired, she settled in for a quiet life with breathtaking views. But enemies from her past soon threatened to destroy everything. Maggie survived, thanks to her wits and the collective intelligence of the Martini Club. Their handiwork caught the attention of young police chief Jo Thibodeau. Now Jo and her neighborhood ex-spies have an uneasy alliance. After a teenager vanishes --- and Maggie’s neighbor becomes the prime suspect --- she joins the investigation, determined to prove her friend’s innocence. But the girl’s wealthy family pushes for an arrest. And when authorities discover a long-dead corpse in a nearby pond, the case becomes doubly complicated. As Jo grapples with two unexplained mysteries, the Martini Club races to uncover the truth behind shadowy secrets.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement. But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends --- all retirees from the CIA --- to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are newly plagued by what seems like a completely senseless murder. Sofia Suarez, a widow and nurse who was universally liked by her neighbors, lies bludgeoned to death in her own home. But anything can happen behind closed doors, and Sofia seemed to have plenty of secrets in her last days, making covert phone calls to traceless burner phones. When Jane finally makes a connection between Sofia and the victim of a hit-and-run from months earlier, the case only grows more blurry. What exactly was Sofia involved in? One thing is clear: The killer will do anything it takes to keep their secret safe.

by Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver - Fiction, Mystery

Taryn Moore is young, beautiful and brilliant. So why would she kill herself? When Detective Frankie Loomis arrives on the scene to investigate the girl’s fatal plunge from her apartment balcony, she knows in her gut there’s more to the story. Her instincts are confirmed when surprise information is revealed that could have been reason enough for Taryn’s suicide --- or a motive for her murder. To English professor Jack Dorian, Taryn was the ultimate fantasy: intelligent, adoring and completely off limits. But there was also a dark side to Taryn, a dangerous streak that threatened those to whom she turned her affections --- including Jack. And now that she’s dead, his problems are just beginning. After Frankie uncovers a trove of sordid secrets, it becomes clear that Jack may know the truth.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Supernatural Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

After an unspeakable tragedy in Boston, Ava Collette flees to a remote village in Maine, where she rents an old house named Brodie’s Watch. In that isolated seaside mansion, Ava finally feels at peace…until she glimpses the long-dead sea captain who still resides there. Rumor has it that Captain Jeremiah Brodie has haunted the house for more than a century. One night, Ava confronts the apparition, who feels all too real and welcomes her into his world --- and into his arms. Even as Ava questions her own sanity, she eagerly looks forward to the captain’s ghostly visits. But she soon learns that the house she loves comes with a terrible secret, a secret that those in the village don’t want to reveal: Every woman who has ever lived in Brodie’s Watch has also died there.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Two separate homicides, at different locations, with unrelated victims, have more in common than just being investigated by Boston PD detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles. In both cases, the bodies bear startling wounds, yet the actual cause of death is unknown. It’s a doubly challenging case for the cop and the coroner to be taking on. As Jane struggles to save her mother from the crumbling marriage that threatens to bury her, Maura grapples with the imminent death of her own mother --- infamous serial killer Amalthea Lank. While Jane tends to her mother, there’s nothing Maura can do for Amalthea, except endure one final battle of wills with the woman whose shadow has haunted her all her life.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

In a shadowy antiques shop in Rome, violinist Julia Ansdell happens upon a curious piece of music --- the Incendio waltz --- and is immediately entranced by its unusual composition. Back home in Boston, from the moment Julia’s bow moves across the strings, drawing the waltz’s fiery notes into the air, something strange is stirred. The music has a terrifying and inexplicable effect on her young daughter, who seems violently transformed. Convinced that the hypnotic strains of Incendio are weaving a malevolent spell, Julia sets out to discover the man and the meaning behind the score.

written by Tess Gerritsen; performed by Julia Whelan and Will Damron - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

In a shadowy antiques shop in Rome, violinist Julia Ansdell happens upon a curious piece of music --- the Incendio waltz --- and is immediately entranced by its unusual composition. Back home in Boston, from the moment Julia’s bow moves across the strings, drawing the waltz’s fiery notes into the air, something strange is stirred. The music has a terrifying and inexplicable effect on her young daughter, who seems violently transformed. Convinced that the hypnotic strains of Incendio are weaving a malevolent spell, Julia sets out to discover the man and the meaning behind the score.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Boston Detective Jane Rizzoli is on the case of a big game hunter found dead in his apartment. Medical examiner Maura Isles connects the case to a number of seemingly unrelated deaths where the victims have all been found hanging upside down. Rizzoli ultimately uncovers the unsolved mystery of a deadly camping safari in Botswana four years prior. When she realizes the two cases are connected, Rizzoli must track down the sole survivor of the tragic trip to discover who --- or what --- is behind these gruesome deaths.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

When several attempts on an orphan’s life prove to be part of a grisly plot, detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles take matters into their own hands. It's not just this one orphan in danger; an unspeakable secret dooms the children's fate unless Jane and Maura can finally put an end to an obsessed killer's twisted quest.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Thriller

Dr.Catherine Cordell has created a new life for herself as a successful surgeon in a Boston hospital. Two years ago she was the sole survivor of a serial killer in Savannah, and only the knowledge that he is dead has allowed her to rebuild her life. But when two Boston women are found murdered in a similar pattern, Catherine finds herself confronting not only demons from her past but also facing off against a madman who has his sights set on his next victim…her.

by Tess Gerritsen - Fiction, Mystery

In an alley lies a female’s severed hand. On the tenement rooftop above is the corpse belonging to that hand: a red-haired woman dressed all in black, her head nearly severed. Two strands of silver hair --- not human --- cling to her body. Cracking a crime resonating with bone-chilling echoes of an ancient Chinese legend, Rizzoli and Isles must outwit an unseen enemy with centuries of cunning --- and a swift, avenging blade.