The bestselling author of THE SURGEON returns --- and so does
that chilling novel's diabolical villain. Though held behind bars,
Warren Hoyt still haunts a helpless city, seeming to bequeath his
evil legacy to a student all-too-diligent . . . and
all-too-deadly.

THE APPRENTICE

it is a boiling hot Boston summer. Adding to the city's woes is a
series of shocking crimes, in which wealthy men are made to watch
while their wives are brutalized. A sadistic demand that ends in
abduction and death.

The pattern suggests one man: serial killer Warren Hoyt, recently
removed from the city's streets. Police can only assume an acolyte
is at large, a maniac basing his attacks on the twisted medical
techniques of the madman he so admires. At least that's what
Detective Jane Rizzoli thinks. Forced again to confront the killer
who scarred her --- literally and figuratively --- she is
determined to finally end Hoyt's awful influence . . . even if it
means receiving more resistance from her all-male homicide
squad.

But Rizzoli isn't counting on the U.S. government's sudden
interest. Or on meeting Special Agent Gabriel Dean, who knows more
than he will tell. Most of all, she isn't counting on becoming a
target herself, once Hoyt is suddenly free, joining his mysterious
blood brother in a vicious vendetta. . . .

Filled with superbly created characters --- and the medical and
police procedural details that are her trademark --- THE APPRENTICE
is Tess Gerritsen at her brilliant best. Set in a stunning world
where evil is easy to learn and hard to end, this is a thriller by
a master who could teach other authors a thing or two.

© Copyright 2003 by Tess Gerritsen. Reprinted with
permission by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved.