The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen

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(Mass Market Paperback - Reprint)

Reader Rating: (10 ratings)

 
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Synopsis

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.

Publishers Weekly

For the first time since she moved from mass market originals to hardcover (with 1996's Harvest), Gerritsen offers a sequel to last year's bestselling The Surgeon. It's a smart move, as in that novel this popular author introduced a terrific lead character, Jane Rizzoli, a female Boston homicide detective who rivals Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta for intensity and complexity. Her nemesis, serial killer Warren Hoyt, aka the Surgeon, whom Rizzoli sent to prison, returns here, too; that's not so terrific, as he's basically a Hannibal Lecter clone, though Gerritsen does pair him up this time with a second serial killer, known among cops as the Dominator. The discovery of the corpse of one of the Dominator's victims in a ritzy Boston suburb gets the action moving. Rizzoli notes connections between the Dominator's handiwork and that of Hoyt, and visits Hoyt behind bars. Eventually it's revealed that Hoyt and the Dominator have contacted one another by mail. Hoyt escapes and links up with the Dominator, and it's no surprise that Rizzoli is their number one target. The novel is suspenseful and stuffed with an encyclopedia's worth of tightly detailed forensic lore. Rizzoli gets a new love interest (Hoyt killed her last one, in The Surgeon), an FBI agent, which is handled with realism and subtlety, but her fuming at man's inhumanity to woman may grate on male readers. There are first-person italicized passages from Hoyt's point of view, a genre clich , and at times the grisliness of the murders tends toward sensationalism. This strong thriller should sell very well, but it's not Gerritsen's best. (Aug. 20) Forecast: The return of Rizzoli, a major ad/promo campaign and an 8-city author tour should counterbalance any less-than-enthusiastic word of mouth. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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Biography

Tess Gerritsen left a successful practice as an internist to raise her children and concentrate on her writing. She gained nationwide acclaim for her first novel of medical suspense, the New York Times bestseller Harvest. She is also the author of the bestsellers Life Support, Bloodstream, Gravity, and The Surgeon. Tess Gerritsen lives in Maine.


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Apprenticeby Anonymous

Reader Rating:

April 27, 2005: Crime scene eerily familiar. The nightgown neatly folded on the chair in the bedroom. That was all Jane Rizzoli needed to be reminded of her ordeal with The Surgeon. Warren Hoyt was behind bars, but someone was carrying out his legacy. Although this time the victims are couples, the husband found with his neck slashed and the wife abducted and raped before her dead body is dumped days after,the murderer would leave the woman?s nightgown in the room as a taunt to the authorities. Just as Hoyt had done. The trepidation heightens when Hoyt escapes from prison to unite with his blood brother and together, they carry out their murderous fantasies. The body count rises, but these murders were just a prelude to claiming the most desirable prize of all ? Jane Rizzoli. Author Gerritsen has done it again. She has successfully roused the heartbeat to thump faster and reducing the reader to bite one?s nails. There is fear at every turn. The gore does not leave you disgusted, it makes you crave for more. She gives insight into the minds of the criminals. Her medical and forensics explanation is to the point and easy to comprehend. But Jane Rizzoli?s ` I have to prove myself to these dicks?? attitude is getting a little stale that one feels like grabbing her by the shoulders and yelling `? Get over it. Just be YOURSELF?? There is a throw in of a romance potential for Rizzoli that will have readers crying out for more, so Gerritsen is certain of a loyal following. But there will be frowns etched on reader?s faces as some would be dissatisfied with the abrupt volatile ending and the view that this book is just a rehash of THE SURGEON. Not much information is provided regarding the dominator, who appears for a brief second before he meets a bloodspray. Apart from the off-putting remarks, this book is a sure thing for those who want to be thrilled to their toes and ruin a perfect set of manicured nails. ?Suhainah Wahiduddin ?

Apprenticeby Anonymous

Reader Rating:

December 05, 2004: This book is GREAT. I have never read one of her books and I picked this one up, now I am asking for all of her books for Christmas. She is a remarkable writer. Very exciting and it shakes you up a little...I've never read a book by a better author. I totally recommend this book.