The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

In Boston, there's a killer on the loose. A killer who targets lone women, who breaks into their apartments and performs terrifying ritualistic acts of torture on them before finishing them off. His surgical skills lead police to suspect he is a physician - a physician who, instead of saving lives, takes them. But as homicide detective Thomas Moore and his partner Jane Rizzoli begin their investigation, they make a startling discovery. Closely linked to these killings is Catherine Cordell, a beautiful medic with a mysterious past. Two years ago she was subjected to a horrifying rape and attempted murder but she shot her attacker dead. Now she is being targeted by the new killer who seems to know all about her past, her work, and where she lives. The man she believes she killed seems to be stalking her once again, and this time he knows exactly where to find her.

This is my first book in the The Great Transworld Crime Caper blog challenge and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I couldn't put the book down and read it in two days.

The main characters in this book is Jane Rizzoli and Thomas Moore and they are sent to investigate the case of a woman who has been killed. The case has many similarities to a case two years previous - however, in that case the murderer was shot by the victim and killed, so who is carrying out these copycat crimes. The victim who shot the 'murderer' has survived and it becomes apparent throughout the book that this victim, Catherine Cordell, is linked to this new set of murders with 'The Surgeon' teasing her with pictures of his victims and hints as to his next move.

I found the book to be fast paced and gripping. It is very detailled in places, especially with the descriptions of the crimes and the fate of the victims told in gruesome detail - however I do not think that this should be off putting to readers as it adds to the story. The story is intertwines with flashbacks to the past and also to 'The Surgeon's' thoughts which help to narrate some of the story.

I really did enjoy this book, and as I previously said, I couldn't put the book down. Tess Gerritsen is an author I will definitely reading more, although not when I am on my own!

Thank you to Lynsey Dalladay for setting up this challenge and introducing me to new authors.