Penzler Pick, August 2001: Tess Gerritsen left a very successful career as an internist to raise her children and devote more time to writing. After several books that have had moderate success, Gerritsen has now written a gruesome and frightening story that should put her among the top women thriller writers working today.

A serial killer is on the loose in Boston. The victims are killed in a particularly nasty way: cut with a scalpel on the stomach, the intestines and uterus removed, and then the throat slashed. The killer obviously has medical knowledge and has been dubbed "the Surgeon" by the media. Detective Thomas Moore and his partner Rizzoli of the Boston Homicide Unit have discovered something that makes this case even more chilling. Years ago in Savannah a serial killer murdered in exactly the same way. He was finally stopped by his last victim, who shot him as he tried to cut her. That last victim is Dr. Catherine Cordell, who now works as a cardiac surgeon at one of Boston's prestigious hospitals. As the murders continue, it becomes obvious that the killer is drawing closer and closer to Dr. Cordell, who is becoming so frightened that she is virtually unable to function. But she is the only person who can help the police catch this copycat killer. Or is it a copycat? To complicate matters even further, Detective Moore, often referred to as Saint Thomas as he continues to mourn the loss of his wife, is getting emotionally involved with the doctor.

The suspense in The Surgeon is almost unbearable. The writing is superb and the stunning twists and turns make it almost impossible to put down. -- Otto Penzler


From Publishers Weekly
A creepy cerebral serial killer vaguely reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter pursues a charismatic female doctor in this thoroughly satisfying if somewhat derivative thriller. Skillfully drawn surgical backdrops sizzling with ER intensity balance out the obligatory romantic intrigue and familiar plucky police professionals, attesting to Gerritsen's authentic medical expertise as a former physician. Dr. Catherine Cordell, the main character in this chilling tale, thought she had shot and killed her rapist and would-be murderer two years earlier in steamy Savannah, where he was a surgery intern at her hospital. Now, in Boston, as another hot summer begins, he appears to have miraculously returned and embarked once again on his grisly mission: he rapes women, then surgically removes their wombs. As two intrepid detectives Thomas Moore and Jane Rizzoli investigate, Cordell begins to doubt her own memories (or lack of) and discovers that not even her OR is safe. Gliding as smoothly as a scalpel in a confident surgeon's hand, this tale proves that Gerritsen (Harvest; Life Support; Bloodstream; Gravity), originally a romance writer, has morphed into a dependable suspense novelist whose growing popularity is keeping pace with her ever-finer writing skills. (Sept.)Forecast: National print advertising in People, the New York Times and USA Today, plus a major promotion campaign, will ratchet Gerritsen's sales up yet another notch. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In this frighteningly suspenseful tale, Detective Tom Moore and his partner Jane Rizzoli try to discover who is playing "surgeon" in Boston, and why. A serial killer strikes, butchering his female victims with a precision that indicates he has expert medical knowledge. Some years ago in Savannah, GA, a serial killer murdered women in exactly the same way, until his last victim, Dr. Catherine Cordell, who now works in Boston, shot and killed him. As the investigation progresses, Cordell is brought in to help. The Surgeon is a fascinating medical story with a gripping plot and rich, complex characters. Christine Marshall's clear and thoughtful reading adds to the depth and level of suspense. Highly recommended. Denise A. Garofalo, Astor Learning Ctr., Rhinebeck, NYCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Christine Louise Marshall reads this hold-your-breath medical thriller that is not for the light of heart. Dr. Catherine Cordell works a hard and joyless life as an emergency room trauma physician in order to blot out the horror of the serial rapist-murderer she killed in self-defense two years earlier in Georgia. Now a new evil has appeared in Boston, performing atrocities that could only be known by Cordell's dead assailant. In the sections told from the killer's perspective, Christine Marshall is not as effective or believable as she is in the third-person narrative. Throughout the rest of the book, however, Marshall's piercing and powerful reading gives the listener an unforgettable roller-coaster ride. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
After an almost brutal confrontation with trauma surgeon Catherine Cordell, detective Jane Rizzoli, the only woman in the Boston Police's homicide unit, observes that "there's cool, and then there's ice." Before moving to Boston, Cordell was raped in her Savannah, Georgia, home and would have had her uterus cut out if she hadn't freed herself and shot her assailant before he completed his surgical procedures. Later in Boston, three other women weren't as plucky. Since Andrew Capra, the surgeon who almost killed Cordell, was himself killed, who is playing "surgeon" in Boston, and why? The answers to those questions come out bit by bit. In the process, detective Tom Moore and Cordell fall in love, and the head of the homicide unit sends him off to Savannah, ostensibly to investigate the Capra murder scene but in reality to get him away from Cordell. While perusing Capra's class picture in an Emory Medical School yearbook, Moore finds the key to both the "surgeon" and his motivation. Back in Boston, Rizzoli mistakenly kills an unarmed assailant, gets dismissed to the Boston equivalent of Coventry, but ultimately saves Cordell from the "surgeon," though she almost loses her own life. Gerritsen fans know by now what to expect from her: a fascinating story with a gripping plot and believably human characters. Such is The Surgeon, and, in places, then some. Let new readers learn what the fans delight in. William Beatty
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“A BRISKLY PACED, TERRIFICALLY SUSPENSEFUL WORK THAT STEADILY BUILDS TOWARD A TENSE AND TERRIFYING CLIMAX.”
–People (Page-turner of the week)

“THIS IS A STORY THAT TERRIFIES AND HEARTENS ALL AT ONCE. WHAT A RIDE!”
–IRIS JOHANSEN

“CREEPY . . . WILL EXERT A POWERFUL GRIP ON READERS.”
–Chicago Tribune

“ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING . . .
The finest, most thrilling Gerritsen novel yet. . . . I lost most of a night’s sleep finishing the book and the rest of the night trying to calm down. This is a story you’ll be talking up and thinking about for months to come. The tension is white-knuckle, the writing as deft as a surgeon’s slice.”
–MICHAEL PALMER, M.D.
Author of The Patient

“There is something perversely addictive about Tess Gerritsen’s prose, packed with narrative energy . . . The eyes simply cannot be torn away from the page. The pages turn one by one. The light stays on past midnight. A gradual tingling creeps up the back of the neck until every hair is standing on end.”
–Maine Sunday Telegram

“Top-grade thriller-diller from Gerritsen . . . Sharp characters stitch your eye to the page. An all-nighter.”
–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Gerritsen fans know by now what to expect from her: a fascinating story with a gripping plot and believably human characters. Such is The Surgeon, and, in places, then some. Let new readers learn what the fans delight in.”
–Booklist

“Compelling . . . Tautly plotted . . . Every bit as good as, if not better than, the novels of Robin Cook.”
–Chattanooga Times

“FAST PACED AND ENTHRALLING.”
–The Midwest Book Review

“Be prepared to have your heart race and your pulse pound, as Tess Gerritsen takes you on a trip to the nightmare world of The Surgeon. . . . If it’s high-voltage suspense you’re after, you’ve found the right book.”
–Romantic Times

“Sizzling with ER intensity . . . Gliding as smoothly as a scalpel in a confident surgeon’s hand, this tale proves that Gerritsen, originally a romance writer, has morphed into a dependable suspense novelist whose growing popularity is keeping pace with her ever-finer writing skills.”
–Publishers Weekly

“Move Tess Gerritsen into the upper echelon. In fact, reserve a spot for her near the top of the list. . . . [This is] a remarkable book, highlighted by exquisite characterizations, perfectly paced plotting, and I-can’t-put-this-book-down-yet suspense.”
–The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA)

“Few authors create such evil as well as Maine’s Tess Gerritsen. . . . [She] is a masterful storyteller who clearly understands how to write a suspenseful mystery.”
–Times Record (Brunswick, ME)

“GRIPPING . . . THIS BOOK WILL BLOW YOU AWAY. . . .[Gerritsen] develops the story at a frenetic pace, keeping the reader on fire.”
–Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT)

“Terrifying, riveting, an all-around great read . . . [The Surgeon] starts off quickly, gets progressively faster (and more frightening), and there’s no letting up until the final and very satisfying last page.”
–Snitch

“Exhilarating. I find myself still reeling from the chase and the terror of this suspenseful tale. I wanted to look away yet found myself so engrossed that I could not. Everything in my life took a second seat as I raced through this new book by Tess Gerritsen.”
–“I Love A Mystery” newsletter

“Fast-paced and exciting . . . One of the best of Gerritsen’s medical thrillers . . . Don’t read it at the hospital; it might give you nightmares.”
–The Pilot (Southern Pines, NC)

“Riveting . . . You’ll double-check the locks on your door at night while reading [The Surgeon].”
–The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO)


Review
"Gerritsen fans know by now what to expect from her: a fascinating story with a gripping plot and believably human characters. Such is The Surgeon, and, in places, then some. Let new readers learn what the fans delight in.

-Booklist


"Gliding as smoothly as a scalpel in a confident surgeon's hand, this tale proves that Gerritsen...has morphed into a...suspense novelist whose growing popularity is keeping pace with her ever-finer writing skills."

-Publisher's Weekly


From the Hardcover edition.

ANNOTATION

In her most masterful novel of medical suspense, New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen creates a villain of unforgettable evil--and the one woman who can catch him before he kills again.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In her most masterful novel of medical suspense, New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen creates a villain of unforgettable evil--and the one woman who can catch him before he kills again.

SYNOPSIS

Filled with the authentic detail that is the trademark of this doctor turned author ... and peopled with rich and complex characters--from the ER to the squad room to the city morgue--here is a thriller of unprecedented depth and suspense. Exposing the shocking link between those who kill and cure, punish and protect, The Surgeon is Tess Gerritsen's most exciting accomplishment yet

FROM THE CRITICS

Stephen King

Tess Gerritsen Is An Automatic Must-Read In My House. . . . What Anne Rice is to vampires, Gerritsen is to the tale of medical suspense.

Tami Hoag

The Surgeon grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until its hair-raising finish.

Michael Palmer

Wonderfully crafted and absolutely terrifying, The Surgeon is the finest, most thrilling Gerritsen novel yet, and that, my friends, is really saying something. I lost most of a night's sleep finishing the book and the rest of the night trying to calm down. This is a story you'll be talking up and thinking about for months to come. The tension is white-knuckle, the writing as deft as a surgeon's slice.

John Saul

Life Support Grabs You And Holds You From Page One. . . . Be prepared to drop all your obligations until you finish.

Los Angeles Times