JCArticles

The Surgeon grabbed me and kept me reading. The suspense builds with every page. There are no dull moments, no holes in the plot. A serial killer is on the loose in Boston. He enters women's bedroom windows at night, chloroforms them and takes away the very thing that makes them female. While his victim is awake, tied to her own bed with duct tape, he cuts her with a scalpel, removes her uterus and then slashes her throat. Death comes while the victim watches her own blood spray from her throat. This story is even more chilling than Silence of the Lambs because this killer tells the victim exactly how he will torture and then kill her. He draws death out over several hours while the victim waits alert and in pain.

What sets this novel apart from other thrillers is Gerritsen's skill at bringing her characters to life. This is not just a shocking horror tale. The book opens from the killer's point of view. The reader understands his thoughts and motives. The terror of a rape survivor, even years after her attack is brilliantly written into Dr. Catherine Cordell's character, the only victim that lived through the surgeon's attack two years before this current series of killings. Catharine is virtually unable to function, crippled by terror after it becomes obvious that the surgeon has made the killings personal and Catharine is his target. Through detectives Thomas Moore and Jane Rizzoli, the reader develops an intimate understanding of the intricacies of the Boston Homicide Unit. The heat of Boston is a symbol for the heat between Catherine and detective Moore.

I was pleasantly surprised by the very satisfying ending of this fantastic murder thriller. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves a thrilling read.

I am a freelance writer and editor who gave up a career as a successful middle school teacher to write full time. I started the Storm of Thought Writing Center and am currently working on a thriller novel, several short stories and a children's novel. My publications include Dana Literary Society, and Thunder Sandwich. My articles about teaching, curricular materials and presentations have appeared in educational magazines such as Science Scope.

To learn more about my writing or the Storm of Thought Writing Center, visit http://www.trinaallen.com or http://spaces.msn.com/members/stormofthought/.