The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen

A year after the intense cat and mouse chase that culminated in the imprisonment of  Warren 'The Surgeon' Hoyt, Detective Jane Rizzoli finds herself facing a series of  murders that are uncomfortably familiar. With traits similar to the surgeons exactly what is Rizzoli dealing with- an admirer? a copy cat? or worse an Apprentice? The novel follows Rizzoli as she faces the trauma of the past and breaks down the demons that stand before her. Joined by the guarded and secretive Agent Gabriel Dean and introducing Maura Isles- can the team stop the Apprentice before they become fully qualified? 

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen is the second book in the Rizzoli & Isles series. I read the first book, The Surgeon a while back and rather enjoyed it, though I did find it somewhat predictable in parts. The Apprentice is an indirect follow on novel from The Surgeon,  although the novels are separate and depict different killers, you will benefit from reading them sequentially in order to fully understand the connection between the Surgeon, the Apprentice and Jane Rizzoli. 

The novel is fast paced and suspenseful. The former career of author Tess Gerritsen means the novel is  full of police and forensic references that give the book an heir of authenticity. There are many twists and turns throughout that keep the reader on their toes. There were many events that I didn't anticipate. I enjoyed the novel in terms of the plot and how the two killers interacted and connected. I was less keen on the other characters and their connections.

As in the former novel I found the characters to be a little predictable. The members of the police force were very stereotypical and the relationship between FBI Agent Dean and Detective Rizzoli felt unnecessarily sexual at times. As in the first novel, it felt like a romantic storyline was shoe-horned in and it didn't sit naturally. 

I've never seen the TV show Rizzoli & Isles but I remember seeing it advertised and it appealed to me as an easy to watch crime caper. I expected Isles to be a more prominent character from the off set but it seems that she must integrate slowly into the series as she is very much a side character throughout this book. 

Overall this book was a middle of the road read. Whilst the action was fast paced and the crime elements well explored, the stock characters and obligatory sexual tension between characters let it down. That said, it's seems to be a good series to get into if you want an easy to read crime thriller that isn't too challenging. I'm tempted to start the TV series just to see how it compares.

 Thanks For Reading 

Please see my sidebar for information on where this post maybe linked.