Death brings life to Tess Gerritsen's novels. So it is here in the sixth novel of the Jane Rizzoli - Maura Isles series. Dr. Montagu Saul is buried and his 15-year old son is his only viable survivor, the boy's mother having abandoned the family years ago. The boy suddenly reverses course and decides to stay with his aunt and uncle and their two children.
Jump a dozen years into the scene of a particularly brutal murder illustrated by three upside down Christian crosses and the Latin word, Peccavi, meaning "I have sinned." Detective Jane Rizzoli is on the case along with Dr. Maura Isles, who is something of an island unto herself. She is the medical examiner and has issues of her own. Her mother, whose existence she has just recently learned about is named Amalthea, after the goat that suckled Zeus after his mother had him sent to Crete so his father would not eat him. The goat later broke a horn, and Zeus filled it with the fruits of the harvest. So the Horn of Amalthea became the symbol of plenty, and whoever had it in his or her possession would never starve. This is a curious association since Amalthea is a convicted murderess. Rizzoli has issues, too, and still bears scars on her hands from an attempt on her life, which occurred in an earlier book.
Jump a dozen years into the scene of a particularly brutal murder illustrated by three upside down Christian crosses and the Latin word, Peccavi, meaning "I have sinned." Detective Jane Rizzoli is on the case along with Dr. Maura Isles, who is something of an island unto herself. She is the medical examiner and has issues of her own. Her mother, whose existence she has just recently learned about is named Amalthea, after the goat that suckled Zeus after his mother had him sent to Crete so his father would not eat him. The goat later broke a horn, and Zeus filled it with the fruits of the harvest. So the Horn of Amalthea became the symbol of plenty, and whoever had it in his or her possession would never starve. This is a curious association since Amalthea is a convicted murderess. Rizzoli has issues, too, and still bears scars on her hands from an attempt on her life, which occurred in an earlier book.
The Mephisto Club is a tiny club of civilian experts who are dedicated to exploring and eradicating those evil beings that still walk the Earth. Detective Rizzoli sees them as meddlers, perhaps even perpetrators who are hindering her investigations. Given the title of the novel, as you might expect, the Club is a vital part of the unraveling of the plot.
One must bring, as Coleridge said, a willing suspension of disbelief and accept the premise of the book: Evil still walks among us on Earth, and his number is legion. That being said, Gerritsen leads us pretty quickly in the right direction to determine who the killer is. Three interlocking stories draw us along. The first story is that of the boy who appears in a very limited manner throughout. The second story revolves around Maura who is invited to become a member of the Mephisto Club. The third story, of course, is the one which brings the first two together. Lily is the cousin of the boy, and she is trying to disappear within Italy because she believes that he is stalking her. As in all good drama, and this is a good drama, all the participants are brought inexorably together in one place and the various issues are resolved. It is the manner in which Gerritsen gets us to the resolution that keeps readers turning the pages to find out what happens next.
One must bring, as Coleridge said, a willing suspension of disbelief and accept the premise of the book: Evil still walks among us on Earth, and his number is legion. That being said, Gerritsen leads us pretty quickly in the right direction to determine who the killer is. Three interlocking stories draw us along. The first story is that of the boy who appears in a very limited manner throughout. The second story revolves around Maura who is invited to become a member of the Mephisto Club. The third story, of course, is the one which brings the first two together. Lily is the cousin of the boy, and she is trying to disappear within Italy because she believes that he is stalking her. As in all good drama, and this is a good drama, all the participants are brought inexorably together in one place and the various issues are resolved. It is the manner in which Gerritsen gets us to the resolution that keeps readers turning the pages to find out what happens next.
The Book of Enoch and other apocryphal books outside the accepted canon of the Christian Bible play a prominent role in the unfolding of the plot. Indeed, as Gerritsen says in an Afterword, The Book of Enoch and its story of the Nephilim provided the inspiration for the book. So, she bases her story on the conceit that the stories are literally true. The Nephilim, or the Watchers, were fallen angels who mated with women to create an unholy race of monsters who are pure evil. Accept this conceit and the stage is set. Go to the killing fields in Cambodia as I have done, or read the stories about Stalin or the Holocaust and there can be no doubt that evil exists. As Gerritsen writes, "…we are no closer to understanding why evil exists. All we know is that it does."
Gerritsen studied anthropology at Stanford University where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, then completed medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. In addition to this excellent series, Gerritsen has written four medical thrillers guaranteed to make you give serious thought to your next admission to a hospital. Nine romance novels steer away from the blood and guts. She lives in Maine with her husband and children.
Gerritsen studied anthropology at Stanford University where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, then completed medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. In addition to this excellent series, Gerritsen has written four medical thrillers guaranteed to make you give serious thought to your next admission to a hospital. Nine romance novels steer away from the blood and guts. She lives in Maine with her husband and children.
