This is the first (and will be the only) book I have read from this series. I am a big fan of the Rizzoli and Isles TV show but to me this book seemed kind of boring. The story seems to trudge along without either character playing a major role. Apart from lacking a central 'detective' (or two) to root for (or be entertained/intrigued/engaged by), the book also fails to offer much more than a convoluted story. Gerritsen's central characters, perhaps I should say allegedly central, Rizzoli and Isles are one dimensional. I didn't know them any better on the last page than I did after reading the first chapter. To add insult to injury, add one not-so-surprising twist, and one extremely far fetched twist...making the villain either a last minute addition or a minor character who offered no hints or clues throughout the entire book. I will say it started out as a promising book but once I got about 1/3 of the way through it was slow, slow, slow. The Silent Girl is the 9th book in Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli/Isles series. A severed hand found in a Chinatown alley leads Jane Rizzoli to the owner of the hand on a rooftop: a woman almost decapitated. Investigation eventually links the body with a murder/suicide nineteen years earlier in a Chinatown restaurant that left five people dead. As Rizzoli and her team review the case, it appears that one woman connected to the massacre, a martial arts master, is unconvinced about the conclusions made in that investigation. Gerritsen once again gives us an imaginative plot with twists to the very last chapter, realistic characters and authentic dialogue. The feel of Chinatown and the Chinese mindset are deftly portrayed, obviously from first-hand knowledge. Once again, we are presented with a wealth of interesting facts in an easy-to-assimilate form, this time about hair analysis, ancient Chinese weaponry, metal analysis, Chinese legend & folklore and running amok. Gerritsen touches on police brutality, prejudice, collective guilt of an ethnic group, sexual predators, Chinese language and the Irish Mafia. The antics of Rizzoli’s family once again provide some lighter moments, and Johnny Tam, a Chinese-born detective seconded to help out, makes a laugh-out-loud statement: “I wish I could speak Cantonese, but it’s like Greek to me”. I noticed that Maura’s autopsy measurements were in centimetres rather than inches and I wondered if this is usual practice in this field in USA. A character from Maura’s adventure in The Killing Place makes a welcome appearance. Once again, a thoroughly enjoyable Gerritsen page-turner: I look forward to the next Rizzoli/Isles instalment.
What do You think about Grabesstille (2011)?
Well it was okay but i probably wont read any other one of the Rizzoli & Isles series
—katelynn
Cultural story. To the point yet sensitive. Humor. Simply fantastic Tess Gerritsen.
—Teddy
Clever plot, beautifully wrote. Love it.
—AHRLOVE92
