I have always been a strong believer that a fictional novel, of any genre, should uncontrollably grip the reader and carry them along with it to the finale. It should be capable of being picked up at any
time in the readers’ life and, irrespective of their mood, take them out of their own existence and into the world skilfully created by the writer. Tess Gerritsen's accomplishment as a
writer is her ability to do just that. Her books are at once engaging and unpredictable, compelling and absolutely riveting. This latest work is no exception.
'Vanish' sees the explosive return of the hot-tempered but frighteningly intuitive homicide detective Jane Rizzoli. This time however she is heavily pregnant and finds herself a
hostage after she goes into labour.
Her anonymous and enigmatic captor had been yet another corpse in the morgue, until Dr Maura Isles, medical examiner and friend to Rizzoli, had the fright of her life when the 'body' opened her eyes. Now undeniably alive the
woman is taken to the
hospital but soon effects her escape, killing a guard in the process, with icy efficiency. Her retreat from the hospital is barred however and the hostage nightmare, with Jane as one of the captives, begins.
As time passes, Maura, together with Jane's husband, FBI Agent Gabriel Dean try to discover the identity of the woman holding Jane and the rest of the hostages. Is she acting alone? What does she want? Only Jane has the answers as she tries to talk to the beautiful, frightened but strangely resigned woman who holds her at gunpoint.
Maura and Gabriel are thwarted at every turn by faceless agencies whose purpose can only be presumed. They begin to realise that this woman, whoever she is, may be part of a larger conspiracy, but what and who is she running from? Why is she so important? Will Jane survive to be able to tell them?
Yet again, Tess Gerritsen has proven herself to be a writer of inestimable skill and power. Her narrative style is both relentless and addictive. Her stories are everything a work of fiction should be and more.
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