Title: The Silent Girl
Author: Tess Gerritsen
First published July 5, 2011
315 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9780345515506 (ISBN10: 0345515501)
Rating: 4.14
Overview
In Tess Gerritsen’s gripping novel, The Silent Girl, Detective Jane Rizzoli is faced with a disturbing crime scene in Boston’s Chinatown. A woman’s severed hand is found in the alley, and her headless body is discovered on a tenement rooftop above.
With only two strands of silver hair as clues, Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles uncover a terrifying prequel to this gruesome murder. Nineteen years prior, a brutal murder-suicide in a Chinatown restaurant left five people dead, but one woman connected to the incident is still alive.
She holds a dangerous secret that someone or something evil wants to keep hidden. As Rizzoli and Isles delve deeper into this case, they realize they are up against an unseen enemy with centuries of cunning and a thirst for revenge.
With bone-chilling echoes of an ancient Chinese legend, The Silent Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
About the Author
Tess Gerritsen’s path to becoming an internationally bestselling author was anything but ordinary. After graduating from Stanford University, she went on to attend medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned her M.D.
While on maternity leave from her job as a physician, Tess found herself drawn to writing fiction. In 1987, she published her first novel, Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller that was followed by eight more romantic suspense novels.
She even wrote a screenplay called “Adrift,” which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.
However, her big break came in 1996 with the release of her first medical thriller, Harvest, which quickly landed her on the New York Times bestseller list. Since then, she’s published a series of suspense novels including Life Support, Bloodstream, Gravity, The Surgeon, The Apprentice, The Sinner, Body Double, Vanish, The Mephisto Club, and The Bone Garden.
Her books have been translated into 31 languages, and more than 15 million copies have been sold worldwide.
Tess’s accolades as a writer are numerous. She’s been a New York Times bestseller, a #1 bestseller in both Germany and the UK, and has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon).
Her novels have received high praise from critics around the globe, with many commending her “pulse-pounding” and “brilliant” writing style. Publisher Weekly even dubbed her the “medical suspense queen.”
Now retired from medicine, Tess writes full time and resides in Maine.
Editoral Review
In her 2011 thriller, The Silent Girl, Tess Gerritsen delivers another masterfully constructed story that promises to keep readers at the edge of their seat. Gerritsen, a former physician turned best-selling author, has made a career out of writing suspenseful tales of murder and intrigue, and The Silent Girl is no exception.
Set in Boston’s Chinatown, the novel follows homicide detectives Jane Rizzoli and Barry Frost as they investigate a bizarre homicide that appears to be the work of a ghost. As they delve deeper into the case, they uncover a web of lies, secrets, and ancient legends that threaten to consume them both.
Gerritsen’s writing is tight, and she manages to blend intricate plot twists with rich character development effortlessly. The setting of Boston’s Chinatown adds an extra layer of intrigue, and Gerritsen masterfully evokes both the vibrancy and the secrecy of this unique community.
The novel is filled with vivid descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of Chinatown, and Gerritsen’s attention to detail is impressive. One of the novel’s strengths is its exploration of Chinese mythology and culture.
Gerritsen’s research is meticulous, and she seamlessly weaves ancient legends and folktales into the story’s plot. The result is a story that transcends its genre, incorporating themes of tradition, cultural identity, and redemption.
However, The Silent Girl is not without its flaws. Gerritsen’s pacing is uneven at times, and the novel’s climax is slightly anticlimactic.
The resolution of the case happens too quickly, almost as if Gerritsen was rushing to wrap up the story. That being said, these flaws are minor compared to the novel’s overall strengths.
Gerritsen’s writing is impeccable, and her characters are well-drawn and believable. She has a keen sense of the macabre, and her dark and twisted imagination is on full display in The Silent Girl.
Overall, The Silent Girl is a must-read for fans of Gerritsen’s work and for anyone who loves a good thriller. With its unique setting, complex characters, and intricate plot, it is an engrossing read that will keep readers on the edge of their seat until the very end.
I give it a 4.5 out of 5, based on its compelling plot, strong characters, cultural richness, and immersive experience.
