Caffeinated Reviewer

Listen to Me by Tess Gerritsen is the thirteenth novel in the Rizzoli & Isles mystery thriller series. While Jane & Maura investigate a senseless murder, Jane’s mom is doing some investigating of her own. This suspenseful tale will make the perfect addition to your beach tote.

Mothers know best . . . But who will listen?

Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are plagued by what seems like a completely senseless murder. Sofia Suarez, a widow and nurse who was universally liked by all her neighbors, lies bludgeoned to death in her own home. But anything can happen behind closed doors, and Sofia seemed to have plenty of secrets in her last days, making covert phone calls to old contacts and traceless burner phones. When Jane finally makes a connection between Sofia and the victim of a hit-and-run months earlier, the case only grows more blurry. What exactly was Sofia involved in? One thing is clear: The killer will do anything it takes to keep their secret safe.

Meanwhile, Angela Rizzoli hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in all the years since her daughter became a homicide detective. Maybe the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. Nothing in her neighborhood gets by Angela - not the gossip about a runaway teenager down the block and definitely not the strange neighbors who have just moved in across the street. Angela’s sure there’s no such thing as coincidence in her sleepy suburb. If only Jane would listen; instead she writes off Angela’s concerns as the result of an overactive imagination. But Angela’s convinced there’s a real wolf in her vicinity, and her cries might now fall on deaf ears.

With so much happening on the Sofia case, Jane and Maura already struggle to see the forest for the trees, but will they lose sight of something sinister happening much closer to home?

I started reading this series before the television series Rizzoli & Isles and enjoyed them both. I am always delighted to travel to Boston and work on another case with Detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles.

This was a little different as Gerritsen delivered chapters from Angela Rizzoli, Jane’s mom. She monitors her street and notices something suspicious. New neighbors move in across the street and a young teenager girl goes missing. Angela is convinced the new neighbors are up to no good and that something more sinister is happening where the young girl is concerned. It was an interesting thread with its own suspenseful elements.

Meanwhile, a nurse is brutally murdered and a young woman involved in a hit and run is being stalked. Jane is trying to understand who would target this nurse by retracing her activity. It was interesting watching Jane connect the dots as her case and a missing persons case intertwine.

Gerritsen knows how to weave a tale as she wove in clues, red herrings, and suspects. While I pieced together aspects, it was fun learning the how and why as everything came together.

We got to spend some time with Maura and learned some things about her, goldfish and more.

Fans of mystery thrillers, and murder mysteries will enjoy Listen to Me. While this is part of a series, each book involves its own case and will work as a standalone.

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About Tess Gerritsen

Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D. While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. In 1987, her first novel was published. Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller, was followed by eight more romantic suspense novels. She also wrote a screenplay, "Adrift", which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson. Tess's first medical thriller, Harvest, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Her suspense novels since then have been: Life Support (1997), Bloodstream (1998), Gravity (1999), The Surgeon (2001), The Apprentice (2002), The Sinner (2003), Body Double (2004), Vanish (2005), The Mephisto Club (2006), and The Bone Garden (2007). Her books have been translated into 31 languages, and more than 15 million copies have been sold around the world.

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About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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