Rating: 
Summary: As Good As Patricia Cornwell
Review: This book was impossible to put down. I have always enjoyed Tess Gerritsen's books as they are always suspenseful. I like a good medical thriller and I consider her to be one of the best when it comes to that genre. I believe she deserves more recognition for her talent. She also throws in a bit of romance and out of all the authors that once wrote Harlequin Romances, she is by far one of the best. This book sucks you into the life of a doctor named Catherine and a killer that is out to get her. It is very scary and realistic. It is a race against time to find the killer and I became very involved with the characters. It is a fast, thrilling read and worth hardcover price!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great premise, adequate execution
Review: Tess Gerritsen's "The Surgeon" starts out with a bang and the first 150 pages are as tense as any I have ever encountered. Unfortunately, the rest of the book doesn't hold up to the promise of these early pages. This is due in large part to flaws in presentation and characterization, rather than with holes in the plot.As I mentioned, the book starts off well enough; women around Boston are being found mutilated in a particularly gruesome and yet surgically precise manner. Even more baffling, these killings are nearly identical to ones that occurred two years earlier in Savannah, GA. What makes it baffling is that that killer is undeniably dead. The only connection seems to be the one surviving of the first killer and as the "Surgeon" draws ever close to her the tension mounts. Unfortunately, Gerritsen proves to be unable to maintain this tension throughout the whole novel. The primary reason for this is that her characterizations vary markedly. Those of Detective Moore and Dr. Cordell, the two main characters, are superb. They both show tremendous depth and have very complex personalities. Unfortunately, many of the other primary characters and most of the secondary characters are just cliches: the beaten down female cop, the man hating women's clinic doctor, the chauvinistic male cop, the laconic New England store owner, the insular southern cop, etc., etc. It's not that I don't expect such slap-dash characterizations in most "popular" fiction, it's that Gerritsen is clearly capable of writing much better ones. Furthermore, as the book heads towards its climax, Gerritsen seems to be writing more of a tribute to "The Silence of the Lambs" than her own work. There are several undeniable similarities that I won't cover in detail for fear of ruining the plot; I will say, though, they left me rather deflated. In the end, "The Surgeon" is not a bad read. It kept me up late a few nights, especially early in the novel. By the conclusion, however, I felt that the author had largely abandoned what seemed to be a really original premise. If you're just looking for a quick read on the beach or the plane, you won't by any means be disappointed by this novel, but it could have been much more. If your looking for a mystery that leaves you thinking, I would recommend "Raveling" by Peter Moore Smith, or "Bombay Ice" by Leslie Forbes. "The Surgeon" seemed to be heading down the same path as these two novels, but just came up short in the end.
Rating:
Summary: A TERRIFIC WRITER!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller! The prologue begins with words of the serial killer which appear throughout the book. "Today they will know we are back." Who does the "we" refer to? The main character, Dr. Catherine Cordell, killed her attacker two years ago. Now someone is back, ready to finish her off. The character of the woman detective, Rizzoli, is beautifully portrayed as a woman in a man's world who has to prove herself much more than any man, meanwhile trying to keep a low profile to avoid the pranks of the boys in the squad. St Thomas Moore, who falls for Catherine, has his own personal dilemma. All of this takes place while the cops try to solve the mystery of the serial killer before he kills again. A wonderful read! I could not put it down!
Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: Tess Gerritsen puts all her expertise as a doctor to full use in this well-written and suspenseful medical thriller. Dr. Catherine Cordell is the central figure, whose echoes of her past rape and near murder in Savannah have followed her to Boston and her new position as an ER trauma surgeon. Here,a serial killer is brutally murdering young women by the same method that was nearly perpetrated upon Catherine earlier. It all seems to be focused upon terrifying her again, for reasons unknown to her. The killer subtly stalks her mentally via her hospital office and her computer driving her even further into panic.The police are dilligently pursuing these henious murders and Thomas Moore forms a protective relationship with Catherine,bringing her the first trust she has known in years. Jane Rizzoli, the only policewoman on the case is trying to bring redemption to the role of females on the force. It backfires on her in her overzealousness,creating its own little diversion, until she is finally able to heroically redeem herself. Tess Gerritsen is so well able to describe the devistation wreaked upon women following rape, and the denigrating of women,in general,by the viciousness of this killer. The story is so fast-paced, moving you from one frightening scene to the next, with the excitement constantly building until the ultimate riveting conclusion.It is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your chair until the final page.
Rating:
Summary: be very afraid ...
Review: This was such an excellent read that I stayed up all night to finish it. (Then I got really scared but thank God it was morning!) Unlike a previous reviewer, I did like the medical jargon in this book. It made the atmosphere realistic and as I have been in hospital before, it was pretty accurate! Yikes! Ms Gerritsen has a flair for some great writing. I liked the parts when she reveals the serial killer's thoughts (in italics) She uses sacrificial stories from the past and presents the killer as a person with an incredible fantasy life/wish. The ending is well done and I couldn't help but give a cheer to this fine writer. A very satisfying read! Thank you, Ms Gerritsen!
Rating: 
Summary: A serial kill mutilates and slaughters female victims.
Review: Dr. Catharine Cordell is a beautiful and brilliant emergency room doctor who narrowly escaped death after having been brutally [attacked] in Savannah, Georgia. She shot and killed her attacker and hoped that she had closed the chapter on that horrible incident. Unfortunately, there is another killer loose in Boston, where Tess Gerritsen's new thriller, "The Surgeon" takes place. "The Surgeon" is the name given to a vicious man who stalks young women and then sadistically tortures, mutilates and murders them with a scalpel. In some ways, this is a conventional slasher novel. The killer, a faceless presence throughout the book, is brilliantly evil and meticulous in his methodology; he also takes gory trophies to remind him of his victims. Does this sound familiar? It should, since this is the plot of dozens of novels that are written every year. Although I enjoy thrillers, I wonder why so many readers take such pleasure in books that depict women as victims. This theme has been done to death (excuse the pun) and I am surprised that Gerritsen resorted to such an overused plot device. In spite of my qualms about the theme, "The Surgeon" held my interest. Dr. Cordell is a strong and feisty woman who has closed herself off from her emotions because of her traumatic past. She is an interesting counterpoint to Thomas Moore (one of the detectives looking for the serial killer) with whom she falls in love. Also interesting is Detective Rizzoli, a young female cop, who resents having to prove herself to her male counterparts. Rizzoli is a bitter and competitive person and she reminds me of many women who find it difficult to make it in a man's world. "The Surgeon" is fast-paced, with plenty of dialogue and action to keep the plot moving. The ending is fairly conventional. The police work against time to catch the slasher before he kills Catharine. Although no new ground is broken here, I found myself caught up in the suspense. It is a tribute to Gerritsen's skill that she can take a plot that has been done so many times before and still make it riveting.
Rating:
Summary: TESS IS TOPS AT THRILLERS
Review: While serial killer villains may abound few are as excruciatingly terrifying as the menace introduced in Tess Gerritsen's latest thriller, "The Surgeon."
An outstanding young cardiologist, Dr. Catherine Cordell, can never forget that she is the only surviving target of a crazed serial killer. Although the murderer was shot and killed in Savannah, Georgia, Catherine has found it impossible to leave that nightmarish time behind. She shares this information with no one.
In an effort to blot out past horrors she moves to Boston. Soon, the unthinkable occurs - three women are slain in Boston by someone with the same modus operandi as the person who hunted Catherine in Georgia. His methods lead authorities to believe he has been trained in medicine, and they dub him "The Surgeon."
Catherine had fought back once and saved her life, but now she is about to crumble as with each new murder the sadistic stalker seems to be getting closer to her, to the hospital, to her home, as action hurtles from the Emergency Room to the morgue.
She has only one ally, Detective Thomas Moore, and he, too, is stymied.
Gerritsen, an M.D. herself, brings chilling accuracy in detail and characterization to her tale of those who destroy and those who heal.
Rating:
Summary: A FABULOUS MEDICAL THILLER!
Review: It seems to me that Tess Gerritsen is slowing changing over from the Medical Suspense category to the Suspense category. Sure, "The Surgeon" had some of the medical jargon that sometimes drove me crazy because I am so ignorant when it comes to anything medical, (of course I'm only 17), but it didn't have a fraction as much as "Life Support" and "Harvest." This book dealt with a serial killer who rapes and murders his victims. The police who are stumped, turn to Dr. Catherine Cordell, a surgeon who works at the local hospital. She was attacked a few years ago by a similar assailant in the same manner, but lived. The only problem is that Catherine killed her attacker back then. The police start to wonder if maybe someone is copying Catherine's attacker. The police find that the victims all reported sexual attacks earlier on in their lives. The investigation turns from the streets of Boston to the hospital that Catherine works in, when Catherine starts having a stalker. This novel is definitely an exciting thrill-ride with not too much medical gibberish that the book will confuse the reader who does not have a lot of medical background. I hope Tess's next book will be this good.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner by this talented autho
Review: Two years ago Savannah Trauma Surgeon Catherine Cordell informed first year resident Andrew Capra that she was not recommending him for a second year residency. He went to her home and pleaded his case and she politely but firmly refused to change her mind. He angrily tied her up, raped her, and prepared to kill her just as he did to three other women. She somehow manages to get free and kill him with the gun hidden under her bed. She survives the attack but Savannah flees to work in a prestigious Boston hospital. A recent spate of rape and murders similar to the ones done by Andrew brings Catherine right into the middle of another nightmare. The perpetrator is focusing on her and unless the police can find out who he really is, Catherine will become his next victim. Tess Gerritsen has written a medical thriller that discusses a woman's need to be vigilant against the predators of the world. The story line is fast paced and enthralling in a Cook-Palmer kind of way. THE SURGEON is a multi-layered work with various and fascinating sub-plots seamlessly tying back to the main theme. Ms Gerristen has found her niche in the medical suspense genre. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: "THE SURGEON" MAKES THE CUT
Review: Gerritsen does it again. She delivers a well-paced, suspenseful novel of medical terror. In "The Surgeon," Tess gives us a very despicable murderer, who is attacking and killing women who have been sexually assaulted. He imprisons them in their own beds and then removes their uteruses, and lets them live a while before he slashes their throats. Not the nicest guy in the world. Ms. Gerritsen is extremely good at interjecting much medical terminology and information, but does so in a way that it does not become too technical or wordy. The characters in this book are very well conceived: the heroine, Dr. Catherine Cordell, a victim of the killer who manages to survive and kill him; Thomas Moore, an unusually "saintly" cop who finds himself falling for the lovely doctor; Jane Rizzoli, the embittered female cop who wants to break this case to show that women can do the same, if not better, than men; Peter Falco, Cordell's partner, who harbors a secret love for his comrade; and of course, the killer. The identity is truly well-hidden, and does not resort to a lot of other writers' tired cliches. My one question, though: what was in the IV bag the killer put in the elderly patient of Catherine's that resulted in his sudden death? There's no follow up on this, or the patient's indignant son who feels the hospital did nothing for him? This of course doesn't detract from the book's overall effect, but it seems Tess might have forgot about it? But, hey, this is one great book...I found it hard to put down. Looking forward for more from this brilliant writer/surgeon.
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