The Sinner (Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles, #3)

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The Sinner (Rizzoli & Isles #3)

by Tess Gerritsen (Goodreads Author)

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 13,908 ratings · 657 reviews

Not even the icy temperatures of a typical New England winter can match the bone-chilling scene of carnage discovered at the chapel of Our Lady of Divine Light. Within the cloistered convent lie two nuns–one dead, one critically injured–victims of an unspeakably savage attacker. The brutal crime appears to be without motive, but medical examiner Maura Isles’s autopsy of th...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published August 3rd 2004 by Ballantine Books (first published 2003)

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Rizzoli and Isles Series

3rd out of 7 books — 1 voter

The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith

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Apr 10, 2013 Bruno rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: estante

Entrei neste livro completamente envolvido e aterrei nas últimas linhas bastante satisfeito. Mais um policial muito bom!

Tudo começa com as duas freiras que foram atacadas com uma violência brutal no solo sagrado da Capela. Uma delas teve morte. A outra entrou num estado mortalmente critico. Quem as atacou e porquê? Fiz todas as deduções e falhei em tudo. A ligação deste crime com o outro crime vai dar a um desfecho surpreendente e chocante!

E, é neste livro que a detetive, Rizzoli, e a rainha d...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2010 Raíla Soares rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, reviews-written

Even though I have already read and reviewed The Surgeon and The Apprentice, Tess' previous books in the series, I still feel that it's such a perkiness of mine to review any book written by this genious (I emphasize: genious!). Gerritsen, one more time, now through The Sinner, made me hook into her writing until the end, NOT letting me to put it down, despite a few flaws I found that I dare myself to point again.

A crime envolving two nuns, in the circuntances presented by Jane and Maura therewi...more Even though I have already read and reviewed The Surgeon and The Apprentice, Tess' previous books in the series, I still feel that it's such a perkiness of mine to review any book written by this genious (I emphasize: genious!). Gerritsen, one more time, now through The Sinner, made me hook into her writing until the end, NOT letting me to put it down, despite a few flaws I found that I dare myself to point again.

A crime envolving two nuns, in the circuntances presented by Jane and Maura therewith the investigation of the case, conduces us to initially match the name of the book to the probable "nickname" that could characterize one of the victims. However, two more crimes — a woman that can't be identified plus a massacre in a village in India years before — come to the surface and probably discard any previously settled teory by the readers about the ending of the story. Also, it's disclosed that the three crimes are, at last, all connected.

During several pages of the book, we're shown Maure Isles' life in and out of the morgue more throughly. It's soon noticed that the focus is aimed at introducing the patologist as a protagonist of the series — just like the policialwoman-detective Jane Rizzoli is in the previous book, The Apprentice.

This point of introducing one more protagonist into the series can turn it into a tiring reading at certain moments. Besides, can shadow the awesomeness the ending could have had — knowing the talent of Tess Gerritsen as a writer — and conduce the readers not to enjoy the book, but to even let them a little disappointed.

Nothing of this, though, mean that being acquainted more deeply with the character has turned The Sinner into a wearisome book. On the contrary: I've met a less cold and "self-loved" Jane Rizzoli, intimately braver to relieve everything, accepting her mistakes and wills, and to push off all the fear and weakness she denied to have. I've also met a new friend, Maura, who shows to be a better positive person, with a big heart, but not allowed to feel completely happy, considering her familiar, relationships problems. We get to, soon, relate ourselves to Maura and Jane, two protagonists that we, certainly, will miss once we have to say goodbye.(less)

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Dec 18, 2012 Neide Parafitas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, leituras-2012

Os corpos de duas freiras são encontrados numa capela e a detective Jane Rizzoli e a médica-legista Maura Isles ficam encarregues da investigação deste caso.

Na autópsia de Camille (uma das freiras), Maura descobre que a jovem foi mãe, pouco tempo antes de ter sido brutalmente assassinada e iniciam-se as buscas para descobrir um bébé e o pai da criança!

Entretanto, num prédio abandonado, é também encontrado o cadáver, completamente irreconhecível, de uma mulher, o que faz com que as investigações...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 30, 2007 Lain rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rare is the thriller that can scare me enough to leave the lights on at night, while bringing me to tears. The Sinner did both. Filled with more twists and turns than a labyrinth, The Sinner throws a curve at both Jane Rizzoli and ME Maura Isles. Jane must deal with a huge obstacle in her life as well as her relationship with Gabriel Dean, and Maura must face her own ghosts in the form of her ex-husband.

This book serves as a pivotal point in the character development of both women, and is a mus...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 26, 2008 Bev Sykes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

This actually comes in between "The Apprentice" and "Body Double." Explains some stuff that happens in "Body Double," but reading it out of sequence didn't matter. Still a page turner. The crime in this one is the murder of a young nun in the convent of a cloistered order and the near murder of an older nun, who remained in a coma. What is the connection between the nuns' murder and that of a faceless, hand-less and foot-less body found in an alley?

Jane Rizoli has just discovered she's pregnant...more

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Dec 19, 2008 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book I've read by this author, and I really enjoyed it. It also takes place in Boston and mentions Providence, RI, so I felt right at home. I look forward to reading more of her work.

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Sep 08, 2007 LJ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, suspense, licensed_investigator, police_procedural, boston, massachusetts, contemporary_post_1945

THE SINNER – G+
Tess Gerritsen – 7th book
When two Boston nuns are found brutally beaten--one fatally and one with a scintilla of life left in her--it's up to homicide detective Jane Rizzoli to find the perpetrator. Medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles has the unlucky fortune to discover that the murdered nun hid untold secrets from the rest of the aging convent. Another dead body turns up, and the investigators must rely on their clinical analysis to determine who she is and why she was murdered.

Alt...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Barbara Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My copy of this book is a 2004 paperback edition of one of the Rizzoli and Isles series. Maybe you've watched the TNT television channel show starring the characters in which, for a change, I think the casting people really nailed it. And the characters are what makes this series so addicting to me. We have Rizzoli the cop, Isles the pathologist, the Rizzoli family who are as Italian as they come, and the incidental characters in the stories who usually ring true with me.

This story is unusual in...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Jerome Parisse rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I discovered Gerritsen two years ago and have since read many of her novels, in particular those featuring Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli. Isles is Boston's Medical Examiner and Rizzoli is a detective. They form an interesting duo, one of them a cold-headed woman, the other as strong-headed as the other one is cold. The Sinner is one of the earlier novels in the series. Each book stands alone and you don't have to know the personal lives of the main characters to enjoy the fast-paced, sometimes gr...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Izzy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was actually the first book I read that where both Detective Rizzoli and Dr. Isles were featured as main characters. I was almost worried that Jane Rizzoli might not be prominent in this book, but I was surprised to learn that she actually has a really nice side story. The plot was very interesting from Beginning to end. I took Crowe to be an asshole in The Surgeon but here I feel he was just stuck-up like a tv cop. I have to say that the show, though I love it, has nearly ruined the books...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Hope rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Sinner is the third book in Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles series. This novel focuses on developing the character of Maura Isles, Boston’s medical examiner, while continuing to add depth to that of Jane Rizzoli. It also moves away from the serial killer theme of the first two novels in the series, although the murders in this one are no less horrifying.

The book opens with the brutal murder of a young nun who, it is soon discovered, has recently given birth. This is quickly followed by...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Cornerofmadness rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is somewhere mid-series (I'm sadly accessing them out of order). It's only a few days before Christmas and Dr. Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli are faced with holiday issues, Maura is alone and Jane has to deal with the results taking Gabriel Dean as her lover when they're called in after two nuns were found beaten. Sister Ursula hovers between life and death and the young novice, Camille, is dead.

To their surprise, Camille had recently given birth. Thinking that it might be the...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-read, audible-purchase-2009-to-2011, audible-tbr-2011, audiobook

Publisher: Bantam
Purchased: Bought on Audible

What I Loved: This one is more intense than the last two (and they were pretty darn intense). I really enjoyed the case with all of its twists and turns. I never really knew what was going to happen. I really love that in a thriller. The case really blew me away with its intensity and cleverness. I really thought it would be one person responsible and I was completely wrong.

What I Liked: Really enjoyed getting to know Rizzoli and Isles a little bit mo...more

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May 03, 2011 Mrs. Foley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Third in a series...inspired the TV show, "Rizzoli and Isles." Definitely a page turner. If I have time, I would like to continue reading in the series, but other books are calling! :)

Review from Booklist:
When two Boston nuns are found brutally beaten--one fatally and one with a scintilla of life left in her--it's up to homicide detective Jane Rizzoli to find the perpetrator. Medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles, nicknamed the Queen of the Dead, has the unlucky fortune to discover that the murdered...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tess Gerritsen is a master of medical thrillers. I feel like I know Dr. Isles and Detective Rizzoli by now as I've read 3 or 4 of Gerritsen's books. I wasn't aware of the order of the books, and I've read newer ones before the first books in the series! I found it interesting that this book explained a lot to me of later books....for example, Jane learns that she is pregnant and she wasn't married to Gabriel. I didn't know the history!

What I love about this author is how she is able to weave tog...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Alkatraz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gruesome, mystery-thriller, murders, ebook, nook

One of the few books I've read on my Nook, The Sinner was a fast read. Jane Rizzoli is called to a convent to solve the murder of two nuns one bitter winter's morning. The crime is horrifying in its cruelty and barbarity. Both women's heads are bashed in within the walls of a building that should have been a sanctuary from the evils of the world, but evil will find a way in anyplace.

There are more twists and sex in this then a James Bond film. I think that is what ultimately took away from the...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, let me apologize to Tess Gerritsen right now. Long ago I read or skimmed THE SURGEON and didn't like it. Recently I skimmed it again and still didn't care for it. But to be sure how I felt about Gerritsen I read the follow-up THE APPRENTICE. That intrigued me more but I still wasn't sure I was a fan. So, just finished Rizzoli & Isles book 3 THE SINNER and am damned impressed. Very good story and the characters are even more compelling this time around. I confess to skimming all detaile...more

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May 01, 2013 Inga rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, sub-challenge

Audiobook-Rezension:
Todsünde ist Band 3 von Tess Gerritsens Reihe um Ermittlerin Jane Rizzoli und Pathologin Maura Isles. In einem Kloster werden zwei Nonnen brutal angegriffen, eine davon überlebt, ist aber nicht bei Bewusstsein. Dann stellt sich heraus, dass die andere kürzlich ein Kind geboren hat. Wer ist der Vater? Als sich schließlich auch noch eine Verbindung zu einem weiteren Mord abzeichnet, zieht die Ermittlung immer weitere Züge.

Neben der spannend aufgebauten Ermittlertätigkeit, path...more

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May 03, 2013 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this book was great. I have been reading the series out of order, so it was nice to see the start of Maura's relationship with the priest, and Jane's with Gabriel. I didn't know Maura had an ex husband. I learned a lot about the 2 main characters.

The mystery was who murdered 2 nuns at the convent. And then we discover one of the nuns had just given birth. Very intriguing. The story moved along briskly, and was interesting all the way through. I liked getting to see Maura at home more....more

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Nov 05, 2011 Kerry sullivan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-suspence-mystery

This book was reviewed for Musings of a bookworm

The Blurb
Not even the icy temperatures of a typical New England winter can match the bone-chilling scene of carnage discovered at the chapel of Our Lady of Divine Light. Within the cloistered convent lie two nuns–one dead, one critically injured–victims of an unspeakably savage attacker. The brutal crime appears to be without motive, but medical examiner Maura Isles’s autopsy of the dead woman yields a shocking surprise: Twenty-year-old Sister C...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Marianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Sinner is the 3rd in Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli/Isles series. The action starts with a murder and an attempted murder in a convent of aging nuns. The murder victim is a young novice about to take her final vows, but during the autopsy Maura Isles finds that the novice has recently given birth. Another body turns up, a shooting victim without a face, hands or feet, and with some unusual nodules on the skin. Yet another body, this time in Providence, Rhode Island, shot with the same gun, brings...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The third installment of Tess Gerritsen's series on Rizzoli & Isles has things heating up relationship wise for both Rizzoli & Isles. We learn verry interesting new information on both women about former love interests and the case they are dealing with is also quite intriguing.

The new case centers on the death of a nun and a serious attack against another. The murdered nun has quite a few skeletons in her closet for a 20 year old who has devoted herself to God and the badly injured nun...more The third installment of Tess Gerritsen's series on Rizzoli & Isles has things heating up relationship wise for both Rizzoli & Isles. We learn verry interesting new information on both women about former love interests and the case they are dealing with is also quite intriguing.

The new case centers on the death of a nun and a serious attack against another. The murdered nun has quite a few skeletons in her closet for a 20 year old who has devoted herself to God and the badly injured nun has spent time overseas helping the less fortunate. Who would kill a nun? (Probably the same type of person who would steal a baby carrier, but I digress.)

Rizzoli's colleagues also have an intriguing case who they have deemed Rat Lady. She is found in an old restaurant with her FACE PEELED off, her hands & feet chopped off and a single gunshot in her chest.

I really enjoy the authentic voice in these books. I like the medical terminology, while sometimes it does gross me out, it also is informative and not completely made up. I like that the pieces of the puzzle make SENSE when the mystery part is solved and you are not like, ummm how did that come together?

I will say my one pet peeve is that when Rizzoli is trying to deal with her 'relationship' with Agent Dean she is a completely idiot and does all the things that make me want to strangle a woman character in a book. Okay, so she is a difficult person who doesn't know how to get along with more people, we get that. But do NOT make her into such an idiot typical female character. "Oh, of course he can't love me. Oh, of course I won't tell him how I feel. Oh of COURSE I will have angry conversations about him, when I HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED TO HIM. Oh of course, he doesn't need to know ANYTHING. Because I am a woman, I am strong, I can do it all myself. " Whatever. I cannot stand when another perfectly fine character /book is reduced to cliches. Rizzoli is far better than how she is written while trying to deal with her feelings for Agent Dean.(less)

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Apr 16, 2013 Nic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mystery fans, Rizzoli/Isles fans

I finished this book last night, and, having not read any of the "Rizzoli/Isles" books in awhile (since before the TV show came out), I was pleasantly surprised. This is the third in the series. Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Not even the icy temperatures of a typical New England winter can match the bone-chilling scene of carnage discovered at the chapel of Our Lady of Divine Light. Within the cloistered convent lie two nuns–one dead, one critically injured–victims of an unspeakably savage attack...more I finished this book last night, and, having not read any of the "Rizzoli/Isles" books in awhile (since before the TV show came out), I was pleasantly surprised. This is the third in the series. Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Not even the icy temperatures of a typical New England winter can match the bone-chilling scene of carnage discovered at the chapel of Our Lady of Divine Light. Within the cloistered convent lie two nuns–one dead, one critically injured–victims of an unspeakably savage attacker. The brutal crime appears to be without motive, but medical examiner Maura Isles’s autopsy of the dead woman yields a shocking surprise: Twenty-year-old Sister Camille gave birth before she was murdered. Then another body is found, mutilated beyond recognition. Together, Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli uncover an ancient horror that connects these terrible slaughters. As long-buried secrets come to light, Maura Isles finds herself drawn inexorably toward the heart of an investigation that strikes close to home–and toward a dawning revelation about the killer’s identity too shattering to consider.

My Thoughts
I found this book to be emotionally gripping, which surprised me. I had expected that the on screen chemistry and friendship between the two female leads in the TV show was primarily due to the actresses themselves, and found that there really is a solid friendship between the two women in the books, which I enjoyed. Apart from the mystery itself, this novel furthered the personal lives of the characters and gave them a depth I hadn't expected. The mystery itself had all the elements that keep me drawn in: a brutal attack, pieces of evidence that don't make sense, a variety of suspicious characters. I was left wondering how the pieces would fit together right up until the end, though tantalizing clues gave me enough information to put parts of it together.

Overall, a great read, and I'll be grabbing the next one after I'm done with another one or two of my Swedish mystery novels. (less)

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Mar 12, 2013 Jenn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spring-challenge-2013, crime

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 19, 2012 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: forensic-science, mystery, crime-thriller

This was the third book in the Rizzoli and Isles series and the main focus this time was on Medical Examiner Maura Isles. The premise of this book is that two nuns were attacked in their convent and one did not survive. Both Rizzoli and Isles are called in to investigate this crime.
While investigating the death of one nun, and the brutal beating of the other, two new crimes come into town. One is a man who is found dead in a rental car trunk, and one is a woman who was left without a face, hand...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Todsünde--Audiobuch A little slower than "The Surgeon", at least to start out. It got more exciting as the time went on.

When two Boston nuns are found brutally beaten--one fatally and one with a scintilla of life left in her--it's up to homicide detective Jane Rizzoli to find the perpetrator. Medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles, nicknamed the Queen of the Dead, has the unlucky fortune to discover that the murdered nun, a young woman about to make her final vows, hid untold secrets from the rest of...more

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Dec 17, 2011 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I haven't watched the television series, but after reading this book I just might start (if it hasn't already been cancelled). The characters are believable which is a good start for a mystery. One nun is murdered; another is in critical condition; and an apparently homeless women is found murdered in the bathroom floor of a restaurant closed a while ago(gruesom murder, the hands and feet have been amputated and the face - well let's just say nothing left to identify). Enter the ex-husband of th...more

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May 05, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This is the third in the Rizzoli and Isles series. I didn't find it as gripping as the first two in the series, mainly because it lacked a sense of urgency. However, Gerritsen manages to create a suspenseful climax with the murderer after one of the main characters (even though this happens in virtually every thriller!).

I was pleased to see that Dr. Maura Isles was the main character, as she had been mostly missing throughout the first two books. Her point of view was fresh and interesting in co...more

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Mar 11, 2009 Stacey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-books, audio-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 26, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not even the icy temperatures of a typical New England winter can match the bone-chilling scene of carnage discovered in the early morning hours at the chapel of Our Lady of Divine Light. Within the sanctuary walls of the cloistered convent, now stained with blood, lie two nuns- one dead, one critically injured- victims of an unspeakable savage attacker.

The brutal crime appears to be without motive, and the elderly nuns in residence can offer little help in the police investigation. But medical...more

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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...more

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“Only the forgotten are truly dead.” — 110 people liked it

“The dead do not hurt you; only the living do.” — 47 people liked it

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