I have found that it is a bit difficult to write a review on a book that's part of a series, particularly if you have reviewed most of the other books in the series. Chances are that most of what you say in the newest review is going to sound repetitive. Regardless of whether you liked it or not. But, still, review I must. So, I'm going to say that while I have stated my love for the Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles many times in my numerous reviews, The Keepsake was the first one that I felt sort of "meh" about. Wow! Typing that sentence nearly killed me and now I feel ashamed...

Let's start with the good: the archeology. This was something that I found absolutely fascinating (well, you know, that and the shruken heads) and could not get enough of. That's what I love about Tess Gerritsen's mysteries. Sure, it focuses mainly on the whodunit (is there a more amusing word than "whodunit"? Besides "oy", I mean), but they're usually set to a backdrop of some really intriguing premise. In The Mephisto's Club it was nephilism and here in The Keepsake it's archeology. And, boy do I love it when a novel I'm reading teaches me about things I didn't have a clue about before. I really wished that Gerritsen would've expanded on this just a tiny bit more because it was my favorite part (besides Jane Rizzoli and her utter awesomeness, I mean).

This is book 7 in the series, so obviously by now I'm in tune with the characters since I keep reading. Jane Rizzoli was all types of on in this book. Usually, I like her anyway, but in The Keepsake, I loved her! From being all Mama Bear with Frost to her sometimes dry sense of humor that's so dry you can't really tell if she's joking or not, she was just great. Definitely my favorite character in this one. Barry Frost was another one that I was endeared to. He's just so sweet and dopey. Although, that whole "losing objectivity in the face of an attractive woman" thing was sort of grating, though.

Here comes the "while not bad, it definitely was annoying" part of the review: Maura Isles. She's usually my favorite character in most of these books. But in The Keepsake, she really didn't serve a purpose besides whining about her relationship with the priest. This was made even more obvious by the fact that she was gone for half the novel. Seriously, I was halfway through when I suddenly thought "Wait! Where's Maura?". It just seemed like the author had shipped her off to destinations unknown. Just as suddenly as it hit me that Maura wasn't there, there she was again. But she came back to the plot in a way that had me believing that Gerritsen forgot about her for a bit and thought "Crap! I've been so focused on everything else, I forgot all about Maura. Well, maybe, I can plug her in right here and explain it using this lame plot point..." Well, it didn't really work.

So, I have to say that The Keepsake might've been my least favorite of the series (I hesitate to say "worst" because Tess Gerritsen's "worst" is a lot better than most mystery authors' "best"), but I can't really complain (more than I have above) because it was a quick page-turner and it kept me intrigued. And I'm still looking forward to the next book (which I have right next to me and am trying to restrain myself from reading it for at least a week) and I'm so excited for the Rizzoli & Isles series that premieres on TNT in about a week and a half.