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Rizzoli & Isles #5
Vanish
A blessed event becomes a nightmare for pregnant homicide detective Jane Rizzoli when she finds herself on the wrong side of a hostage crisis in this timely and relentless thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Body Double.
A nameless, beautiful woman appears to be just another corpse in the morgue. An apparent suicide, she lies on a gurney, awaiting the dissecting scalpel of medical examiner Maura Isles. But when Maura unzips the body bag and looks down at the body, she gets the fright of her life. The corpse opens its eyes.
Very much alive, the woman is rushed to the hospital, where with shockingly cool precision, she murders a security guard and seizes hostages . . . one of them a pregnant patient, Jane Rizzoli.
Who is this violent, desperate soul, and what does she want? As the tense hours tick by, Maura joins forces with Jane's husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, to track down the mysterious killer's identity. When federal agents suddenly appear on the scene, Maura and Gabriel realize that they are dealing with a case that goes far deeper than just an ordinary hostage crisis.
Only Jane, trapped with the armed madwoman, holds the key to the mystery. And only she can solve it if she survives the night. From the Hardcover edition.
A nameless, beautiful woman appears to be just another corpse in the morgue. An apparent suicide, she lies on a gurney, awaiting the dissecting scalpel of medical examiner Maura Isles. But when Maura unzips the body bag and looks down at the body, she gets the fright of her life. The corpse opens its eyes.
Very much alive, the woman is rushed to the hospital, where with shockingly cool precision, she murders a security guard and seizes hostages . . . one of them a pregnant patient, Jane Rizzoli.
Who is this violent, desperate soul, and what does she want? As the tense hours tick by, Maura joins forces with Jane's husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, to track down the mysterious killer's identity. When federal agents suddenly appear on the scene, Maura and Gabriel realize that they are dealing with a case that goes far deeper than just an ordinary hostage crisis.
Only Jane, trapped with the armed madwoman, holds the key to the mystery. And only she can solve it if she survives the night. From the Hardcover edition.
401 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2005
About the author
Tess Gerritsen
214 books17.1k followersInternationally 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.
As well as being a New York Times bestselling author, she has also been a #1 bestseller in both Germany and the UK. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon.) Critics around the world have praised her novels as "Pulse-pounding fun" (Philadelphia Inquirer), "Scary and brilliant" (Toronto Globe and Mail), and "Polished, riveting prose" (Chicago Tribune). Publisher Weekly has dubbed her the "medical suspense queen".
Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.
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.
As well as being a New York Times bestselling author, she has also been a #1 bestseller in both Germany and the UK. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon.) Critics around the world have praised her novels as "Pulse-pounding fun" (Philadelphia Inquirer), "Scary and brilliant" (Toronto Globe and Mail), and "Polished, riveting prose" (Chicago Tribune). Publisher Weekly has dubbed her the "medical suspense queen".
Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.
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July 3, 2012
Opening Line: "My name is Mila, and this is my journey."
VANISH is part 5 in the Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series. I read it as a stand alone however and did just fine, so I can recommend it that way too. I’d also never heard of author Tess Gerritsen before this but will definitely be searching out more from her and this series. I loved her style of writing, the realistic characters, the suspenseful medical based plot and the fast moving thrill of this story as a whole. There were elements that you could tell if you were invested in the series (and reading it in order) would have been even better or funnier or sadder however I never felt lost or left out of some big plot due to the excellent story telling. This is crime writing suspense at its very best.
Vanish pulls you in from the very first page starting with Mila’s heartbreaking story of human trafficking. She and a group of Russian girls are crossing into America from Mexico having been lured there by the promise of a better life however by the end of the chapter one of the girls is dead and Mila has been sold into a prostitution ring. Mila’s story (which we keep flashing back to) is gritty and often hard to read probably because it is very real.
We then switch to coroner Maura Isles who is going about her daily routine (in vivid medical detail) when she discovers that one of the bodies in the morgue is still alive. “Jane Doe” is rushed to the emergency room where we meet up with our other protagonist Detective Jane Rizzoli who has just gone into labour following a take down at the courthouse (she rocks)
Through a fantastic series of events that kept me on the edge of my seat and never able to guess what was coming next, the formerly “dead” woman grabs a security guards gun and takes 6 people hostage in the hospital, one of which is Detective Rizzoli. “Jane Doe” won’t talk to the police negotiator and we only learn her motives after a man disguised as member of the SWAT team joins her. His story is equally enthralling.
This tense drama plays out for a large part of the book bringing in a host of other characters (and their POV’S) along with clever plot twists and exciting action. All of which Gerritsen manages to tie together. We meet Jane’s husband FBI agent Gabriel Dean (I’m assuming we met him in earlier books) we also have Jane’s partner (hints of a love triangle), reporters, spies and bad guys in Washington. We get crime scene investigations and the makings of a political thriller which thankfully doesn’t take over and a very realistic story involving a new mother trying to get to know her baby while maintaining her identity. Throughout it all we keep coming back to Mila and her story is the one that haunts me.
What a fantastic unputdownable read. Not my usual fare but a series I will definitely be coming back to. Cheers.
VANISH is part 5 in the Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles series. I read it as a stand alone however and did just fine, so I can recommend it that way too. I’d also never heard of author Tess Gerritsen before this but will definitely be searching out more from her and this series. I loved her style of writing, the realistic characters, the suspenseful medical based plot and the fast moving thrill of this story as a whole. There were elements that you could tell if you were invested in the series (and reading it in order) would have been even better or funnier or sadder however I never felt lost or left out of some big plot due to the excellent story telling. This is crime writing suspense at its very best.
Vanish pulls you in from the very first page starting with Mila’s heartbreaking story of human trafficking. She and a group of Russian girls are crossing into America from Mexico having been lured there by the promise of a better life however by the end of the chapter one of the girls is dead and Mila has been sold into a prostitution ring. Mila’s story (which we keep flashing back to) is gritty and often hard to read probably because it is very real.
We then switch to coroner Maura Isles who is going about her daily routine (in vivid medical detail) when she discovers that one of the bodies in the morgue is still alive. “Jane Doe” is rushed to the emergency room where we meet up with our other protagonist Detective Jane Rizzoli who has just gone into labour following a take down at the courthouse (she rocks)
Through a fantastic series of events that kept me on the edge of my seat and never able to guess what was coming next, the formerly “dead” woman grabs a security guards gun and takes 6 people hostage in the hospital, one of which is Detective Rizzoli. “Jane Doe” won’t talk to the police negotiator and we only learn her motives after a man disguised as member of the SWAT team joins her. His story is equally enthralling.
This tense drama plays out for a large part of the book bringing in a host of other characters (and their POV’S) along with clever plot twists and exciting action. All of which Gerritsen manages to tie together. We meet Jane’s husband FBI agent Gabriel Dean (I’m assuming we met him in earlier books) we also have Jane’s partner (hints of a love triangle), reporters, spies and bad guys in Washington. We get crime scene investigations and the makings of a political thriller which thankfully doesn’t take over and a very realistic story involving a new mother trying to get to know her baby while maintaining her identity. Throughout it all we keep coming back to Mila and her story is the one that haunts me.
What a fantastic unputdownable read. Not my usual fare but a series I will definitely be coming back to. Cheers.
March 3, 2018
Vanish, the fifth book in Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series, features events both expected and unexpected. For young Russian girls like Mila, Anja, Olena, and the others, the promise of a new life with freedom and jobs is exciting. They do not expect to be taken across the Mexican border and forced into prostitution. Dr. Maura Isles is about to leave after an exhausting day at the morgue when the unthinkable happens. Later, at the hospital, she witnesses a female patient shoot a security guard with his own weapon. Boston police detective Jane Rizzoli, pregnant and past her due date, waits in the hospital’s in the Diagnostic Imaging Department after her water has broken. Her labor could start at any time. Little does she, or anyone else, expect a crisis to erupt.
Maura Isles has a limited, but important role in the story. As medical examiner, she is present at the onset of the entire chaotic episode that endangers Jane, her unborn baby, and the lives of five other hostages, plus the two unknown “terrorists”, whose mission is also a mystery. However, the action focuses mainly on Jane and her husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, as they team up to gather evidence in the wake of the hostage emergency.
As the story unfolds, things seem more and more confusing, especially when Mila’s story is interspersed with present-day police action. From Mila’s point-of-view, we see – we feel – the fear and hopelessness of human trafficking and its effect on these individuals. We witness the brutality of the johns and the greed of the “mother” and the unseen bosses. As Rizzoli, Dean, and Dr. Isles talk to police, FBI, and other intelligence agents, the story becomes quite muddied and complex before it can become clear. Yet, Jane is haunted by something one of the hostage-takers said to her, and she uses that as her guide. What they learn is truly shocking and frightening.
The Jane Rizzoli that we see in Vanish is a different person from previous books. She is evolving because she has to. Not only is she married, but she is now a mother. We see her struggle with learning that role and how to balance it with her image of herself as a cop. She is still learning to be accountable to someone other than herself and her employer. She now has a family to consider. We also see Gabriel in his role as husband and new father. I expect we will see more of this family unit as the series moves ahead. It makes me wonder – what about Maura Isles? Is there anyone special in her future? I know that there are readers who do not particularly like this character, but without having to cut too deeply, I see a heart inside this character.
4.5 stars
Maura Isles has a limited, but important role in the story. As medical examiner, she is present at the onset of the entire chaotic episode that endangers Jane, her unborn baby, and the lives of five other hostages, plus the two unknown “terrorists”, whose mission is also a mystery. However, the action focuses mainly on Jane and her husband, FBI agent Gabriel Dean, as they team up to gather evidence in the wake of the hostage emergency.
As the story unfolds, things seem more and more confusing, especially when Mila’s story is interspersed with present-day police action. From Mila’s point-of-view, we see – we feel – the fear and hopelessness of human trafficking and its effect on these individuals. We witness the brutality of the johns and the greed of the “mother” and the unseen bosses. As Rizzoli, Dean, and Dr. Isles talk to police, FBI, and other intelligence agents, the story becomes quite muddied and complex before it can become clear. Yet, Jane is haunted by something one of the hostage-takers said to her, and she uses that as her guide. What they learn is truly shocking and frightening.
The Jane Rizzoli that we see in Vanish is a different person from previous books. She is evolving because she has to. Not only is she married, but she is now a mother. We see her struggle with learning that role and how to balance it with her image of herself as a cop. She is still learning to be accountable to someone other than herself and her employer. She now has a family to consider. We also see Gabriel in his role as husband and new father. I expect we will see more of this family unit as the series moves ahead. It makes me wonder – what about Maura Isles? Is there anyone special in her future? I know that there are readers who do not particularly like this character, but without having to cut too deeply, I see a heart inside this character.
4.5 stars
July 9, 2018
Late one evening, Maura Isles is closing up the morgue and hears a noise in the cold room, the locker area where the bodies are stored. She locates the unit that’s the source of the noise and the eyes of the woman suddenly open, obviously not a corpse. Maura gets her admitted into the hospital’s emergency department but soon word gets out about the woman’s circumstances. Meanwhile, Jane Rizzoli has finally gone into labor and is admitted in the hospital. When she’s sent to the imaging area for a sonogram, bedlam breaks out in the hospital and a patient ends up holding her and those in the department hostage.
However, the book begins with the abduction of a group of women who are then forced into the sex trade, an obvious human trafficking network. It was heartbreaking and horrible as we are told the story through Mila, a very young Russian girl who doesn’t hold back as she chronicles her journey. I knew her situation would ultimately converge with Maura’s and Jane’s so I immediately began exploring the connections. It wasn’t easy or clear cut but eventually I pieced it all together but still didn’t know who could be trusted and what happened to Mila. The highly climactic ending held a couple of surprises to make this a highly intriguing story.
We have yet another narrator but one who I thought was great and not just because she is the first to pronounce Jane’s last name correctly (it was a serious annoyance for me with the other books). Her accents (Boston, Russian) seemed perfect and she made appropriate distinctions for other characters. I liked both the story and the performance and am still enjoying this series and how it’s progressing.
However, the book begins with the abduction of a group of women who are then forced into the sex trade, an obvious human trafficking network. It was heartbreaking and horrible as we are told the story through Mila, a very young Russian girl who doesn’t hold back as she chronicles her journey. I knew her situation would ultimately converge with Maura’s and Jane’s so I immediately began exploring the connections. It wasn’t easy or clear cut but eventually I pieced it all together but still didn’t know who could be trusted and what happened to Mila. The highly climactic ending held a couple of surprises to make this a highly intriguing story.
We have yet another narrator but one who I thought was great and not just because she is the first to pronounce Jane’s last name correctly (it was a serious annoyance for me with the other books). Her accents (Boston, Russian) seemed perfect and she made appropriate distinctions for other characters. I liked both the story and the performance and am still enjoying this series and how it’s progressing.
March 19, 2019
Unexpected Read-A-Thon: Read a sequel
Vanish is book 5 in the Rizzoli & Isles series, and it just keeps getting better. The plotline to Vanish is despite being published 13 years ago still very very relevant. Human trafficking of young girls has recently been back in the headlines with the arrest of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft for purchasing sex from a business involved in Human Trafficking.
Human Trafficking also known as White Slavery is a multi billion dollar business. Everyday shipments of young girls & women are smuggled into the United States. These women are completely helpless and often don't speak English or speak very little English. These women vanish everyday and nobody cares or even notices.
Vanish tells a powerful and heartbreakingly realistic story. This book may be my favorite of the series. It has everything action, dark secrets and 2 strong female leads. I can't wait to read book 6.
Vanish is book 5 in the Rizzoli & Isles series, and it just keeps getting better. The plotline to Vanish is despite being published 13 years ago still very very relevant. Human trafficking of young girls has recently been back in the headlines with the arrest of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft for purchasing sex from a business involved in Human Trafficking.
Human Trafficking also known as White Slavery is a multi billion dollar business. Everyday shipments of young girls & women are smuggled into the United States. These women are completely helpless and often don't speak English or speak very little English. These women vanish everyday and nobody cares or even notices.
Vanish tells a powerful and heartbreakingly realistic story. This book may be my favorite of the series. It has everything action, dark secrets and 2 strong female leads. I can't wait to read book 6.
May 14, 2019
"My name is Mila, and this is my journey."
This story is about different lives that are about to converge in tragedy. The book opens with Mila telling her story. A story about hopes and dreams that are shattered when she finds herself trapped into being a sex slave. Mila introduces us to Olena and other young women who are virtual prisoners.
Dr. Maura Isles is wrapping up her day at the morgue by finishing reports. She goes to check on one of the bodies she had autopsied earlier that day (her report has to be accurate) when she thinks she hears a noise. The air conditioner? Pipes? No. She starts checking the body bags. It has been a long day and her imagination must be acting up. But when she unzips one of the body bags the woman inside opens her eyes! She calls 911 and they rush the woman to the emergency room. Definitely a first.
Homicide detective Jane Rizzoli is testifying in court when she goes into labor and is taken to the hospital. The admitting physician has her sent to Diagnostic Imaging where she waits. And waits. Jane is not the most patient person even under the best circumstances. Finally she has had enough and goes out to see where everyone is and whether she has been forgotten. She walks into a hostage situation.
The Jane Doe that Maura Isles found very much alive and was rushed to the hospital. She has come out of her coma and killed a security guard. Now she has taken hostages. Among them Jane Rizzoli. The Boston police department rushes to the hospital to deal with the crisis but soon the FBI shows up. Who is Jane Doe and what does she want? Why would federal agents show up at a local hostage situation?
Maura, Jane, and her husband Gabriel Dean work to solve the mystery. It is the story about human trafficking, the women impacted, and the cost. It is also the story about power and corruption. It is here where I had to deduct some stars. There is no doubt that human trafficking exists and that the women held slaves are human beings but the corruption and politicians part of the story seemed a little to far fetched. At least I hope so!
This story is about different lives that are about to converge in tragedy. The book opens with Mila telling her story. A story about hopes and dreams that are shattered when she finds herself trapped into being a sex slave. Mila introduces us to Olena and other young women who are virtual prisoners.
Dr. Maura Isles is wrapping up her day at the morgue by finishing reports. She goes to check on one of the bodies she had autopsied earlier that day (her report has to be accurate) when she thinks she hears a noise. The air conditioner? Pipes? No. She starts checking the body bags. It has been a long day and her imagination must be acting up. But when she unzips one of the body bags the woman inside opens her eyes! She calls 911 and they rush the woman to the emergency room. Definitely a first.
Homicide detective Jane Rizzoli is testifying in court when she goes into labor and is taken to the hospital. The admitting physician has her sent to Diagnostic Imaging where she waits. And waits. Jane is not the most patient person even under the best circumstances. Finally she has had enough and goes out to see where everyone is and whether she has been forgotten. She walks into a hostage situation.
The Jane Doe that Maura Isles found very much alive and was rushed to the hospital. She has come out of her coma and killed a security guard. Now she has taken hostages. Among them Jane Rizzoli. The Boston police department rushes to the hospital to deal with the crisis but soon the FBI shows up. Who is Jane Doe and what does she want? Why would federal agents show up at a local hostage situation?
Maura, Jane, and her husband Gabriel Dean work to solve the mystery. It is the story about human trafficking, the women impacted, and the cost. It is also the story about power and corruption. It is here where I had to deduct some stars. There is no doubt that human trafficking exists and that the women held slaves are human beings but the corruption and politicians part of the story seemed a little to far fetched. At least I hope so!
September 9, 2019
Excellent from start to finish. Hard to review without spoilers but this one was suspenseful, twisty, human and full of complications, both personal and professional. At the heart of this mystery is sex trafficking and the victims who find abuse instead of the American dream.
Maybe it wrapped up a bit too fast and maybe Maura got sidelined for the last third of the book, but the storyline was timely, and both the reader and characters never knew who to trust.
This series just keeps getting better and better!!
Maybe it wrapped up a bit too fast and maybe Maura got sidelined for the last third of the book, but the storyline was timely, and both the reader and characters never knew who to trust.
This series just keeps getting better and better!!
May 20, 2019
Another brilliant thriller in this excellent series! Maura is shocked to find a live body in her mortuary cold room and Jane finds herself in labour with her first baby and a hostage in a very dangerous situation. Both events are part of a larger conspiracy that will require them to sort out who is involved and who they can trust. As always, good suspense, a great plot, and plenty of action.
April 27, 2023
The 5th book in the Rizzoli and Isles series and Tess Gerritsen is really hitting her stride putting together an intriguing people smuggling, slavery, multi-agency thriller with high level government ramifications. And right in the middle is a medical examiner and a heavily pregnant Boston police detective. Jane Rizzoli plays the more dominant role here while Maura Isles, while performing some significant roles, drops slightly into the background.
The intrigue begins with a slightly unusual hostage situation in a hospital. A woman, thought dead until she woke up in the morgue where Maura Isles found her, has been taken to the hospital for observation. She becomes extremely agitated and while the staff are attempting to subdue her, she takes a gun off a security guard, shoots him and then takes others hostage.
One of the captives is Jane Rizzoli, now overdue in her pregnancy. She’d been visiting the Diagnostic Imaging clinic for a final check-up before the baby was to be induced. Husband Gabriel Dean is beside himself and starts doing everything he can to get access to the hospital to protect his wife.
The hostage takers aren’t exactly your typical terrorist types. Although they appear to be conspiracy theorists there’s something more to what they’re saying and this raises alarm bells. Also raising alarm bells are the quick and unexplained appearance of members of the FBI. Their interest in this is not explained and there’s an unhealthy aggressiveness about their attempts to shut down the scene.
But the hostage situation is merely a scratch to the surface of this multi-layered thriller. Tess Gerritsen has built a more robust story involving human trafficking, the untouchable nature of the rich and powerful and the utter abuse of that power. Although it feels as though Jane, Gabriel, Maura and a select few fighting the good fight are doing so with very little chance of success, the determination and drive to uncover the truth holds its own sense of power.
Mixing the detachment of dissecting a dead body on the medical examiner’s table with the horror scene of a multiple murder presents a jarring dichotomy and a confronting one at that. Those are the scenes that we’re faced with here with a team of killers sweep through to clean house, as it were.
It’s left to Jane Rizzoli, still coming to terms with being a new mother to a screaming, demanding baby, to try to work out: a) who’s committing the murders, and; b) who’s ordering them to be carried out.
Vanish is a compelling and, at times, confronting mystery that moves quickly right from the opening scene. Although we are aware very early on of the presence of Mila, a Belorussian woman illegally smuggled into the country and then forced to work as a prostitute along with other Eastern European women, it is unclear exactly how she will come into play. But through alternating chapters we follow her progress from sex-working slave to fleeing fugitive.
This is a compelling thriller that combines the horror surrounding women sold into slavery as sex workers with ruthless murderers who’ll stop at nothing to follow the orders of an unknown person aiming to clean up after a crime. And then there’s the uncertainty and sense of helplessness that comes from the arrival of a newborn baby to first-time parents. It’s a combination that plays on a dizzying array of emotions and ensures an edge of the seat finish.
The intrigue begins with a slightly unusual hostage situation in a hospital. A woman, thought dead until she woke up in the morgue where Maura Isles found her, has been taken to the hospital for observation. She becomes extremely agitated and while the staff are attempting to subdue her, she takes a gun off a security guard, shoots him and then takes others hostage.
One of the captives is Jane Rizzoli, now overdue in her pregnancy. She’d been visiting the Diagnostic Imaging clinic for a final check-up before the baby was to be induced. Husband Gabriel Dean is beside himself and starts doing everything he can to get access to the hospital to protect his wife.
The hostage takers aren’t exactly your typical terrorist types. Although they appear to be conspiracy theorists there’s something more to what they’re saying and this raises alarm bells. Also raising alarm bells are the quick and unexplained appearance of members of the FBI. Their interest in this is not explained and there’s an unhealthy aggressiveness about their attempts to shut down the scene.
But the hostage situation is merely a scratch to the surface of this multi-layered thriller. Tess Gerritsen has built a more robust story involving human trafficking, the untouchable nature of the rich and powerful and the utter abuse of that power. Although it feels as though Jane, Gabriel, Maura and a select few fighting the good fight are doing so with very little chance of success, the determination and drive to uncover the truth holds its own sense of power.
Mixing the detachment of dissecting a dead body on the medical examiner’s table with the horror scene of a multiple murder presents a jarring dichotomy and a confronting one at that. Those are the scenes that we’re faced with here with a team of killers sweep through to clean house, as it were.
It’s left to Jane Rizzoli, still coming to terms with being a new mother to a screaming, demanding baby, to try to work out: a) who’s committing the murders, and; b) who’s ordering them to be carried out.
Vanish is a compelling and, at times, confronting mystery that moves quickly right from the opening scene. Although we are aware very early on of the presence of Mila, a Belorussian woman illegally smuggled into the country and then forced to work as a prostitute along with other Eastern European women, it is unclear exactly how she will come into play. But through alternating chapters we follow her progress from sex-working slave to fleeing fugitive.
This is a compelling thriller that combines the horror surrounding women sold into slavery as sex workers with ruthless murderers who’ll stop at nothing to follow the orders of an unknown person aiming to clean up after a crime. And then there’s the uncertainty and sense of helplessness that comes from the arrival of a newborn baby to first-time parents. It’s a combination that plays on a dizzying array of emotions and ensures an edge of the seat finish.
September 27, 2022
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A good story with 7 girls on a free "Mexican Tour". They don't know it's going to a whorehouse to "Vanish".
Dr. Maura Isles finds a girl alive in the morgue & is rushed to the hospital. In the hospital, she kills a security guard, takes Det. Jane Rizzoli (9 months pregnant) & captures others. FBI Gabriel Dean (Rizzoli's husband) & Maura find 6 murders relate to the "Mexican Tour" whorehouse. The 7th girl in the morgue & Maura now kidnapped. But it is not just a "ordinary" hostage case?
A good story with 7 girls on a free "Mexican Tour". They don't know it's going to a whorehouse to "Vanish".
Dr. Maura Isles finds a girl alive in the morgue & is rushed to the hospital. In the hospital, she kills a security guard, takes Det. Jane Rizzoli (9 months pregnant) & captures others. FBI Gabriel Dean (Rizzoli's husband) & Maura find 6 murders relate to the "Mexican Tour" whorehouse. The 7th girl in the morgue & Maura now kidnapped. But it is not just a "ordinary" hostage case?
May 7, 2010
I tend to read Tess Gerritsen books when I feel a reading slump coming on. They're just the perfect books to curb them since they're quick books that have you turning pages at an alarming speed. Anyway, that's why I picked up Vanish. I've been in final project hell and needed something that I would get into right away. While Vanish wasn't my favorite in the Rizzoli and Isles series, it definitely didn't disappoint.
Vanish doesn't so much start off with a bang, but rather a creepy and effective beginning. Mila's story was heartbreaking and enthralling that I found myself wanting the Rizzoli and Isles parts to be over faster just so I can get back to her story. However, the middle was where I started having some issues. I felt that it lagged just a bit with the whole "Jane is a hostage" situation. It wasn't as heart-pounding as I thought it would be. Also, I felt that it was veering towards political thriller territory and that just isn't my cup of tea.
Soon afterwards, my fears were quenched and Vanish went right back to the heart-pounding thriller that I expected it to be with a satisfying ending for some and heartbreaking endings/beginings for others. While there were a few bumps in the road, I enjoyed Vanish immensely.
I also found that I'm not getting sick of the leads. Usually after I've read more than a few in a series, I find that there are certain things that are starting to bother me about the main characters. Just little quirks that are starting to become more apparent after so much time together. This hasn't happened with the Rizzoli and Isles series yet. It's quite the opposite actually. An example of this is when I read the plot for the upcoming book (I believe it's the 8th in the series) and my heart hurt just a little at the thought of what's coming up for Maura. Hopefully, it won't end the way I think it will and there will be another worthy plot twist that won't have me in tears.
Anyway, not only did Vanish curb said reading slump, but it got me that much more excited for the upcoming Rizzoli & Isles series on TNT. So much that I'm now counting down the days until July 12th. So even if Book 8 ends up the way I hope it won't, I'll still have the series there. Unless of course, the people at TNT (I'm not calling the idiots...yet) cancel the show before it's time and then I'll go back to the books and realized they sucked and the show was better...I doubt this will happen. It's not like Tess Gerritsen is James Patterson and the Rizzoli & Isles series is the Women's Murder Club...
Vanish doesn't so much start off with a bang, but rather a creepy and effective beginning. Mila's story was heartbreaking and enthralling that I found myself wanting the Rizzoli and Isles parts to be over faster just so I can get back to her story. However, the middle was where I started having some issues. I felt that it lagged just a bit with the whole "Jane is a hostage" situation. It wasn't as heart-pounding as I thought it would be. Also, I felt that it was veering towards political thriller territory and that just isn't my cup of tea.
Soon afterwards, my fears were quenched and Vanish went right back to the heart-pounding thriller that I expected it to be with a satisfying ending for some and heartbreaking endings/beginings for others. While there were a few bumps in the road, I enjoyed Vanish immensely.
I also found that I'm not getting sick of the leads. Usually after I've read more than a few in a series, I find that there are certain things that are starting to bother me about the main characters. Just little quirks that are starting to become more apparent after so much time together. This hasn't happened with the Rizzoli and Isles series yet. It's quite the opposite actually. An example of this is when I read the plot for the upcoming book (I believe it's the 8th in the series) and my heart hurt just a little at the thought of what's coming up for Maura. Hopefully, it won't end the way I think it will and there will be another worthy plot twist that won't have me in tears.
Anyway, not only did Vanish curb said reading slump, but it got me that much more excited for the upcoming Rizzoli & Isles series on TNT. So much that I'm now counting down the days until July 12th. So even if Book 8 ends up the way I hope it won't, I'll still have the series there. Unless of course, the people at TNT (I'm not calling the idiots...yet) cancel the show before it's time and then I'll go back to the books and realized they sucked and the show was better...I doubt this will happen. It's not like Tess Gerritsen is James Patterson and the Rizzoli & Isles series is the Women's Murder Club...
September 24, 2011
My name is Mila, and this is my journey
Homicide Detective Jane Rizzoli was hot, cranky and very pregnant! She was in the witness box with a hostile defendant, one Billy Rollo, whom his female attorney couldn't seem to control. The judge was angry, and after another burst of abuse from the Rollo, he furiously ordered the bailiff to escort him from the court. With a shout of rage, Rollo attacked the bailiff and wrestled him to the floor. Jane heaved herself out of her chair, picked up the handcuffs, which had fallen to the floor, grabbed one of Rollo's raised fists and snapped on one of the cuffs. She then trod on his back and after twisting his other arm around his back, snapped the second cuff closed. Suddenly, Jane's waters broke, there in the middle of the courtroom, over the bailiff and the defendant!
Dr Maura Isles had been working in the morgue all day, she was tired and desperately needed some fresh air. Almost ready to leave, she popped back into the morgue to check on something she wasn't sure about, and thought she heard a noise. Shocked, she stood listening. There it was again! Feverishly checking the body bags, she opened one with a young woman inside, and suddenly the corpse opened her eyes!
With Jane in the hospital about to have her baby, and the 'corpse', Jane Doe also in the same hospital, their lives are about to intercept, with shocking results!
Who is Jane Doe, what does she want, where does she come from, why is she doing this...?
Take the journey with them all, the Boston PD, the FBI, the CIA, help Agent Gabriel Dean, who just happens to be Jane's husband. With this thriller moving at an extremely fast pace, you won't want to put it down until you reach the amazing, horrifying, completely terrifying climax! Another brilliant Gerritsen thriller!
Homicide Detective Jane Rizzoli was hot, cranky and very pregnant! She was in the witness box with a hostile defendant, one Billy Rollo, whom his female attorney couldn't seem to control. The judge was angry, and after another burst of abuse from the Rollo, he furiously ordered the bailiff to escort him from the court. With a shout of rage, Rollo attacked the bailiff and wrestled him to the floor. Jane heaved herself out of her chair, picked up the handcuffs, which had fallen to the floor, grabbed one of Rollo's raised fists and snapped on one of the cuffs. She then trod on his back and after twisting his other arm around his back, snapped the second cuff closed. Suddenly, Jane's waters broke, there in the middle of the courtroom, over the bailiff and the defendant!
Dr Maura Isles had been working in the morgue all day, she was tired and desperately needed some fresh air. Almost ready to leave, she popped back into the morgue to check on something she wasn't sure about, and thought she heard a noise. Shocked, she stood listening. There it was again! Feverishly checking the body bags, she opened one with a young woman inside, and suddenly the corpse opened her eyes!
With Jane in the hospital about to have her baby, and the 'corpse', Jane Doe also in the same hospital, their lives are about to intercept, with shocking results!
Who is Jane Doe, what does she want, where does she come from, why is she doing this...?
Take the journey with them all, the Boston PD, the FBI, the CIA, help Agent Gabriel Dean, who just happens to be Jane's husband. With this thriller moving at an extremely fast pace, you won't want to put it down until you reach the amazing, horrifying, completely terrifying climax! Another brilliant Gerritsen thriller!
May 26, 2015
This one was a little hard for me to swallow. The things done to the girls in this book, shook me to the core. Another fast paced read though. Kudos to Gerritsen for continuing her outstanding series.
July 13, 2016
5/5 SERİNİN EN İYİ KİTABIYDI.
Kitapta istediğim her şey vardı.Yazar tam istediğim gibi Rizzoli'nin üstünde durmuştu daha çok.Rizzoli'ye aşık bir insan olarak,kitabı beğenmemem imkansızdı zaten.Maura'nın ve ergen aşk ikilemlerinin bu kitapta olmaması da beğenmem için ayrı bir sebepti tabii.Ve..Dean.Koruyucu tavırları,Rizzoli için endişelenmesi çok hoşuma gitti.Dean kesinlikle en sevdiğim karakterlerden biri.
Kitabın ilk üç yüz sayfasını tırnaklarımı kemirerek okudum.Başından kalkamadım kitabın.-Okuyanlar sebebini tahmin ediyordur-Kitabın kalanı daha durgundu.Karakterlerin üzerine yoğunlaşılmış,özel hayatlarına daha çok girilmişti.Ve bu beni asla rahatsız etmedi.Aksine,çok hoşuma gitti.Yazarın hep Rizzoli karakterinin üzerinde durmasını istiyorum çünkü.Sadece tek bir eleştirim olacak; gizem unsuru biraz arka planda kalmıştı.Ama tabii Tess okuyanlar bilir,son sayfada yine hepimizi şaşırtmayı başardı.Gerçi ben hafiften tahmin etmiştim ama şaşırdım yinede.Ayrıca Mila'nın hikayesini çok sevdim.Ne olursa olsun,ben Mila'nın çok güçlü bir karakter olduğunu düşünüyorum.Ama bazı yerlerde o küçük kızlara yapılanları okurken içim acıdı.Çok üzüldüm.Kitap her şeyiyle çok güzeldi.Tess bu kitapla birlikte kesinlikle favori yazarlarımdan biri oldu.
Kitapta istediğim her şey vardı.Yazar tam istediğim gibi Rizzoli'nin üstünde durmuştu daha çok.Rizzoli'ye aşık bir insan olarak,kitabı beğenmemem imkansızdı zaten.Maura'nın ve ergen aşk ikilemlerinin bu kitapta olmaması da beğenmem için ayrı bir sebepti tabii.Ve..Dean.Koruyucu tavırları,Rizzoli için endişelenmesi çok hoşuma gitti.Dean kesinlikle en sevdiğim karakterlerden biri.
Kitabın ilk üç yüz sayfasını tırnaklarımı kemirerek okudum.Başından kalkamadım kitabın.-Okuyanlar sebebini tahmin ediyordur-Kitabın kalanı daha durgundu.Karakterlerin üzerine yoğunlaşılmış,özel hayatlarına daha çok girilmişti.Ve bu beni asla rahatsız etmedi.Aksine,çok hoşuma gitti.Yazarın hep Rizzoli karakterinin üzerinde durmasını istiyorum çünkü.Sadece tek bir eleştirim olacak; gizem unsuru biraz arka planda kalmıştı.Ama tabii Tess okuyanlar bilir,son sayfada yine hepimizi şaşırtmayı başardı.Gerçi ben hafiften tahmin etmiştim ama şaşırdım yinede.Ayrıca Mila'nın hikayesini çok sevdim.Ne olursa olsun,ben Mila'nın çok güçlü bir karakter olduğunu düşünüyorum.Ama bazı yerlerde o küçük kızlara yapılanları okurken içim acıdı.Çok üzüldüm.Kitap her şeyiyle çok güzeldi.Tess bu kitapla birlikte kesinlikle favori yazarlarımdan biri oldu.
January 14, 2018
Wieder ein großartiger Fall von Rizzoli&Isles! Tess Gerritsen schreibt einfach spannend, temporeich aber trotzdem mit genug „Zeit“ um die Charaktere toll rauszuarbeiten und weiter zu entwickeln... Ich freue mich auf 6 weitere Fälle und den 7. der dieses Jahr wohl erscheinen soll...
July 20, 2018
non-stop action from start to finish ... a perfect break from my research reading
March 16, 2020
Leider war das anfängliche Szenario nicht so wirklich meine Thematik. Jedoch wurde es danach wieder besser, konnte mich aber auch nicht wirklich überzeugen. Ein Umstand war gänzlich realitätsfern, die Auflösung allerdings ganz gut. Ich hab es gerne gelesen, gibt aber auch deutlich bessere Teile der Reihe!
February 1, 2018
Another good plot in the Rizzoli & Isles series. I'm really enjoying "binge" reading this series.
October 1, 2021
Maura Isles'ın çalıştığı adli tıbba suda boğulmuş genç ve güzel bir kadın ceseti getirilir. Maura Isles tesadüf eseri kadının hayatta olduğunu, ölmediğini fark eder. Hemen hastaneye kaldırılan kadın, uyanınca, hastanedeki bir güvenlik görevlisini (!) öldürerek bazı hastaları ve personeli rehin alır. Rehinelerin arasında doğum için gelen Dedektif Jane Rizzoli de vardır. Kısa zamanda kimliği belirsiz kadına yardım için arkadaşı da katılır. Ve "Ok yaydan çıkar."
⛓️
Tess, her kitabında olduğu gibi bu kitabında da beni derinden sarstı. Yaşananlar çok acı ve bir o kadar gerçek...🥺Okurken bazı yerlerde yüreğim kaldırmadı, çok üzüldüm. İnsan, insana bunu nasıl yapar? Dünyada böyle o kadar pislik insan var ki...
Olena, Joe ve Mila size ayrı üzüldüm. Seslerini tüm dünyaya duyurmaya çalışan insanlar.
▪️
Serinin son iki kitabını okurken biraz sıkılmıştım. Bu kitap öyle olmadı. Baştan sona kadar heyecan, merak ve tempo düşmedi. Ortaya bir şeyler çıktıkça daha heyecanlı ve okuması keyifli oldu. Rizzoli'nin içinde olduğu olayları okumaktan daha çok zevk alıyorum. Maura'nın gözünden okumak benim için ne kadar sıkıcıysa Jane'yi okumakta bir o kadar heyecanlı.
Kitabı diğerlerine göre daha iyi buldum. Bol bol Gabriel Dean'ı okuduk. Daha ne isteriz ki?😊
Jane ve bebeği için endişelendiği yerler o kadar güzeldi ki. Bu kitapta onun Jane olan sevgisini, aşkını güçlü şekilde hissediyoruz. Frost'a ayıp olmayacaksa Jane ve Dean'ın ortak olmasını isterdim. Birlikte bence çok iyiler. Eski yüzlerden Moonre'yi de gördük.
▪️
Sonlara doğru yine çok heyecanlıydı.
Yine çok güzel bir Tess Gerritsen kitabıydı. Keyif alarak okudum, diyemeyeceğim çünkü anlatılan konu çok üzücüydü. 🥺 Serinin diğer kitaplarındaki gibi @maviyorum, @cokokur.azyazar ve @mylittleworld11 ile birlikte okuduk. Beraber okumak ve sohbetlerimiz çok güzel.
Kitap için tek olumsuz düşüncem bazı yerleri eksik geldi. Bence oraları da okumalıydık, diye düşünüyorum. Okusaydık benim açımdan iyi olurdu. Bir sonraki kitap için heyecanlıyım.
Siliniş'i, yazarı ve türü sevenlere tavsiye ederim.
⛓️
Tess, her kitabında olduğu gibi bu kitabında da beni derinden sarstı. Yaşananlar çok acı ve bir o kadar gerçek...🥺Okurken bazı yerlerde yüreğim kaldırmadı, çok üzüldüm. İnsan, insana bunu nasıl yapar? Dünyada böyle o kadar pislik insan var ki...
Olena, Joe ve Mila size ayrı üzüldüm. Seslerini tüm dünyaya duyurmaya çalışan insanlar.
▪️
Serinin son iki kitabını okurken biraz sıkılmıştım. Bu kitap öyle olmadı. Baştan sona kadar heyecan, merak ve tempo düşmedi. Ortaya bir şeyler çıktıkça daha heyecanlı ve okuması keyifli oldu. Rizzoli'nin içinde olduğu olayları okumaktan daha çok zevk alıyorum. Maura'nın gözünden okumak benim için ne kadar sıkıcıysa Jane'yi okumakta bir o kadar heyecanlı.
Kitabı diğerlerine göre daha iyi buldum. Bol bol Gabriel Dean'ı okuduk. Daha ne isteriz ki?😊
Jane ve bebeği için endişelendiği yerler o kadar güzeldi ki. Bu kitapta onun Jane olan sevgisini, aşkını güçlü şekilde hissediyoruz. Frost'a ayıp olmayacaksa Jane ve Dean'ın ortak olmasını isterdim. Birlikte bence çok iyiler. Eski yüzlerden Moonre'yi de gördük.
▪️
Sonlara doğru yine çok heyecanlıydı.
Yine çok güzel bir Tess Gerritsen kitabıydı. Keyif alarak okudum, diyemeyeceğim çünkü anlatılan konu çok üzücüydü. 🥺 Serinin diğer kitaplarındaki gibi @maviyorum, @cokokur.azyazar ve @mylittleworld11 ile birlikte okuduk. Beraber okumak ve sohbetlerimiz çok güzel.
Kitap için tek olumsuz düşüncem bazı yerleri eksik geldi. Bence oraları da okumalıydık, diye düşünüyorum. Okusaydık benim açımdan iyi olurdu. Bir sonraki kitap için heyecanlıyım.
Siliniş'i, yazarı ve türü sevenlere tavsiye ederim.
April 9, 2009
Let me just start off by saying that I don't read a lot of mystery/thrillers. However, it seems to me that one of the conventions of the genre requires have some sort of cop/detective in a series of books that all stand-alone. (Unlike the fantasy genre in which all the books in a series need to be read in order.) When I'm browsing in the genre, I sometimes get confused as to who the writer is and who the detective is. In the case of "Vanish" by Tess Gerritsen, I think the story would have been better served to not have the series protagonists. The parts of the story told by Mila were horrific and compelling. The could have seriously stood alone in a novel or been told in juxtaposition to the story of one of the hostages at the hospital.
I found the series leads of Maura and Jane to be boring and cliched. They moved around the story in improbable ways and I never got a real sense of motivation from them. Despite my dislike of the lead characters, I did find the story very engaging and finished it in about a day. It kept me up late last night. I read the blurbs on some of Gerritsen's other books when I was in the bookstore and the premises sound interesting. I will probably read The Mephisto Club A Novel because it sounds like a particularly interesting story and I really liked the excerpt that was printed at the end of this one. For a good story, I can overlook the weakness of the generic leads.
I found the series leads of Maura and Jane to be boring and cliched. They moved around the story in improbable ways and I never got a real sense of motivation from them. Despite my dislike of the lead characters, I did find the story very engaging and finished it in about a day. It kept me up late last night. I read the blurbs on some of Gerritsen's other books when I was in the bookstore and the premises sound interesting. I will probably read The Mephisto Club A Novel because it sounds like a particularly interesting story and I really liked the excerpt that was printed at the end of this one. For a good story, I can overlook the weakness of the generic leads.
July 12, 2022
Oho... Kelios dienos ir nebėra knygos, taip įdomiai susiskaitė. Buvau padariusi pertrauką tarp šios rašytojos, gal ir gerai, nes ji dar kartą įrodė, kad yra nuostabi. Taip įtraukė, taip stebino ir šiek tiek baugino.
Kelios mergaitės, ieškodamos geresnio gyvenimo išvyksta iš šalies, deja, tas naujasis gyvenimas pasirodo esantis tikri spąstai. Apgaulingi ir labai žiaurūs. Prostitucijos tinklas. Jaunos mergaitės, vargšės mergaitės, dėl nieko nekaltos tampa tikros išnaudojimo aukos.
Džeinė Ricoli jau tuoj turi gimdyti ir vis negalinti nusiraminti ir pailsėti. Ji negali be savo darbo. O dar kai tokie dalykai vyksta šalia... Negi gimdančiai moteriai tiek daug visko teks išgyventi?
Morą Ailz netyčia pastebi tai, kas atima žadą - apžiūrimo lavono akys atsimerkia. Atsigavusi moteris skubiai vežama į ligoninę, o ten nutinka sunkiai suvokiami dalykai...
Tai tikrai intriguojantis, kvapą gniaužiantis romanas. Nepaleidžiantis. Eina sau, kokia gera knyga!
Kelios mergaitės, ieškodamos geresnio gyvenimo išvyksta iš šalies, deja, tas naujasis gyvenimas pasirodo esantis tikri spąstai. Apgaulingi ir labai žiaurūs. Prostitucijos tinklas. Jaunos mergaitės, vargšės mergaitės, dėl nieko nekaltos tampa tikros išnaudojimo aukos.
Džeinė Ricoli jau tuoj turi gimdyti ir vis negalinti nusiraminti ir pailsėti. Ji negali be savo darbo. O dar kai tokie dalykai vyksta šalia... Negi gimdančiai moteriai tiek daug visko teks išgyventi?
Morą Ailz netyčia pastebi tai, kas atima žadą - apžiūrimo lavono akys atsimerkia. Atsigavusi moteris skubiai vežama į ligoninę, o ten nutinka sunkiai suvokiami dalykai...
Tai tikrai intriguojantis, kvapą gniaužiantis romanas. Nepaleidžiantis. Eina sau, kokia gera knyga!
March 5, 2018
A parte il risveglio iniziale di una ragazza in un sacco-salma in obitorio (!) di cui avevo letto nella scheda libro che mi induceva a scappare via a gambe levate ;)
inaspettatamente ,per me che non amo tanto questo genere, un buon thriller!
Ben congegnato ,dalla trama avvincente che sa tenerti incollato alle pagine , sa farti accelerare i battiti in diversi momenti topici ,una storia senza spacconerie o svolte inverosimili
(e senza commissari piacioni e buongustai )
Molte le donne protagoniste : Olena ,Mila e le altre ragazze bielorusse sfruttate in una casa-trappola , Jane Rizzoli , la detective ,in questo "episodio" partoriente e neomamma, ma sempre con ottimo fiuto e la dottoressa Maura Isles ,medico legale , stakanovista del bisturi settorio ,ottima professionista , con una vita privata complicata.
Tutto sommato, non male , tre stelle piene
inaspettatamente ,per me che non amo tanto questo genere, un buon thriller!
Ben congegnato ,dalla trama avvincente che sa tenerti incollato alle pagine , sa farti accelerare i battiti in diversi momenti topici ,una storia senza spacconerie o svolte inverosimili
(e senza commissari piacioni e buongustai )
Molte le donne protagoniste : Olena ,Mila e le altre ragazze bielorusse sfruttate in una casa-trappola , Jane Rizzoli , la detective ,in questo "episodio" partoriente e neomamma, ma sempre con ottimo fiuto e la dottoressa Maura Isles ,medico legale , stakanovista del bisturi settorio ,ottima professionista , con una vita privata complicata.
Tutto sommato, non male , tre stelle piene
February 8, 2023
A 3.5 for me. Jane is having a baby and is held hostage by a woman who Maura discovers alive in her morgue in a body bag. We then find a conspiracy involving the murder of Russian sex slaves. Two escaped and took with them evidence of a high ranking government official raping and murdering a woman.
The story is fast paced with Jane dealing with motherhood and her feelings of inadequacy as a mother. All a bit far fetched but entertaining with a fast pace throughout.
The story is fast paced with Jane dealing with motherhood and her feelings of inadequacy as a mother. All a bit far fetched but entertaining with a fast pace throughout.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2014
Of the first five books this was the one I was looking forward to the most. With Rizzoli as a hostage it seemed as though the book would be brilliant. Whilst it was a great read it wasn’t quite what I was expecting – I really had been expecting something a little bit more.
A lot of people seem to dislike this book as a lot of it comes from the point of view of Special Agent Gabriel Dean. Personally, I rather enjoyed it (as I have a soft spot for the relationship between Dean and Rizzoli) and have been waiting for him to return for more than just five minutes. As I’ve already said, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it was still interesting. It was a great insight into his character – more than just how he is seen in the eyes of Rizzoli and Isles – and it is great to see him as a more rounded character.
Another thing I rather enjoyed was the return of Moore. For a while I’ve been curious as to where he is, what he is up to. Every time Homicide Detectives appear and Moore is not there I start to question just how long this honeymoon of his actual is. Whilst there wasn’t much of him (and if I’m honest, I didn’t enjoy his character as much as I did in the first book) it was great to know that he is actually back, and to see him interact with Rizzoli again.
I would also like to say that those who have watched the television series are in for quite a shock when reading the books. I was part way through the fourth book (Body Double) when I decided to start with the television series and there were many moments which left me shocked with the changes that were made. As is almost always the case, the books are so much better than the television series. Whether you have watched the show or are merely a crime fan looking for something more I would certainly recommend the Rizzoli and Isles series.
A lot of people seem to dislike this book as a lot of it comes from the point of view of Special Agent Gabriel Dean. Personally, I rather enjoyed it (as I have a soft spot for the relationship between Dean and Rizzoli) and have been waiting for him to return for more than just five minutes. As I’ve already said, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it was still interesting. It was a great insight into his character – more than just how he is seen in the eyes of Rizzoli and Isles – and it is great to see him as a more rounded character.
Another thing I rather enjoyed was the return of Moore. For a while I’ve been curious as to where he is, what he is up to. Every time Homicide Detectives appear and Moore is not there I start to question just how long this honeymoon of his actual is. Whilst there wasn’t much of him (and if I’m honest, I didn’t enjoy his character as much as I did in the first book) it was great to know that he is actually back, and to see him interact with Rizzoli again.
I would also like to say that those who have watched the television series are in for quite a shock when reading the books. I was part way through the fourth book (Body Double) when I decided to start with the television series and there were many moments which left me shocked with the changes that were made. As is almost always the case, the books are so much better than the television series. Whether you have watched the show or are merely a crime fan looking for something more I would certainly recommend the Rizzoli and Isles series.
November 11, 2017
Vanish by Tess Gerritsen lives up to my expectations. I have read several of her books but out of order and that never made it difficult with connecting to the story. There is always plenty of suspense to keep me turning the pages and little bits of humor thrown in.
Maura Isles is a Boston Medical Examiner and had unzipped the body bad of a beautiful woman and the woman opens her eyes. This was the start of a very long bad day for Maura, she rushes the woman in for medical treatment.
Mila, a redhead from Belarus is in Mexico City. She has been tricked into a sex trafficking scheme. Her tale is one of sorrow and pain. She and other women are taken to United States where they are kept in a house with bars on the windows. From then on, everything gets worse for her.
Jane Rizzoli is pregnant with her first baby, and on maternity leave. She is thrust into a hostage situation and fears for her unborn baby's life and her own.
All three of these women were trapped in a horrible situation. I applaud the author's courage to take on the horrible situation of sex tracking. Previously, I had visited San Francisco and read a long report about it and the details like the bars on the windows were the same. It is a difficult read in those parts of the story but this nightmare must be addressed and prevented.
I highly recommend this book even though there are some graphic scenes.
Maura Isles is a Boston Medical Examiner and had unzipped the body bad of a beautiful woman and the woman opens her eyes. This was the start of a very long bad day for Maura, she rushes the woman in for medical treatment.
Mila, a redhead from Belarus is in Mexico City. She has been tricked into a sex trafficking scheme. Her tale is one of sorrow and pain. She and other women are taken to United States where they are kept in a house with bars on the windows. From then on, everything gets worse for her.
Jane Rizzoli is pregnant with her first baby, and on maternity leave. She is thrust into a hostage situation and fears for her unborn baby's life and her own.
All three of these women were trapped in a horrible situation. I applaud the author's courage to take on the horrible situation of sex tracking. Previously, I had visited San Francisco and read a long report about it and the details like the bars on the windows were the same. It is a difficult read in those parts of the story but this nightmare must be addressed and prevented.
I highly recommend this book even though there are some graphic scenes.
December 1, 2012
The 5th book in the Rizzoli and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen.
This is an excellent series of books that features Jane Rizzoli a police homicide detective and Maura Isles a medical examiner.
The books are very well written and show a very good knowledge of Police procedure. The interaction between the main two characters is very effective and makes very entertaining reading.
This is an excellent series of books that features Jane Rizzoli a police homicide detective and Maura Isles a medical examiner.
The books are very well written and show a very good knowledge of Police procedure. The interaction between the main two characters is very effective and makes very entertaining reading.
May 16, 2016
Dobra "stara" Tess!
May 24, 2018
Erg spannend en origineel verhaal!
January 3, 2023
Finalizada. Edición en audiolibro. Quinta entrega de la serie Rizzoli & Isles. No se pueden considerar unas novelazas pero son entretenidas. Esta vez tendremos un asunto de trata de blancas y Rizzoli muy implicada en el asunto por causas ajenas a su voluntad. Novela ideal para este formato. Nota 3,5. FIN
April 9, 2013
This is one of my favorite books in the series - The Keepsake(2008), is my very favorite. Vanish is a memorable story with an intense ending. If you like Vanish, try The Siege by Stephen White. If you liked The Siege, try Vanish by Tess Gerritsen :-) They have similar storylines, both dealing with hostage situations.
February 14, 2014
Slow at first, but gets increasingly better
This book started off with a somewhat intriguing hook that devolved into a hostage situation. I am not a huge fan of long hostage negotiation stories, so for me this really slowed the book down.
Somewhere beyond halfway through the crisis resolves and the main conflict is (re)introduced. At this point, I felt the plot began to move much more quickly. Gerritsen sometimes seems like one of those authors that writes the ending first and builds to it. Her endings are consistently crisp, taut and tend to bring me back to another book.
This book started off with a somewhat intriguing hook that devolved into a hostage situation. I am not a huge fan of long hostage negotiation stories, so for me this really slowed the book down.
Somewhere beyond halfway through the crisis resolves and the main conflict is (re)introduced. At this point, I felt the plot began to move much more quickly. Gerritsen sometimes seems like one of those authors that writes the ending first and builds to it. Her endings are consistently crisp, taut and tend to bring me back to another book.
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