The Silent Girl

May 30, 2011
In Gerritsen's gripping ninth Rizzoli & Isles novel (after Ice Cold), a severed hand found on a Chinatown street leads Det. Jane Rizzoli, Boston PD, to a rooftop, where she discovers a female body with a slit throat and without a hand. About the only clues to the Jane Doe's identity are silvery hairs on the victim's clothes that may not be human. Rizzoli and her team uncover a link to a 19-year-old murder/suicide case, in which an illegal immigrant cook, Wu Weimin, allegedly shot a waiter, three customers, and himself inside the Red Phoenix restaurant late one night. Some people in Chinatown still believe Wu was innocent. Meanwhile, in a strange coincidence, two missing girls turn out to be related to victims of the Red Phoenix massacre. Medical examiner Maura Isles plays a supporting role, though both women deal with personal and family issues that reveal their humanity and lend credibility to this deft thriller. Author tour.

August 29, 2011
In this ninth entry in the Rizzoli and Isles series, fiery Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli probes the mystery of a gruesome murder in Chinatown while cool forensic pathologist Maura Isles copes with the consequences of testifying against a violent cop. Tanya Eby—who narrated the previous volume in the series—deftly captures the socioeconomic and emotional differences that distinguish this odd couple. Her Rizzoli is properly blue collar, with a hard Boston accent, while Isles’s speech is thoughtful and just aloof enough to suggest an upper-middle-class upbringing. Additionally, Eby provides appropriate voices to gruff lawmen, Irish mobsters, and even several citizens of Chinatown without stumbling into ethnic parody. Perhaps more importantly, she knows how to wring every last drop of suspense out of a tense situation, which this crisp thriller provides in abundance. Eby’s excellent interpretation of Gerritsen’s well-crafted tale makes for a thoroughly entertaining package. A Ballantine Books hardcover.