Girl Missing

by Tess Gerritsen

The first body is a mystery. She's young. She's beautiful. And her corpse, laid out in the office of Boston medical examiner Kat Novak, betrays no secrets - except for a notebook clutched in one stiff hand, seven numbers scrawled inside. The next body is a warning. When a second victim is discovered, Kat begins to fear that a serial killer is stalking the city streets: a shadowy madman without mercy or apparent motive. The police are sceptical. The mayor won't listen. And Kat's chief suspect is one of the city's most prominent citizens. The final body...might be hers. With the death toll rising, Kat races to expose a deadly conspiracy and the brutal killer at its heart - a killer who will stalk her from the dangerous streets of the inner city to the corridors of power. Because he's closer than she ever dreamt. And every move she makes could be her very last.

• ISBN10: 0345549635
• ISBN13: 9780345549631
• Publish Date: 25 February 2014 (first published 21 May 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Ballantine Books
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 142
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

3.5 I discovered Tess Gerristen quite by accident while in the doctors’ office. There was a copy of the Surgeon, and I began reading. I then read all of her thrillers back to back. Her books were turned into a television series called Rizzoli & Isles. As much as I am a fan of her psychological suspense thrillers, I never ventured into her earlier works. I was surprised to learn she started with romantic suspense. Girl Missing is what Tess herself calls her bridge novel from romantic suspense to thriller. I enjoyed this mystery and was tickled to see where it all began. Mini review: strong characters, romance and murder that kept me engaged.

Kat Novak is the medical examiner in Boston, MA. The first body that arrives that morning is a mystery. A beautiful young woman with a matchbook clutched in her fist containing a seven digit number. When Kat calls that number it belongs to a prominent citizen. As the bodies begin to pile up, Kat realizes there is a problem..but the more she digs, and the more she protests, the greater the danger she is in.
I liked Kat; she is tenacious and not the least bit concerned with the politics that go on within the mayor and police department. She cares about stopping a killer and saving innocent lives. She was relentless when following a lead and is a straight shooter. When she begins to develop feelings for her prime suspect things got a little complicated. I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance but felt they worked well together as an investigative team.

Girl Missing offered up a keen murder mystery with unique suspects and characters. I had fun piecing things together. I can clearly see the Gerristen I have come to adore within these pages. While I questioned a few technical aspects, particularly in the ME’s office, I could not find fault with the plot and pacing. The romance while a significant thread really stayed in the background. While I felt they interacted well it lacked that sizzle romantic suspense usually brings. Truth be told the Surgeon is a stronger, tighter, darker novel that left me breathless. While this didn’t wow me, I am glad that I read Girl Missing, and quite enjoyed the tale she wove.

Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer