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It's summer in Boston, and the crime rate is rising as fast the temperature. For detective Jane Rizzoli of the Boston PD the heat brings with it a searing reminder of the summer before, when she faced down Warren Hoyt --- a serial killer known as "The Surgeon" --- and narrowly missed becoming one of his victims. In THE APPRENTICE, the Surgeon makes an encore appearance --- and this time he's acting as a mentor to an equally enthusiastic killer who preys on young married couples. The book opens with an ardent reminder of the Surgeon's ruthlessness, refreshing the memory of those who read the previous book and giving those who have not an introduction to the man who not only haunts Rizzoli's dreams but her every waking hour.
Rizzoli, a secondary character in THE SURGEON, takes center stage in THE APPRENTICE. Courageous and brash, she battles not one but two madmen with only her gun, her wits, and a chip on her shoulder the size of the state of Massachusetts.
Even though Hoyt has been locked down in a maximum security prison for nearly a year, Rizzoli cannot rid herself of the mental --- and physical --- scars she bears because of him. Every night she searches her apartment with gun in hand, a ritual that allows her a small measure of comfort --- until the day she receives a phone call that puts to rest any illusions she has harbored about her own safety. A wealthy doctor has been brutally murdered in his home in a Boston suburb, and his wife is missing. Certain details of the crime scene suggest the work of one man: Warren Hoyt. Even from behind bars, it is apparent that Hoyt is wielding his evil influence. Rizzoli, called in to assist on the case, even though it's outside her district, soon has more to fear when the killer moves within Boston city limits and commits a murder and kidnapping in posh Beacon Hill.
When Hoyt escapes from prison, he joins forces with the Apprentice and is soon on the hunt for the one that got away…Rizzoli. As Rizzoli becomes more entrenched in the investigation, she sets herself on a collision course with the Surgeon. And the tension escalates with the involvement of the FBI, which suggests that there is more to the murder/kidnapping cases and the Apprentice's background than anyone is willing to admit.
As the book speeds along, the reader knows from the start that a confrontation between Rizzoli, the Surgeon, and the Apprentice is a foregone conclusion. Yet when she is lured into the clutches of the two killers, we are as surprised as Rizzoli, which illustrates the power of Gerritsen's storytelling ability.
Tess Gerritsen writes some of the smartest, most compelling thrillers around, and with THE SURGEON and THE APPRENTICE she has not just given us topnotch storylines. In Jane Rizzoli, she has also created a character that is more than worthy of our time. The ending of THE APPRENTICE suggests that we haven't seen the last of the diabolical Surgeon. We'll be right there with Rizzoli when she takes on the Surgeon --- and his latest disciple --- one more time.
--- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna
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