The First Step Into Rizzoli's World: On Tess Gerritsen's The Surgeon

A review of Tess Gerritsen's book The Surgeon.

American writer Tess Gerritsen's novel The Surgeon is the debut installment in the author's detective thriller series, following investigator Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles.

The book, published in 2001, won the RITA Award in the 'Romantic Suspense' category (2002), and on Goodreads received a 4.1 rating. It also inspired the TV series Rizzoli & Isles.

In total, the Rizzoli & Isles book series consists of 13 novels, translated into Ukrainian by KSD. The Surgeon, in particular, combines themes of crime and psychological trauma — a story about how medical instruments become not just a means of saving lives, but also a tool for torture. More on the book — in this DeTalks review.

The Book's Plot and Structure

Boston is shaken once again by a series of murders committed by a killer nicknamed the Surgeon. He shows deep knowledge of human anatomy, recreating the details of his predecessor's crimes — a killer long since dead.

At the center of the plot are Jane Rizzoli, who's trying to prove her competence within a male-dominated team of detectives, and Catherine Cordell, who once survived an attack by a killer. New crimes bring the danger closer and closer to Catherine, who becomes the next target.

Tess Gerritsen makes extensive use of medical terminology and detailed descriptions, creating an effect of documentary precision. Shifting perspectives — between the detectives, the victims, and the killer himself — also let readers dive deeper into the characters' psychology and follow the unfolding events. Why does the Surgeon fold nightgowns after his crimes? How does he think about human blood?

Reader Yaroslava has described feeling genuinely unsettled at points, especially in scenes depicting the attacks or recreating the victim's memories, saying it wasn't primitive fear so much as an understanding of human psychology, pain, and trauma — not something built purely on blood or cruelty, she said in an exclusive comment for DeTalks,

adding that Gerritsen skillfully alternates between the police investigation, the victims' thoughts, and the killer's inner world, making it feel like watching everything unfold from inside the operating room or the detective's office.

Characters

Each character has their own goal and past traumas that catch up with them page by page. Detective Thomas Moore, for instance, is grieving the loss of his wife and tries to avoid forming new emotional attachments, despite his feelings for Catherine. She, in turn, can't overcome her fear of intimacy because of the violence she survived. Catherine travels a path from victim to someone who dares to fight back. She starts out as a woman haunted by memories of her encounter with the killer, but gradually finds the strength within herself to confront her fear.

Jane Rizzoli, meanwhile, tries to succeed in her career, but is predictably sidelined from the case over a mistake. Still, despite her colleagues' prejudice, the detective remains someone who doesn't give up, and continues investigating the case on her own.

In this way, the characters' individual stories intertwine with the main investigative thread, underscoring that the novel isn't just about crime, but about trauma's consequences for each character.

A Woman's Life

Beyond its detective intrigue, The Surgeon raises social questions, including the position of women in society. Tess Gerritsen shows how discrimination, distrust, and the devaluation of women's professional achievements play out both in everyday life and in the workplace.

Jane Rizzoli, for instance, has to prove her competence every day within a male-dominated team. She faces both hidden and open sexism. When Rizzoli finds a tampon planted in a bottle, for example, it exposes the gender bias among her colleagues.

Even the detective's own family doesn't take her work seriously. The author writes that no matter what Jane achieves in life, no matter how brilliant her career, she'll always remain, to them, the unnoticed daughter and sister.

At the same time, the killer's victims are women who've previously survived violence. Catherine embodies a state of constant anxiety, sleeping every night behind seven locks that create an illusion of safety for her.

In this way, the author offers a deeper reflection on the psychological and social aspects of violence. She explores how fear and trauma shape identity. Through its portrayal of victims, Tess Gerritsen's The Surgeon raises questions about safety and the silence that often accompanies the experience of violence. The author shows that real strength lies not in the absence of fear, but in the ability to stand up to it.