BOOK REVIEW: I know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen

In a house decorated with horror movie posters, a young woman's body is found. She lies on her bed, two bloodied objects clutched in her palm.
Detective Jane Rizzoli and forensic pathologist Dr Maura Isles are called to the murder scene but are unable to find an immediate cause of death.
Their investigation leads them to a high-profile case that was seemingly solved years before. But when another body is found in horrific circumstances, the link between the two victims clear. Was the wrong person sent to prison? Is the real killer out there right now, picking off new targets?
One woman knows the killer is coming for her next. She's the only one who can help Rizzoli and Isles catch him.
But she's hiding something...

Publisher: Bantam Press

Pages: 314

I Know a Secret is Tess Gerritsen's twelfth book in the Rizzoli and Isles series and it is so good. I read it in just over a day and it had me gripped from the very beginning. 

I personally think that now we are twelve books in, it would be quite hard for a new reader to start with this one. It would still be a good read but I also think that they wouldn't get as much from it if they didn't know the main characters' history. Initially I thought that this book was mainly focused on Jane and her parents' tempestuous marriage but as the book developed, Maura's tragic relationship with her mother plus her complex ties with Father Daniel Brophy are also explored. It was good to catch up with both female leads and as usual the close relationship between these two strong women is evident throughout. 

The book begins with Jane and Maura attending a crime scene, the body has been savagely mutilated  yet there is no obvious cause of death. Maura, for once has to admit that she has no idea what killed this young woman. Another body shows up and Maura quickly realises that there is a link; both bodies have been altered after death, altered in order to leave a terrifying warning. Knowing they now have a serial killer on the loose, both women begin looking at a much wider picture and the clues lead them to a sexual abuse trial from many years ago where a whole family was found guilty and sent to prison. But what if the wrong people were punished? That would mean that the real killer is still out there but who will they go for next?

I Know a Secret is very clever, it really did keep me guessing until the very end. As with all of Gerritsen's books, she does not hold back on the gory details and her medical knowledge brings a gritty reality to the images she creates.

As suggested by the title of this book, it deals with secrets but not just  within the crime. Jane and Maura both have secrets of their own which impact on their daily lives and happiness. The murderer has been using the secret they know to wield power over another's life for many years. I felt that Gerritsen was ultimately showing that the truth has to come out, no matter how devastating the repercussions are. 

If you are a fan of this series then I know you won't be disappointed, as with all of Gerritsen's books, you are truly in the hands of a master story-teller, you won't be able to put this down.