Product Description

The bestselling author of The Surgeon returns—and so does that chilling novel’s diabolical villain. Though held behind bars, Warren Hoyt still haunts a helpless city, seeming to bequeath his evil legacy to a student all-too-diligent . . . and all-too-deadly.

THE APPRENTICE

It is a boiling hot Boston summer. Adding to the city’s woes is a series of shocking crimes, in which wealthy men are made to watch while their wives are brutalized. A sadistic demand that ends in abduction and death.

The pattern suggests one man: serial killer Warren Hoyt, recently removed from the city’s streets. Police can only assume an acolyte is at large, a maniac basing his attacks on the twisted medical techniques of the madman he so admires. At least that’s what Detective Jane Rizzoli thinks. Forced again to confront the killer who scarred her—literally and figuratively—she is determined to finally end Hoyt’s awful influence . . . even if it means receiving more resistance from her all-male homicide squad.

But Rizzoli isn’t counting on the U.S. government’s sudden interest. Or on meeting Special Agent Gabriel Dean, who knows more than he will tell. Most of all, she isn’t counting on becoming a target herself, once Hoyt is suddenly free, joining his mysterious blood brother in a vicious vendetta. . . .

Filled with superbly created characters—and the medical and police procedural details that are her trademark—The Apprentice is Tess Gerritsen at her brilliant best. Set in a stunning world where evil is easy to learn and hard to end, this is a thriller by a master who could teach other authors a thing or two.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34384 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-29
• Released on: 2003-07-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.com Review
Boston detective Jane Rizzoli hasn't completely recovered from the near-death experience at the hands of a serial killer (The Surgeon) that left her scarred and scared, but that doesn't keep her from going after a copycat murderer whose modus operandi is disturbingly familiar. Warren Hoyt may still be behind bars, but Jane thinks there's a connection between him and the man the police call the Dominator, based on the way this new fiend subdues and violates his victims before he kills them. Political interference from an FBI agent who seems to know more about the Dominator than anyone else only intensifies Jane's determination to solve the case. When Hoyt escapes from prison and teams up with his blood brother to take revenge on the policewoman who put him there, the pace of this truly frightening thriller picks up and drives the narrative to its violent conclusion. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
For the first time since she moved from mass market originals to hardcover (with 1996's Harvest), Gerritsen offers a sequel to last year's bestselling The Surgeon. It's a smart move, as in that novel this popular author introduced a terrific lead character, Jane Rizzoli, a female Boston homicide detective who rivals Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta for intensity and complexity. Her nemesis, serial killer Warren Hoyt, aka the Surgeon, whom Rizzoli sent to prison, returns here, too; that's not so terrific, as he's basically a Hannibal Lecter clone, though Gerritsen does pair him up this time with a second serial killer, known among cops as the Dominator. The discovery of the corpse of one of the Dominator's victims in a ritzy Boston suburb gets the action moving. Rizzoli notes connections between the Dominator's handiwork and that of Hoyt, and visits Hoyt behind bars. Eventually it's revealed that Hoyt and the Dominator have contacted one another by mail. Hoyt escapes and links up with the Dominator, and it's no surprise that Rizzoli is their number one target. The novel is suspenseful and stuffed with an encyclopedia's worth of tightly detailed forensic lore. Rizzoli gets a new love interest (Hoyt killed her last one, in The Surgeon), an FBI agent, which is handled with realism and subtlety, but her fuming at man's inhumanity to woman may grate on male readers. There are first-person italicized passages from Hoyt's point of view, a genre cliche, and at times the grisliness of the murders tends toward sensationalism. This strong thriller should sell very well, but it's not Gerritsen's best.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
In this sequel to The Surgeon, detective Jane Rizzoli is called to a crime scene out of her jurisdiction. The victim is a wealthy doctor, found with his throat slashed, sitting on the floor of his living room in his pajamas, with a teacup in his lap. His wife is missing, but her nightgown is found folded neatly on a chair in the bedroom. There are unmistakable similarities to the work of serial killer Warren Hoyt, nicknamed "the Surgeon," but he is in prison, which leads Rizzoli to suspect a copycat killer. The killing spree continues, Hoyt escapes, and the FBI is interested but not saying why. Meanwhile, Rizzoli has to deal with the emotional trauma she's neglected since Hoyt was put away, her growing attraction to Special Agent Dean, and the very real possibility that she will be the next victim. There is gore galore and plenty of technobabble for DNA aficionados, but readers will find no real surprises, and the ending is not very satisfying. Still, fans of The Surgeon will want to read this; buy for demand only. Stacy Alesi, Southwest Cty. Regional Lib., FL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Better Then The Surgeon!!!!
In the book The Surgeon we met Jane Rizzoli a hard as nails detective with the Boston Police. She is responsible for the arrest of "the surgeon" the serial killer that had been hunting on the streets of Boston.

A year later and with many emotional as well as physical scars later Detective Rizzoli is called to another murder scene with chilling similarities to the Surgeon Case. After the investigation gets under way FBI agent Gabriel Dean shows up and is given all access to the investigation. Jane does not understand why he is there, he won't tell her anything but he does have the uncanny ability to know where to look for evidence and what kind of evidence to look for. Then just when things start to get going Warren Hoyt "the surgeon" escapes from prison and looks to have hooked up with the Dominator. Working together these two murders led investigators on a chase that includes some shocking twist and turns.

This was a well-written book that allowed you to get to "know" detective Rizzoli and perhaps even like her this time around. The characters were all well developed and the use of medical terminology was not left undefined so a layperson could understand what was going on. This is a sequel to the book "The Surgeon" but it can still stand-alone. You will not have a hard time following the storyline or how characters interact with each other. This was a true edge of your seat read but be aware that some of the descriptions of murder scenes , and autopsies are very vivid. A great read for the fan of Thrillers!

"The Surgeon" is Back.....
Boston Homicide Detective, Jane Rizzoli, still bears both the physical and mental scars of her last, and almost deadly encounter with Warren Hoyt, "the surgeon," who methodically tortured, mutilated, and viciously murdered his victims in a killing spree that ended last year. Thanks to Rizzoli, Hoyt is now behind bars, in a maximum security prison, and he's there for life. So you can imagine her horror, when she's called to an eerily familiar crime scene, and it becomes immediately apparent that a copycat killer, soon dubbed "the dominator," is on the loose and has taken over "the surgeon's" work. As the body count rises, Hoyt escapes from prison and joins forces with his apprentice. This very lethal pair are now hunting together, and their next target is Jane Rizzoli, the victim who got away..... Tess Gerritsen is back with a sequel to last year's best-selling and cleverly plotted thriller, The Surgeon. The Apprentice is a fast read, tense and suspenseful, and filled with vivid scenes, and graphic descriptions. But unfortunately, if you read The Surgeon, you'll find there's not much new here, just a rehash of last year's story. The characters are well drawn and interesting, but the large chip on Rizzoli's shoulder, her drive to be always one better than any of her male counterparts, and her constant whining starts to get old and detracts from the story. With a rushed and unsatisfying ending, that leaves several plot lines hanging and too many questions unanswered, The Apprentice is far from Ms Gerritsen's best. For those looking for an intriguing and compelling thriller, read The Surgeon.

Not nearly good enough
Tess Gerritsen has written a serial-killer novel. Other reviewers has said the same thing, and I will repeat it: it is not good enough, it has been done better before! The Apprentice is a rip-off of great serial killer/frustrated police-woman/gruesome medical examiner facts-books by Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs and others, who does it much better than Ms. Gerritsen. There is not much new in this book, and it is hard to feel anything for the characters. Even the serial killer is just annoying. Jane Rizzoli, the frustrated police-woman, battling not only with sexist issues at the station but also the mental and physical scars from the same serial killer in a previous book, is trying hard to find him again, when he escapes prison. She cannot admit that she is scared to death, and while we try hard to gain some sympahty for her, the killer is getting closer and also playing gruesome mindgames with her. She is almost too stubborn for her own good. When the story is about to get going, it ends. Too much space in this book is used to descibe Jane Rozzoli's mental health, and her angst and anxiety and it gets boring. I was not impressed with this book, but - will not rule out that I could pick up another Tess Gerritsen book another time.