LISTEN TO ME

5 stars out of 5

Well golly gee - has it really been five years since I last Kindle-thumbed my way through the adventures of detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles? Big wonderful surprise: I received an advance copy of this one, the 13th (thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley). An even bigger one: I loved it.

Admittedly, Jane and Maura are the stars of the show - the characters I just can't get enough of; close behind is Jane's husband, Special Agent Gabriel Dean (who, I'm sorry to say, makes not much more than a cameo appearance here). If you're a fan of Jane's mother Angela, though, run out and get a copy immediately; this is her time in the spotlight. Even Maura takes a noticeable back seat to the very Italian mom. 

There are also enough subplots to make three other books, I'm guessing - keeping readers on their toes and provided with insights as chapters shift mostly from the perspectives of Angela and Jane. There's a young woman who appears to have a stalker, a nurse who was slaughtered in her own home with no apparent motive and a couple of just-moved in secretive neighbors Angela is certain are up to no good (plus a couple of others who may not be quite the folks Angela always thought they were).

Eventually, Jane - with help from Maura and her capable partner Barry Frost - starts unraveling the tapestry of clues, revealing some long-ago connections that will prove instrumental to solving the stalking and murder cases. Meanwhile, Maura is proving instrumental in a different context, and Angela ignores advice that she should go back in the house and bake zucchini bread. But staying in the background is just not in her genetic make-up so - especially when no one will listen to her - what's a mother to do?

Nothing else to say except this: Welcome back, and pretty please listen to me and make it less time between this one and the 14th!

Listen to Me by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine Books, July 2022); 320 pp.