The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

A killer in Boston, MA is attacking women, seemingly safe in their own homes, and violating them in many disturbing ways. These killings are eerily similar to attacks from Years ago in Savannah, GA where there the last victim was left alive and the killer was left dead... Details that could only be known by the killer are being duplicated and more women are dying as time creeps on in the investigation. Detectives Jane Rizzoli and Thomas Moore need to protect the witness and find the killer and both tasks are proving harder than expected.

This book is gritty in detail and thick in medical jargon, which makes it all the more exciting and real for me. I like mysteries that I can get lost in and this definitely was one of them. I'll definitely read on in this series and read more of Gerritsen. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark, gritty books that are heavy on the details and get your heart thumping. Rizzoli comes off a little hard edged and bitter, but the explanations for that seem real. For a woman who works in a field that for a long time was considered a "mans world", I understand what that can do to a woman.

This book covers the following categories/challenges for me:

Booktivity November Special: I thank for... The Surgeon who did my knee surgery years ago did the surgery on the correct knee! (By Tess Gerritsen)

PBT Nov: Thriller

Monthly Mixer Mele Challenge (S in auguSt)

Pitch Black by Susan Crandall

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Madison and her adopted son, Ethan, leave Philadelphia for a better life in a small town in Tennessee. Madison finally starts to open up to the town and a certain someone and allows Ethan on a camping trip when a tragic accident happens and all hell breaks lose in this small town. Madison and Ethan being outsiders have a harder time with the locals because of this event and figures get pointed everywhere but where they should.

This was my first Susan Crandall and I enjoyed her writing but I felt that too much was given away too quickly. I also didn't like how the narrator changed throughout the book, I thought it was a little too much flip flopping around.

This book fills the following Categories/Challenges for me:

Booktivity November Special: I thank for... ...not living in Pitch Black.

Fall Winter Mystery Challenge: Romantic Mystery

PBT Tag: Other

Monthly Mixer Mele Challenge (B in novemBer)

Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson

Rating: 2/5 Stars

Goldy is has a new client, she is making breakfast and meeting goodies for a local law firm. One night while Goldy is there to prepare bread for the next morning, she trips over her friend, neighbor and law clerk, Dusty, on her way in the door. Goldy plans to say far away from this one, but can't help but promise Dusty's mother she would help with the investigation.

I enjoy cozy mysteries and that is why I've tried over and over to get into this series. I don't know what it is about Goldy that I just can't grab onto and love. I do know that I get a little bored when the author goes into details regarding the food that is being eaten or prepared that particular moment and time and the background as to why... I think if these details were missing and the food was just mentioned (like other food cozies) I would like it more. I know this is a very popular series so for some people this works.. but it just doesn't for me.

A cute book and an original story, but all in all Goldy misses for me. The food/recipes do sound very yummy though!

This book fits the following challenges/categories for me:

Booktivity November Special: I thank for... Dark Tort .. Yum!

Twelve Days of Christmas PBT Challenge: Food

PBT Nov Tag: Other

Monthly Mixer Mele Challenge (D in December)