Page Count 400
Publication date July 2022
Publisher Bantam Press
Synopsis
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-The murder of Sofia Suarez is both gruesome and seemingly senseless. Why would anyone target a respected nurse who was well-liked by her friends and her neighbours? As Detective Jane Rizzoli and Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles investigate the baffling case, they discover that Sofia was guarding a dangerous secret — a secret that may have led the killer straight to her door.
Meanwhile, Jane’s mother Angela Rizzoli is conducting an investigation of her own. She may be a housewife, not a police detective, but she’s savvy enough to know there’s something very strange, perhaps even dangerous, about the new neighbours across the street. The problem is, no one believes her, not even her own daughter.
Immersed in the hunt for Sofia’s killer, Jane and Maura are too busy to pay attention to Angela’s fears. With no one listening to her, and danger mounting in her neighbourhood, Angela just may be forced to take action on her own…
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Review
For twenty years I’ve loved the Rizzoli & Isles series, this was the first time I’d been lucky enough to receive an ARC; thirteenth in the Tess Gerritsen series.
If, like me, you’ve watched the TV series adaptation of Rizzoli & Isles it takes a moment to readjust to their original descriptions and personalities. I’m a big fan of both the books and the show but they are two very different entities in many ways.
Perhaps my favourite part of Listen To Me is our being treated to Angela Rizzoli’s storyline from first person POV. Detective Rizzoli’s mother is one we’d all love to have, kindhearted and well meaning although insanely nosy with it, her subplot unfurls slowly in contrast to the murderous main event.
Aside from Angela’s perspective the main story is told in third person when focusing on Rizzoli and Isles with occasional input from Amy, victim of a hit and run in the prologue.
A few well placed hints and slightly obscure facts led me to guess how everything tied into the murder investigation less than halfway into the book. I found that a little annoying as I like to be surprised, I haven’t the patience to wait for the characters to realise what I already know. Thankfully the nosy neighbour situation wasn’t as quickly revealed.
If you’ve not read Gerritsen before I highly recommend you start at the beginning with The Surgeon so as not to spoil the earlier novels. Whilst you can read almost all of the R&I stories as standalone for their mysteries, the character development is key to the series and certainly needs to be consumed in it’s rightful order- previous killers are also mentioned by name frequently in later novels.
As always Gerritsen’s writing is of a consistent fast pace and regardless of the easily solved mystery my adoration of the repeat characters held my interest. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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