Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen


From the jacket: Peccavi.....The Latin word is scrawled in blood at the scene of a young woman’s brutal murder: “I HAVE SINNED”. It’s a chilling Christmas greeting for Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli, who swiftly link the victim to controversial celebrity psychiatrist Joyce O’Donnell – Maura’s professional nemesis and member of a secret society called “The Mephisto Club

On tony Beacon Hill, the club’s acolytes devote themselves to the analysis of evil: Can it be explained by science? Does it have a physical presence? Do demons walk the earth? Drawing on a wealth of dark historical data and mysterious religious symbology, the Mephisto scholars aim to prove a startling theory: that Satan and his demons actually exist among us.

With the grisly appearance of a corpse on the Mephisto Club’s doorstep, it’s clear that someone – or something – is indeed prowling the city. The members begin to fear the very subject of their study. Have they inadvertently summoned an evil entity from the darkness?
Deep into the most baffling and unusual case of their careers, Maura and Jane embark on a terrifying journey to the very heart of evil – where they encounter a malevolent foe more dangerous than any they have ever faced… one whose work is only just beginning. Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 12, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345476999
ISBN-13: 978-0345476999

My thoughts: Thanks Bookfriends! Tess Gerritsen did indeed provide a great read. I chose this book randomly after a couple of Bookfriends told me they liked this author. I didn't know that this was part of a series, the Isles/Rizzoli series, I just thought the blurb sounded good and checked it out of the library. This was a real page turner. It was dark and a little disturbing. I'm sure the author spent many hours researching devil worship, Satan, and other kinds of evil written about in ancient texts. The demonic/paranormal slant sort of surprised me as I thought these were strictly medical/police thrillers. Isles seems to be going in a different direction than Rizzoli now. The end of the book left it wide open for a new series. Going to go to Amazon and check on it now.

mystery, murder,

3 comments:

Jo, a retired teacher said...

Tess Gerritsen's books are all quite different from each other. That is one thing I have admired about her writing. Gravity takes place orbiting Earth, Harvest and Life Support are medical thrillers...you get the idea.

Kristie said...

I have quite a few of this author's books and I have yet to read one. I may even have this book on my shelves, but your review makes me want to read it soon!

Teddyree said...

This is probably the only one of Tess Gerritsen's that I don't have, but I'm going to rectify that real soon!