Monday, July 25, 2022

Listen To Me

Title: Listen To Me
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Published: July 5th 2022 by Ballantine Book
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Genre: Police Procedural
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Rizzoli & Isles #13

First Sentence: I should have worn my boots, she thought as she stepped out of Snell Library and saw the fresh layer of sleet and slush covering the campus.

Blurb: Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are plagued by what seems like a completely senseless murder. Sofia Suarez, a widow and nurse who was universally liked by all her neighbors, lies bludgeoned to death in her own home. But anything can happen behind closed doors, and Sofia seemed to have plenty of secrets in her last days, making covert phone calls to old contacts and traceless burner phones. When Jane finally makes a connection between Sofia and the victim of a hit-and-run months earlier, the case only grows more blurry. What exactly was Sofia involved in? One thing is clear: The killer will do anything it takes to keep their secret safe.

Meanwhile, Angela Rizzoli hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep in all the years since her daughter became a homicide detective. Maybe the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. Nothing in her neighborhood gets by Angela - not the gossip about a runaway teenager down the block and definitely not the strange neighbors who have just moved in across the street. Angela’s sure there’s no such thing as coincidence in her sleepy suburb. If only Jane would listen; instead she writes off Angela’s concerns as the result of an overactive imagination. But Angela’s convinced there’s a real wolf in her vicinity, and her cries might now fall on deaf ears.

With so much happening on the Sofia case, Jane and Maura already struggle to see the forest for the trees, but will they lose sight of something sinister happening much closer to home?

My Opinion: I had been under the belief that the Rizzoli and Isles series was completed and then was pleasantly surprised when I saw there was a new offering. Once again, having to separate the book series from the television series, I was able to jump back in with just a little reminder of spouses and romantic partners.

The fun of multiple storylines is finding one you like and sticking with it. For me, the narrative revolving around Angela and her neighborhood snooping is what held my attention. Though the murder involving Sofia Suarez, with Jane and Maura, is relevant and twisty, yet took a backseat.

With Angela’s story, you will find parts that appeal and parts that don’t come together well -- why was Angela not invited to the concert -- but the plot would not have been able to unfold otherwise. With Jane and Maura, you will find the police procedural, science, and obscure facts you are used to. It was a fun ride with the three women who have made this series so much fun.

Angela was right -- why don’t people listen to her, since Jane had to get her investigative skill from somewhere, and it certainly wasn’t her father.

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