The Keepsake: A Novel by Tess Gerritsen
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Book Reviews of The Keepsake: A Novel
Book Review: That Rizzoli 'edge' is missing
Summary: 3 Stars
When The Keepsake is released in the UK it will be titled Keeping the Dead, "A Maura Isles Thriller". Well, Boston medical examiner Dr Isles really plays a rather by-the-numbers part in this story, and in any case this series hasn't always featured her at all. She first appeared in THE SINNER, which was the third of the seven to date, and in doing so added a bit of softer-hearted romance to what had been until then a really excellent hard-edged crime thriller series. The character of Detective Rizzoli, meanwhile, has lost some of its depth and meaning over the years and anyone buying into Tess Gerritsen for the first time might wonder what the fuss is all about. A series such as this is built around characterisation above all else, and it is so frustrating to see a very talented writer fail to develop what she has demonstrated the ability to do. In the series debut THE SURGEON (in 2001) and even more so in the sequel THE APPRENTICE (2002), Rizzoli's character was superbly created and developed, but when Maura Isles came on the scene - a character said by Gerritsen to be similar to her own personality in real life - not only has Rizzoli had to take something of a back seat but of late she isn't even called Rizzoli at all; instead the author has decided to use her first name of Jane in the narrative and this in my opinion has further diluted what was once the strongest feature of the brand.
As for this particular story, it eventually reminds me a little of the previous Rizzoli/Isles outing THE MEPHISTO CLUB, in that the writer thought of an exotic interest around which to wrap a murder mystery, and come the conclusion the reader wonders why the esoteric backgrounds needed to be there at all. In this case the background is the Egyptian art of body preservation or mummification. There is detailed information within the story about what it is, where it originates and how it can be done, but ultimately it really hardly matters in the big scheme of things because its meaning and significance withers away to almost nothing before the rather familiar bam-bam you're dead finale. A mother and daughter have been on the run for twelve years after a life-changing (OK, life-ending) event when the daughter was but a teenager. Living separate lives under new identities, they are hiding from those who seek retribution for the acts of a dozen years earlier. Not surprisingly, the story is basically about what happens when their cover is blown and the baddies track them down. The first half of the tale, which is steeped in archaeology and vivid descriptions of mummified bodies, is very good reading and at the time I thought Gerritsen was back on top form. What I then wanted, based on past experience, was some character development of either Rizzoli or Isles, but it just never happened. Rizzoli is now a married mother, and once again it's a shame that her husband - FBI Agent Gabriel Dean - barely features at all because he was great in THE APPRENTICE but here we are four novels later and he is as good as forgotten about. There's no point to his existence any more. As for Maura Isles, well this was really the poorest aspect of the tale, because the object of her affections - dog-collared Daniel - doesn't feature at all, and this is a man who we have been struggling to get to know for four novels now of the five that Maura Isles has featured in! Basically, he's just 'not there for her', but this has been the way from the outset it seems, and it's getting rather pointless. Maura's love-life is touched upon here and there in a thread that suggests that it will have some meaning and relevance later on...but nothing happens at all, and Maura is pretty much forgotten about for all of the concluding chapters.
The writing style is of a high standard throughout, however, as I guess we should expect from an author of such fame, fortune and experience. Yes, there's a decent story here and it's well told, but what let it down for me was the surprising lack of characterisation. Most of the surprise twists were very predictable and broadly speaking this was just another 'safe' publication by Tess Gerritsen, a story without any risks or shocks apart from the imagery on and around the autopsy table, where she is always at her most confident and imaginative. I enjoyed the beginning and the middle but it rather fizzled out into a neatly-tied ending and I felt a little short-changed as a result. Tess Gerritsen can do better than this, and having read all seven novels in this series I would suggest that next time around Maura Isles is demoted to just bit-part character (as she is already, but unintentionally) and 'Jane' returns as 'Rizzoli' and in the tough-cop guise she came on to the scene as six years ago. Perhaps Gabriel Dean could return; for too long there has been too much emphasis on female characters, and this series was at its best when there was a balanced gender split among the leading players.
Book Review: I would like to have seen the author dig deeper
Summary: 3 Stars
I enjoyed this novel for the most part. I appreciate the archeology and science angles that Gerritsen incorporates into the novel. These historical / scientific elements are interesting and, while I'm no expert, appear to be well researched. Who doesn't want to know how to make a mummy or shrink someone's head?
Unfortunately, these elements are really just window dressing for a pretty standard 'obsessive stalker turned serial killer' tale. The object of a killer's obsession is driven into hiding with her young daughter. Years later, the daughter, now fully grown and working in an obscure Boston museum, finds herself the object of a killer's obsession and the body count rises - except the victims were all killed decades earlier, their bodies preserved in bizarre ways. The bog bodies, shrunken heads, and mummy's that are found add an intriguing element when they are first introduced, but about mid way through the novel, these elements are largely abandoned as the traditional cat and mouse game plays itself out. I would have liked to have seen these elements integrated into the story in a less superficial way - but, at least they were there.
I found the characterization a little light. As can always be expected with series novels, a certain amount of time must be devoted to update regular readers on the personal lives of central characters. The ME's doomed romance with a priest had no bearing on anything else and is touched on so briefly it barely seemed worth mentioning. Thankfully, the author does show restraint here as well, avoiding the inevitable tendency most series authors have to fill their novels with the mundane details of a character's personal life.
The plot had the requisite twists and turns, all of which can be anticipated by veterans of crime fiction. I had actually anticipated a few extra twists that didn't come to fruition, something that arguably showed admirable restraint on the author's part. I did find that when the pieces all came together, not all of them fit very well. There are a few holes in the plot that I think the author probably could have addressed with small changes to the story. The plotting just wasn't as tight as it could have been.
Despite the fact that I sound like I didn't like this novel, the truth is, I found it pretty entertaining. Mostly I think I just see how much better it could have been. How the characters could be fleshed out a little more, how the plot could have been tighter, and how the archeology elements could have been integrated more fully into the story. I think this could have been an excellent novel, and instead Gerritsen opted to play it safe.
To play on the archeology theme: I think she could have dug a lot deeper and discovered something remarkable. 3 1/2 stars.
Book Review: Another Rizzoli and Frost Thriller
Summary: 3 Stars
A fan of Tess Gerritsen introduced the book club to this surgeon/writer's work when she suggested that we read The Surgeon. Although it was a bit different from our usual selections, we enjoyed the suspenseful plot twists so much that when I spied The Keepsake at a yard sale, I snatched it up. Filled with mummies, shrunken heads, and bog bodies galore, this novel held my attention from the moment Madame X arrived for her autopsy until the bad guy got his just desserts in the end.
Rizzoli and Frost follow one lead after another in search of more evidence, more clues that will help them find out just who is stalking the beautiful Josephine Pulcillo. They know there's a connection between her and the dead mummies and shrunken heads, and they go to great lengths to find the predator. Just as in The Surgeon, there are some surprise twists to the mystery, and Gerritsen manages to keep the reader turning the pages until the last page.
Book Review: Interesting, but ending crashed
Summary: 3 Stars
I find Tess Gerritsen somewhat uneven, I loved some of her books (Mephisto Club, Life Support) while others I didn't care much about. This one is in the middle. It is a well-written, engrossing story but some of the plot twists just weren't believable (or the police were incredibly naive, somebody sends a DNA sample & they don't question how it was collected? They can't identify a well-known bad guy themselves?) And at the end everything is too neatly tie up all the bad guys are conveniently gotten rid off so Josephine could be totally her mothers! Would have liked if the novel confronted the question how Josephine would deal with her father's side...Book Review: Not The Best In This Series
Summary: 3 Stars
A Mummy is found in the basement of a Boston Museum. It is presumed to be two thousand years old. However, when it is examined, amid much fanfare, it is discovered that it is far more recent, and when another mummified body turns up, it becomes clear, a killer is on the loose.
I am usually hooked within the first few pages of any Tess Gerritson novel, particularly a Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles story. However, I found myself struggling a bit for the first hundred or so pages of this one. The story does improve, though, and there are a few interesting twists in it, but it is not one of this author's better novels.