Last night I finished the final book of the Rizzoli and Isles series. I really liked this one. Although it did stress me out. There is a young man (whose type of character will always remind me of my brother no matter what they story) and a dog…so I get stressed that they will be OK! So I had to finish this book!!
I got hooked on this series this summer because of the new TV show that premiered on TNT based on the books. The show does a good job of following the characters but they are different. It’s weird how different and yet very similar they are. I think the show has done a good job with that. Obviously the books are more detailed and the show doesn’t actually follow most of the actual plot lines from the books. But the character development is good. Plus Angie Harmon is always great. She plays Jane Rizzoli who, in the book, is described as being short and not terribly attractive. So they hired a super gorgeous former model – heh :) But she comes across how the character is written – so it works very well.
Several of the books stand out as my favorites. Those tend to take a jump from the standard crime formula into superstition and the occult. Love that. But without becoming sci-fi or fantasy. They do stay grounded in “reality”. My favorites are the last 3 written – The Mephisto Club, The Keepsake and Ice Cold.
The main characters are strong women characters. Not that I look for that specifically in my books but these 2 definitely are without being made out to be “perfect” by any means. Plus the author keeps a few recurring characters in addition to the supporting characters that re-appear.
If you are looking for a a new series of books to get hooked on – here you go:
* The Surgeon (2001) introduces Det. Jane Rizzoli
* The Apprentice (2002) introduces Dr. Maura Isles. The pilot episode is based on this novel.
* The Sinner (2003)
* Body Double (2004)
* Vanish (2005)
* The Mephisto Club (2006)
* The Keepsake / Keeping the Dead (US/UK 2008)
* Ice Cold / The Killing Place (US/UK 2010)
I can’t wait for the next one! But now I must go to Amazon and search for my next book…
