REVIEW: ICE COLD (RIZZOLI & ISLES), BY TESS GERRITSEN

 

 

In the opening pages of Ice Cold, we catch a glimpse of a group of people living on a compound in Plain of Angels, Idaho, called The Gathering. Their leader, Jeremiah Goode, is fixated on a beautiful young woman named Katie.

What happens next will remain a mystery to the reader until the very end.

Sixteen years later, Dr. Maura Isles is headed to a medical conference in Wyoming, and when she arrives, she meets up with an old friend in attendance, also a doctor. Meanwhile, she has left behind a relationship in Boston that is not working; she is grateful to have a breather.

What will happen to Maura, her friend Doug Comley, and two other associates of his in the upcoming days? How will a ski trip turn into a life and death situation? Why does everyone back in Boston believe that Maura is dead? How will Jane Rizzoli convince the authorities to keep searching? And what will Jane, and then Maura, uncover about the mysterious happenings at Kingdom Come?

I was on the edge of my seat as the suspense built rapidly, and at every turn, a new threat would present itself. I rooted for Maura, and even as danger mounted, the author offered a glimpse of Jane and her husband, Gabriel, an FBI agent, working to follow the clues and discover what had happened to her. There were several realistic characters who played a part in what unfolded in this story, including a young teenager who helped Maura, and a ferocious social worker who turned out to have a surprising history. This was my first read from the series, but I’ll be back for more. 4.5 stars.