A review by weaselweader
Body Double by Tess Gerritsen
5.0
A nail biter with some literary depth!
Boston medical examiner, Dr Maura Isles, returns home from a working vacation at a forensic pathology conference and is shocked to discover that her home is a murder crime scene with herself starring in the role of victim. Chaos and confusion reign until consultation with detective Jane Rizzoli and further investigation reveal that the victim, Maura Isles' doppelgänger, not only shares her blood type and birth date but, based on DNA investigation, is actually an identical twin. The questions are deliciously obvious to the investigators and the reader alike - who was the actual intended victim, Dr Isles or her hitherto unknown sister?; if it was Dr Isles, then why did her unknown twin come onto the scene at that precise moment; if it was her sister, then what was she doing parked in Dr Isles' driveway?; who was their mother and why was Dr Isles unaware that she had a twin sister? I won't waste any further ink on plot synopsis because, frankly, nothing further need be said. Nobody could possibly put Body Double down once they've read, oh, maybe three or four paragraphs!
There can be no denying it - Gerritsen is an extraordinarily skilled artist of the realism school when it comes to painting a thriller canvas! She brushes a background completed with broad daring strokes but, at the same time, completes a foreground with attention to the most meticulous detail. Body Double succeeds on any number of fronts. Rather than dwelling purely on a summary of a plot, as exciting as it is, of course, it's more worthwhile spending a little time on the enjoyable successes that set Body Double apart from more run-of-the-mill thrillers.
Body Double provides an eerie, realistic chronicle of the development of a psychopathic serial murderer.
We are treated to superb examples of the use of modern police investigation techniques including, of course, forensic pathology and computer analysis.
Readers are forced to ask themselves difficult philosophical questions relating to adoption: To what extent do adoptees have a right to their natural history? To what extent do mothers giving up their children for adoption have the right to confidentiality? Nature or nurture? What is the prime determinant of personality, intelligence and skill make-up of adopted children? (Now here's a real toughie for you ... if you were an adopted child and you came into the certain knowledge that your mother was a schizophrenic and a convicted criminal, how would you feel about that and would you feel the compulsion to visit and learn more about her?)
Her story also forces us to ask ourselves what we might do faced with unresolvable, impossible "urges" - in this case, a sexual attraction to a priest who is clearly aware of the attraction and yet is absolutely committed to his vocation!
Today, we are well acquainted with serial killers such as Paul Bernardo, for example, whose name alone in Ontario is sufficient to conjure up a case of shivers. In Body Double, Gerritsen has given us a moment of respite by creating a victim who somehow found the inner strength to resist and confound her stalker, torturer and would-be murderer! (The ending of this little sub-plot will make you want to stand up and cheer at the same time as your laughing yourself silly!)
What do you think? Have I said enough to convince you that Body Double is a five-star thriller must read?
Paul Weiss
Boston medical examiner, Dr Maura Isles, returns home from a working vacation at a forensic pathology conference and is shocked to discover that her home is a murder crime scene with herself starring in the role of victim. Chaos and confusion reign until consultation with detective Jane Rizzoli and further investigation reveal that the victim, Maura Isles' doppelgänger, not only shares her blood type and birth date but, based on DNA investigation, is actually an identical twin. The questions are deliciously obvious to the investigators and the reader alike - who was the actual intended victim, Dr Isles or her hitherto unknown sister?; if it was Dr Isles, then why did her unknown twin come onto the scene at that precise moment; if it was her sister, then what was she doing parked in Dr Isles' driveway?; who was their mother and why was Dr Isles unaware that she had a twin sister? I won't waste any further ink on plot synopsis because, frankly, nothing further need be said. Nobody could possibly put Body Double down once they've read, oh, maybe three or four paragraphs!
There can be no denying it - Gerritsen is an extraordinarily skilled artist of the realism school when it comes to painting a thriller canvas! She brushes a background completed with broad daring strokes but, at the same time, completes a foreground with attention to the most meticulous detail. Body Double succeeds on any number of fronts. Rather than dwelling purely on a summary of a plot, as exciting as it is, of course, it's more worthwhile spending a little time on the enjoyable successes that set Body Double apart from more run-of-the-mill thrillers.
Body Double provides an eerie, realistic chronicle of the development of a psychopathic serial murderer.
We are treated to superb examples of the use of modern police investigation techniques including, of course, forensic pathology and computer analysis.
Readers are forced to ask themselves difficult philosophical questions relating to adoption: To what extent do adoptees have a right to their natural history? To what extent do mothers giving up their children for adoption have the right to confidentiality? Nature or nurture? What is the prime determinant of personality, intelligence and skill make-up of adopted children? (Now here's a real toughie for you ... if you were an adopted child and you came into the certain knowledge that your mother was a schizophrenic and a convicted criminal, how would you feel about that and would you feel the compulsion to visit and learn more about her?)
Her story also forces us to ask ourselves what we might do faced with unresolvable, impossible "urges" - in this case, a sexual attraction to a priest who is clearly aware of the attraction and yet is absolutely committed to his vocation!
Today, we are well acquainted with serial killers such as Paul Bernardo, for example, whose name alone in Ontario is sufficient to conjure up a case of shivers. In Body Double, Gerritsen has given us a moment of respite by creating a victim who somehow found the inner strength to resist and confound her stalker, torturer and would-be murderer! (The ending of this little sub-plot will make you want to stand up and cheer at the same time as your laughing yourself silly!)
What do you think? Have I said enough to convince you that Body Double is a five-star thriller must read?
Paul Weiss