Where to start with Tess Gerritsen
Begin with The Surgeon, the first book in the Rizzoli & Isles series, published in 2003. This novel introduces Detective Jane Rizzoli and Medical Examiner Maura Isles, whose partnership drives the series. Proceed in publication order through the 16 Rizzoli & Isles books, which span from 2003 to 2010. After completing the series, explore the Martini Club series, starting with The Spy Coast, released in 2023. The standalone novels Bloodstream (2004), Presumed Guilty (2007), and Whistleblower (2007) are not part of any series and can be read in publication order following the Rizzoli & Isles sequence.
Series by Tess Gerritsen
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Buy on Amazon2001 · Tess Gerritsen
A 2001 novel by Tess Gerritsen, the first in the Rizzoli and Isles series. A killer targets lone women in Boston, breaking into their apartments to…
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Buy on AmazonThe Apprentice (Jane Rizzoli, Book 2)
2002 · Tess Gerritsen
In The Apprentice, the bestselling author Tess Gerritsen returns with a chilling novel featuring the return of Warren Hoyt, the diabolical villain…
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Buy on Amazon2003 · Tess Gerritsen
A chilling novel of suspense features Boston medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles as she investigates the brutal murder of two nuns at a convent. The…
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Buy on Amazon2004 · Tess Gerritsen
Boston medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles is confronted with a corpse that is a mirror image of herself, sharing her birth date and blood type. A DNA…
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Buy on Amazon2005 · Tess Gerritsen
Detective Jane Rizzoli is taken hostage by a woman who was thought to be dead. The woman, later identified as a murder suspect, escapes from the…
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Buy on Amazon2006 · Tess Gerritsen
A Latin phrase scrawled in blood at the scene of a young woman's murder—I HAVE SINNED—draws Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and Detective Jane…
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Buy on Amazon2007 · Tess Gerritsen
In present-day rural Massachusetts, Julia Hamill discovers a skull marked with signs of murder buried on her property. In 1830s Boston, medical…
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Buy on Amazon2008 · Tess Gerritsen
A perfectly preserved mummy, dubbed "Madam X," is rediscovered in a Boston museum's basement, but medical examiner Maura Isles finds a hidden message…
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Buy on Amazon2010 · Tess Gerritsen
Killing Place (Rizzoli and Isles Series 8) is a medical thriller novel by American writer Tess Gerritsen, published in German as "Totengrund" on…
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Buy on Amazon2010 · Tess Gerritsen
At a medical conference in Wyoming, Maura Isles joins friends on a ski trip that strands them near an abandoned village called Kingdom Come. After…
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Standalone books
Frequently asked questions
How many books has Tess Gerritsen written?
We list 21 books by Tess Gerritsen across 2 series, published between 1993–2025 — each shown in full reading order.
What order should I read Tess Gerritsen's books?
Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “The Surgeon.” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.
Where can I buy Tess Gerritsen's books?
Every title links to Amazon from its series page — see our affiliate disclosure in the footer for how that supports the site.
Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.
Some summaries adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.