View source for Keeping The Dead by Tess Gerritsen

{{infobox1 
|title= Keeping The Dead
|author= Tess Gerritsen
|reviewer= Karen Inskip-Hayward
|genre=Crime 
|summary= A thrilling page-turner you won't want to put down.
|rating=4.5 
|buy= Yes
|borrow= Yes
|pages=336 
|publisher= Bantam
|date= February 2009
|isbn=978-0593057797 
|cover=0593057791
|aznuk=0593057791
|aznus=0345497627
}}

''Keeping the Dead'' is the first novel by Tess Gerritsen that I have read, although I have heard of her and always meant to try some of her work. After this novel, I will definitely read more. In fact, I have already bought another book by her! 

I'm a big fan of thrillers and ''Keeping the Dead'' is an excellent example of what makes this kind of book so good. The first chapter makes you interested and intrigued straight away and as the chapters progress the story, more layers of the plot are peeled away and this doesn't stop until the final few pages. I was left guessing right up to the end, which is always a sign of a really good read. 

The characters are excellent too. While Dr Maura Isles is the returning character in Gerritsen's novels, the stars of the piece for me were Detective Jane Rizzolli and Josephine Pulcillo. Gerritsen writes strong female characters expertly and they feel very realistic, so you soon become attached to them and care about their fate. 

The story is also gripping and fascinating. After the body of a centuries-old mummy has been found at the Crispin Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, there is plenty of media excitement. As Madam X (as she is known) is taken to the hospital for a CT scan, the assembled crowd hope to find out more about her and her background. Those present include Dr. Nicholas Robinson – the museum's curator and his colleague Dr. Josephine Pulcillo, who specialises in Egyptology. Dr Maura Isles is there as a medical examiner and the three of them wait in anticipation as the radiologist Dr Brier conducts the scan. 

But the scan reveals far more than they expected, as it shows the presence of a bullet in her leg. Suddenly the focus changes. This could now be a murder investigation and Detective Jane Rizzolli is called in to investigate. 

From here, the plot twists and changes regularly, so you just have to keep on reading. The pages whizzed by and it was a pleasure to read. The plot is complex but rarely confusing and the characters are believable and draw you into their lives with expert precision. The background of Egyptology and archaeology is an interesting one too and makes this more than just another standard thriller. 

Overall, I loved it. I would definitely recommend it and I will be reading more from Tess Gerritsen soon.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag. 

If this type of book appeals to you then we think that you might also enjoy [[The Next Accident by Lisa Gardner]]. 

[[Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles Thrillers in Chronological Order]]

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[[Category:Thrillers]]