Stolen by Tess Gerritsen

Val Penny ♦ March 3, 2015 ♦ Leave a comment

Novels by Tess Gerritsen were first recommended to me by my friend Ann. Ann is a scientist and Gerritsen was a medical doctor before she was an author so I thought the books might be too scientific for me. I delayed reading any of her books but now I really enjoy them. This author writes a very good thriller. Gerritsen was born on 12 June, 1953 in San Diego, California, USA. She is now an American novelist having retired as a physician.  In 1975, Gerritsen graduated from Stanford University in California with a BA in anthropology and was intrigued by the ranges of human behaviour. She went on to study medicine at the University of California in San Francisco. She received her medical degree in 1979 and started work as a physician in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.  Gerritsen started writing when she submitted a short story to a statewide fiction contest in the magazine Honolulu when she was on maternity leave. Her story won first prize and she received $500.

In Stolen the sinking of a cargo ship and the slaughter of its crew seemed a senseless act of violence. But Clea Rice knows the truth and is determined to expose the culprits. She had burgled before, she had spent time in prison for past misdeeds, but she did not expect to have her plans thwarted by a bumbling, noisy amateur, Jordan Tavistock, who has been asked to steal the indiscreet letters of a friend, he reluctantly obliges, only to be caught red-handed by Clea.

They escaped the house together, Clea without what she came for and Jordan with what he came for. Jordan did not realize his aristocratic life had suddenly taken a dramatic turn because Clea was in incredible danger, she was being hunted by people who wanted her dead. She was the only survivor of a vicious attack which left people dead. It also lead to a huge insurance fraud. However, the man who orchestrated this event did not know Clea existed until she went to the authorities.

Then, there was a leak and she was on the run unable to trust anybody. She had to find the evidence to support her story. Clea has to keep under the radar but has several close calls with death. Jordan was fascinated by the lovely Clea and decided to help her. The two of them forged an uneasy alliance, although neither of them really trust each other. They escape more than once again, with danger following them close behind.

I really enjoyed Stolen and the twists in the plot are excellent and the revelation towards the end of the book did surprise me. I  would definitely recommend this one to all thriller lovers out there and I thank Ann for introducing me to Tess Gerritsen’s work.

Valerie Penny