Gerritsen, Tess: The Mephisto Club

  Amazon  

The first murder scene is a grisly one. A woman has been butchered, her body dismembered, the scene arranged by the killer into a sickening tableau, complete with indications that the murder was part of a satanic ritual. Detective Jane Rizzoli and Boston medical examiner Maura Isles are called in to work the case on Christmas Eve. It's not the last murder they'll try to deconstruct before the book is through. The investigation eventually brings the women into contact with the organization of the book's title. The members of the Mephisto Club are convinced that demons walk the earth in the guise of humans, hunting at will: evil has a face, that is, and it looks like us. Gerritsen's account of the police investigation is punctuated by chapters telling the story of a 15-year-old boy staying with his relatives--the Sauls--after his father's death. The boy is particularly interested in his 16-year-old cousin Lily, whom he watches and takes notes on. Twelve years later, Lily is on the run in Italy, never staying too long in the same place, never telling anyone the truth about her background. Eventually the various strands of Gerritsen's story unite, and we find out the reason for Lily's flight--not quite what readers will be expecting.

The Mephisto Club is the 6th installment in Gerritsen's Jane Rizzoli series. (See my review of Vanish, the 5th book in the series.) Having read it, I'm wondering why I ever skipped books one through four. It's hard to review a book about which one has nothing negative to say. One is reduced to superlatives and bromides: It's a page-turner. I couldn't put it down. The writing is crisp. Gerritsen doesn't make a false step. I wouldn't change a word.... But in this case, all of that is true.