As a long-time reader of Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series, I've been interested to see her characters and plots develop and adapt to changing times. The early books, such as The Surgeon and The Apprentice, were grisly serial killer stories which featured horrific acts of violence against women, but in recent years the books have featured more nuanced storytelling, without losing any of the page-turning tension and readability.

Listen To Me follows two plot strands. In the first, Jane Rizzoli's mother becomes increasingly suspicious of goings-on in her Boston neighbourhood, becoming a curtain twitcher of the highest order and irritating both her local police department and several of her neighbours with her complaints. But is she right, after all? In the second, Rizzoli and Isles investigate the murder of an ICU nurse in a seemingly-simple break-in, which inevitably turns out to be more than meets the eye.

I very much enjoyed being back with these characters, after almost five years since the previous book in the series, and appreciated the notes of levity that the Angela Rizzoli storyline offered. Highly recommended for fans of Lisa Gardner and Karin Slaughter.

A fast paced plot. Well written characters. I've read several in this series, but they can also be read as standalone books. I found myself comparing a couple of the characters with my neighbours (for example, the one who has to know everything that's going on ). I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

Having previously read most of the Rizzoli and Isles series, I looked forward to reading this one. The focus changed. Maura Isles featured less but we did discover her hidden talent that even Jane didn't know about, she is an accomplished pianist. Jane's mother, Angela, however, is feeling a little purposeless since her partner, Vince is away nursing his sister. Angela sets herself up as an unofficial Neighbourhood Watch, much to Jane's annoyance as she keeps ringing her with her "theories". Eventually, Angela fears she has bitten off more than she could chew.







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4.5/5

I am an HUGE fan of the Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles book series. The last one was released in 2017 so I had just presumed the series was finished. I was so excited when I saw this book come up on Netgalley and I fan girl jumped up and down when my request to read and review was accepted!!

In this book, Jane Rizzoli and Dr Maura Isles investigate the murder of Sophia Suarez, a nurse in her early 50’s.

Unlike other books in this series, Jane Rizzoli’s Mum, Angela featured a lot in this book. She herself is investigating some suspicious new neighbours who have moved into a house on her street. Her chapters added some flare and comedy!

The focus on Jane and Angela did result in Dr Maura Isles being featured less in this book. However, I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing as it worked well for the story lines.

As the last book was released a few years ago, I was worried I’d forget some of the back story. The book very cleverly reminds you of key back story points, without bombarding you with too much information, detracting from the story itself.

The only reason I didn’t give this book a 5 star rating was purely as I guessed the ending, it was maybe a little more obvious than past books in the series. That being said I still loved it and hope further books are written for the series!

Whilst Listen To Me is a part of the Rizolli and Isles series, if you haven't read others in this series, it will not effect your reading of this book.

Following the latest case for Detective Jane Rizolli and forensic pathologist Doctor Maura Isles, looking into the death of Sofia Suarez, a respected nurse. It's told from various perspectives including Angela Rizolli, Janes Mum.

Angela notices new neighbours moving into her street. After introducing herself, finds them to be very cagey, after observing their unusual activities, notifies her daughter Detective Jane Rizolli who puts it down to her Mum being overly suspicious/nosey. Is this all it is?...

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, characters are very relatable, relationship between Jane and her Mum can be quite amusing. Although not in the police, Angela's neighborhood watching a source of Janes frustration at times. Great read.

I'm a huge Tess Gerritsen fan, and especially her Rizzoli and Isles series. They feel like old friends after reading every one in the series. I was happy to se this one on preview and enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoyed that Jane's mum Angela featured strongly in this one. The level of writing and stories is always consistent from Tess and iI'd be happy to recommend this one to all. Can quite easily be read a s a standalone book, but it does help to have all the background knowledge on the main characters .

Great to have Rizzoli and Isles back. Complex and engrossing story with lots of twists. Why was Sofia murdered ,how does it all for together?

I enjoyed this book. It's a return to form for Tess Gerritsen. It was a pleasure to see an increased role for Angie Rizzoli especially for long time readers who know of her storyline from the beginning of the series. There is a slightly reduced role for Maura Isles but it would have been too much to increase her presence any further.
The plot and subplot were neatly constructed and very enjoyable. I found myself wanting to read "just one more page" and read the whole book within 24 hours.
People who haven't read this series before could easily begin here. Readers who have been with these characters since the beginning should find it as easy as catching up with old friends.

Welcome back Rizzoli and Isles, we missed you! Jane and Frost are investigating the home invasion murder of Sofia Suarez, a popular nurse and widow. It should be a cut and dried case of burglary gone wrong but it doesn't sit right with Jane. When they delve into her internet use it turns up some surprising searches. What exactly was Sofia looking into and had it let to her death? A colleague of Sofia, Dr Antrim, is having his own problems. His daughter Amy is being stalked by an unknown male. Jane has to weigh up if these two cases could be related. At the same time, Angela, Jane's Mom, is leading her own investigation into the disappearance of local girl Tricia Talley and the arrival of the mysterious new neighbours, the Greens. This was a fine addition to the Rizzoli and Isles series and I particularly enjoyed the sections featuring Angela Rizzoli. A winner!

What a superb feeling that was. Reading this book really made me feel like I was back with old friends. I love the books in this series. I can safely say I’ve enjoyed each and every one. Always something going on, thrills, spills aplenty.
Great read.

This is the thirteenth book in the Rizzoli and Isles series by author Tess Gerritsen. It seems such a long time since I read one of this series but all the usual characters were back. I started reading these books awhile ago and was hooked by the characters and also enjoyed the television series. Although it was good to be reading another book from the series I didn’t quite feel it was as strong as many of the previous ones.

Detective Jane Rizzoli and her best friend Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles are investigating the gruesome murder of a nurse, whilst also protecting a young student from a stalker. But a lot closer to home there is a lot more to worry about.

Nurse Sofia Suarez was brutally murdered and there is no obvious motive. What would make a well respected nurse a target for such a sadistic attack. Rizzoli and Isles are on the case and they discover Sofia was hiding a dangerous secret that may have been the reason for the murder.

Angela Rizzoli, Jane’s mother is never far from the action and is conducting her own investigation into suspicious goings on across the road concerning her new neighbours. The problem is, Angela is struggling to get anyone to believe her when she tries to tell them what she has seen.

With Jane and Maura tied up in their own investigations, Angela feels she may have to take things into her own hands which could put her in danger.

I enjoyed the interaction between the characters but felt a little let down by the plot. Still a good read but I was probably expecting more.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a new reader of Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this book is a cracker! There are two intertwined storylines, one of the gruesome murder of a much loved nurse, and the other the story of Rizzoli’s mother Angela, the original nosey neighbour, who becomes unwittingly involved in the crossfire between some pretty nasty individuals. The stories are both gripping, with excellent plots and such clear characters and settings that the reader feels part of the action.

This may have been a first Gerritsen’s book for me but it won’t be the last!

Are you ready for more Rizzoli & Isles?

3.5.

Angela Rizzoli has always prided herself on being a good, friendly, helpful neighbour. So she doesn’t understand why the couple across the street (the Green’s), who have recently moved in, aren’t reciprocating. Their blinds are drawn, they rarely leave the house, they don’t interact or socialise with anyone, nor receive any visitors. Angela’s instincts tell her there’s something suspicious about them, and she tries to tell her daughter, Boston PD detective Jane Rizzoli, this, but Jane fobs off her concerns as ridiculous.

And besides, Jane is far too busy immersed in her latest case, the murder of a recently widowed ICU nurse in her early fifties, bludgeoned to death in her own home. Who would want to hurt a woman who seemingly lived a quiet ordinary life in the suburbs, and appeared to have no enemies?

Jane, her partner Barry Frost, Medical Examiner Maura Isles, and Angela Rizzoli will, mark my words, get to the bottom of everything.

Listen to Me was my thirteenth read in the phenomenal Rizzoli & Isles series, and unfortunately was one of the weaker instalments. The set-up for the first half was exciting, baffling, and intriguing, and I was eager to see where it was going. But, when it all came together, it was somewhat underwhelming and pretty standard and straightforward, with unnecessary subplots that had nothing to do with anything.

I have loved these characters forever, and I’m happy to report that they were still amazing even though the crime plot wasn’t much to write home about. Listen to Me was definitely Jane-centric, Maura was barely in it, and only narrated a few chapters. Not that this is unusual for this series, and I expect the focus of the next novel will be on Maura. After appearing in the majority of the other books, but only via Jane’s and other character’s thoughts and opinions, it was wonderful to finally be given Angela Rizzoli’s first person POV. And, what a bad ass she was, so like her daughter in so many ways, but light years away in some respects. I always enjoy their mother/daughter interactions, and we were gifted with a lot of them in this book.

I find it interesting with this series, that even though time marches on (COVID-19 was mentioned at one point) the character’s barely age. Jane’s daughter Regina was four-years-old in this one, but her birth took place in Vanish (Rizzoli & Isles book 5 ) which incidentally was released in 2005. In terms of the mystery, Listen to Me could be read as a standalone, but crucial character development means I recommend reading in order, starting with The Surgeon (2001). You won’t be disappointed in that one, believe me.

Whereas it’s true that Listen to Me wasn’t my personal favourite, I still relished this read, and took great pleasure in indulging in Jane, Maura, and co. after a five year wait between books. I have been reading (and loving) this series for twenty years and will continue to do so. Mary Beth and I buddy read this, and she thought more highly of it than me, so be sure to check out her 4 star review.

I’d like to thank Netgalley, Random House UK – Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press, and Tess Gerritsen for the e-ARC.

Rizzoli & Isles #13 will be released on the 7th July, 2022.

I love tess gerritsen and this book is another dose of Rizzoli & isles! My favourite duo and I loved it! This is one of my all time series of books this one included! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book!

Love the Rizzoli and Isles series and this addition was great! Loved the fact it had all the main characters within on it! The good thing about this story was it based on Angela whom as usually is always invoking Jane and Maura within in her life! Love it, look forward to more

I’ve not read a Tess Gerritsen book before so whilst the synopsis peaked my interest I was fully aware that I was coming fresh into a series at book 13.

That said, the book is very engaging and enjoyable to read. I was given enough detail and background to be able to follow the lead characters without feeling like I was playing ‘catch-up’ in each chapter.

Whilst the pace of the book is quite fast the journey to the reveal is actually quite long. There’s a LOT of story in this book! There’s the main focus of the book which is the murdered nurse, then there’s the nosey neighbourhood mum, there’s an awol teenager, a car accident, an unsolved crime and missing person … and a stalker! So all in all I think Tess has covered all bases for crime writing. Whilst all these plots may sound like too much for one book, somehow they just naturally run alongside one another and add pace and flow to the narrative.

In some parts I felt there was too much detail and focus, in particular: what they ate for dinner, a noted study of religious art and the build up to a concert… and parts where there could’ve been more such as: who is Jane? What does she do when she’s not investigating? I would’ve liked to have understood her as an individual. Instead she came across as always on duty and without substance.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and I liked Tess’s easy writing style. I liked the mix of narratives but I think it could’ve been a bit punchier because a lot of the twists I managed to figure out because of their lengthy development. I’d definitely read another from this series and having read a few other reviews it’s clear to me now that perhaps book 13 wasn’t the best one for a newcomer?

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A massively welcome return for Rizzoli and Isles in this new mystery.
My only negative is I would of loved the main focus to be a case which did not include in Angela Rizzoli. I feel I’m very much influenced by the bad casting of the actress in the Tv spin off. Aid enjoyed the show but it was too light hearted for a Tess Gerritsen.
I almost feel that this book was written for fans of the Tv show and not fans of the books.
The main story starts with the murder of a well loved nurse and Angela becoming too involved with the local neighbourhood watch.
Coming back to these characters was like a hot chocolate and an open fire, just pure comfort. I wouldn’t recommend for new readers of Tess Gerritsen as I think previous were far better. I will definitely pick up the next book just because aria love the characters.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.#ListenToMe #NetGalley

It seems like a while since we’ve had a Rizzoli and Isles thriller from Tess Gerritsen. As always she doesn’t disappoint as we return to familiar characters and see their stories unfold alongside the drama of the events. This book has two storylines running concurrently, linked by one of the main characters, there’s a murder to solve and a neighbourhood to protect. I enjoyed the twists in this book as it bounces from one storyline to the other. Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

Having read the Rizzoli and Isles for many years, I was pleased to read the latest after a five year break. It was very entertaining; slightly different to previous books, in that Rizzoli’s Mom is a main character, acting as Neighborhood Watch in her community, worried about suspicious new incomers opposite. She expects her cop daughter to listen to her worries when Jane has a complicated murder of a nurse to follow up.. As usual there are many twists and turns in this well plotted tale to keep things on track. An enjoyable read which can be read as a stand alone and recommended.

Totally full of suspense and very cleverly written, this is a fast moving thriller which will have you on the edge of your seats. Tess' best for a while in my opinion.