I had typhoid when I was in the 12th std so I had to take 2 weeks off from college. This made me miss the Malhar department interviews (Malhar is the cultural college featival of St.Xavier’s College Mumbai. This used to be a massive deal when I was still in college!).

Luckily one of my sisters best friend was head of department for Administration and she let me join her department when I resumed college. And thats my first memory of a Tess Grittsen novel.

Riding in the train reading The Sinner as I got back from late night meetings and work which was typical of the the biggest festival in the city, leading up to the main days.

This was also a phase in my life where I was moving out of a comfort zone unknowingly and moving a little in some amount of loneliness. But I was proud of myself because I ended up making some friends in that department.

The Sinner was my first Tess Gristsen book which I picked up at a books by kilo sale. All I remember was being hooked and one of the main characters being sexually attracted to a priest. Such a shocker for me at that age.

But I was hooked and I vowed I would find more of her novels because how time would dissolve around me when I was reading. 

I Know A Secret is maybe my fourth novel of Tess Gristsen and I was done in four days while being on vacation in Russia in the midst of the pandemic. 

Rizzoli and Isles the TV series has been born from Tess’s book series ( I know I dont know her personally but Imma call her Tess)

This plot is gripping. 

Set in Boston I assume Detective Jane Rizzoli to have the typical accent someone 

from boston would  Chowdah or coffee (Oh clam chowder is actually pretty good, and I found Boston is such a cozy city where I was lucky to be taken into the heart of China Town with Chinese colleagues and tasted food I would have never discovered on my own) and her brash sense of humour and bravery is a food match to Medical Examiner Maura Isles mysterious demeanour. 

They make a good crime fighting pair. Two women solving crimes that are so heinous is not something we witness in fiction often. Writers usually leave the gross murders for characters that are more male 

This is what I like about Tess. She doesn’t hold back the gruesome details. The plots are always twisted and you can see each character in the novel especially Rizzoli and Isles fighting stereotypes to solve these gruesome murders. 

This plot has a killer leaving the victims in odd positions symbolic to Christianity. One characters in various parts through the novel narrates in first person which for a minute was odd since majority of the book is in third person. 

This ‘feature’ if you can call it that adds a layer of curiosity. Who could this mysterious narrator be? 

While reading I was so into the book that even in a room full of people, when my sister called my name, I shrieked! I was so caught up, curious and nervous I was scared for the lives of the characters! This book once again is a journey, mine happened during my already exciting Russian journey and for that this book will always be memorable. 

Why dont you choose yours?

Ps: Given the amount of twisted murder mysteries I read, my sister said I can be very disturbing (because I laugh when I narrate to her the gory parts!). Im taking this as a compliment.