The Tess Gerritsen Experiment By E. B. Davis

 

Tess Gerritsen has finally won me over. Tess, a former physician who lives in Maine, writes thrillers. She started with romantic thrillers early on, first published in 1986, and then switched to medical thrillers about ten years later, a genre she could write authentically due to her profession, training, and experience. Once consistently on the best-seller lists, she stepped down from her practice to write full time. Why has it taken me nearly forty years to appreciate her writing?

 

Thriller novels, as a genre, are not my favorite. They have fast-paced narrative, character-driven plots, high-stakes dilemmas, increasing situational tension, and often present ethical or moral conflict as motivation. All of these elements should make for satisfying reading. But then, that depends on why you read.

 

When choosing books, at a glance—I reject thrillers as being distasteful because they remind me of rubber necking at the site of an accident. Who wants the cheap thrills of seeing others’ misery? Harvest, the first medical thriller Tess wrote, dealt with the most dastardly subject of organ harvesting from healthy adolescents. I guess gazing at tragedy from afar makes some people feel safe, like knowing someone else’s problems aren’t their own, and they can drive by without being touched. But is that enjoyment or entertainment? Not in my world.

 

I noticed a three-book series, called the Martini Club, by Tess Gerritsen on Kindle Unlimited. Perhaps “the Martini Club” moniker reassured they would be laid-back reads at no additional cost. I clicked on the “Read” button and was surprised by how much I enjoyed them. Not only was Maggie Bird a compelling main character, but each member of the Club, consisting of retired CIA operatives, added unique skills to the group, and their loyalty to each other softened the hard-edge thriller aspects.

 

I read the first two books, The Spy Coast and The Summer Guests. Unfortunately, the third book, The Shadow Friends, won’t be published until November 2026—dang it. If you too have shied away from Tess’s books or the entire genre, try this series. It has all the good elements of the genre without the heart-wrenching, stomach-turning sins of mankind.

 

Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.

 

But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.

 

Complicating their efforts is Purity’s acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. More accustomed to dealing with rowdy tourists than homicide, Jo is puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information—and by her odd circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her at every turn.

 

As Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers, Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit a clandestine career that spanned the globe, from Bangkok to Istanbul, from London to Malta. The ghosts of her past have returned, but with the help of her friends—and the reluctant Jo Thibodeau—Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built.

                                                Amazon