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

Reinventing a Writing Career: Takeaways from Sandra Wong’s Interview with Tess Gerritsen

 By Shari Randall

 

If you are a writer or a reader, you must treat yourself to a webinar by Sisters in Crime. In these days when in-person conferences are impossible, SINC has made available several webinars that fill the often empty creative tank with interviews, craft discussions, publishing information, and chances to connect with other writers.

 

Sisters in Crime sets the bar high with online author offerings and they did it again this past Saturday with “Reinventing a Writing Career,” featuring award winning authors Tess Gerritsen, Robin Burcell, Naomi Hirahara, Sujata Massey, Lori Rader-Day, and Sandra Wong. How many writers organizations are brave enough to focus on the bad stuff – canceled series, orphaned books, bad agents – and offer advice for dealing with it?

 

I'll focus on Part One of the webinar in which Tess Gerritsen spoke with current SINC President Sandra Wong about these bumps in the road in her career and how she pivoted to make her writing career stronger than ever with lessons learned.

 

“The trick isn’t becoming a writer. The trick is staying a writer.” Tess shared advice from a writing career that spans almost three decades. Trained as a medical doctor, she started her writing career with Harlequin and pivoted to medical thrillers when she felt driven to write about the disturbing issue of children kidnapped for the black market organ trade. That book was Harvest and kicked off a string of medical thrillers including her popular Rizzoli and Isles series. She confessed that she didn’t tell her early editors she was a doctor because she “thought it was boring.”

 

Tess had some takeaways for writers who want to build a long career:

 

Maintain your passion but…Tess confessed that the “books of her heart” always sold poorly. The downside of books you’re passionate about? They may hurt your sales history. Readers are fickle and want books from their favorite authors to meet their expectations. Publishers want the same thing “only a little different.” She suggested that authors self-publish their passion projects, use a pen name, or change publishers to avoid the “publishing death spiral” of a weak sales history.

 

Maintain your curiosity. Research can be seductive but it’s necessary. You need to do enough research so that when you approach an expert, you can ask the right questions. Tess was a cultural anthropology major in college and approaches characters as an anthropologist. What’s their culture? What do they care about? What’s their passion?

 

Want to write a strong female lead? A strong female lead is expected to know what she wants and go after those goals. Readers must identify with those goals. Create a whole character whose vulnerabilities and insecurities make them relatable.

 

Her advice for academics and doctors rings true for all writers. Don’t overexplain: no info dumps or bio dumps.

 

Tess’ first agent stole from her royalties. She reminded us that writing is a business and a bad agent is worse than no agent. Your success has to do with the enthusiasm of your team – your agent and the people publishing you. If your books aren’t doing well, perhaps new eyes on the project will bring new enthusiasm.

 

Luck plays a part. The only thing a writer can control is writing the next book.

 

Be productive. Tess said newbie authors think their job is to do promotion. She says your job is to write another book. 

 

Tess finished with this: “Be open to switching things up. Be fearless and don’t shy away from challenges that come. Stay curious, stay open, surround yourself with your cheerleaders.”

 

Wish you’d been there? This interview is now part of the SINC webinar library, which has dozens of great presentations on everything from forensics to craft. All members of Sisters in Crime have access to the webinar library. 

Have you watched any webinars? What do you think of the online experience?

 

Shari Randall is the author of the Agatha Award winning Lobster Shack mystery series. Her latest short story starring the Lobster Shack characters, “Footprints in the Sand,” will appear in the Murder on the Beach anthology coming May 28, 2021.