Never Say Die (MIRA) (MIRA) [Import] [Paperback]

TESS GERRITSEN (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: MIRA BOOKS (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778301141
• ISBN-13: 978-0778301141
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,111,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a physician as well as the New York Times-bestselling author of medical thrillers and the Jane Rizzoli crime thrillers.

Readers who are familiar with my graphic autopsy scenes and forensic details may be astonished to learn that my very first published novels were actually ... romantic suspense. So why did I leave writing romances and turn to thrillers?

It was all because of a chance dinner conversation some years ago. The man sitting beside me at a restaurant one night was an ex-cop who 'd recently been traveling in Russia. Moscow cops had told him that orphans were vanishing from the streets, and they believed the children were being kidnaped and shipped abroad as organ donors.

I was horrified by the tale. Weeks later, unable to forget those missing Russian orphans, I knew I just had to write a book about them. I wanted to bring into it all the medical and autopsy details that I'd learned from my years as a physician. The sights, the smells of the autopsy and operating rooms -- everything.

My first medical thriller, HARVEST, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked my debut on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list. It was followed by my medical thrillers LIFE SUPPORT (1997), BLOODSTREAM (1998), GRAVITY (1999).

In 2001, my books took another abrupt turn, to forensic thrillers. THE SURGEON was my first Jane Rizzoli thriller. Since then, I've written THE APPRENTICE (2002), THE SINNER (2003), BODY DOUBLE (2004), VANISH (2005 -- and an Edgar Award nominee), and THE MEPHISTO CLUB (2006).

I believe my readers want me to tell them secrets. And that's exactly what I try to do. I take them into the autopsy room, and show them what I've seen. But most of all, I hope I'm revealing what lies in the hearts of my characters. Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles are real people to me now. I hope they're just as real to everyone who becomes acquainted with them!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Its Roots Are Showing, October 14, 2007

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Say Die (Paperback)

This book was published circa 1992 as a Harlequin (Romance)Intrigue. The Intrigue line consisted of short romance novels that had a suspense subplot. The length and the emphasis of the novel was dictated by the publisher. So it's hard to blame Dr. Gerritsen for the short-comings of this novel.

Her characters are pretty good, the plot is weakish. Someone who reads her books for the suspense will probably not like this one. Those who read for the romance will probably be taken with this one.

Take your pick.

Oh, and the new Mira cover is rather bizarre. Intellectually, I know it's a flower. My impression though is that it is a picture of the stuffing coming out of something.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More paranoia, February 1, 2007

By 

Roger Long "longrush" (Port Clinton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Never Say Die (Paperback)

As Willy and Guy get acquainted and try to find Willy's father, a long-lost pilot in Viet Nam, nefarious powers of every sort pursue them. In this sense, I am reminded of the Robert Ludlum novels, in which no one can be trusted. The story has suspense and is well constructed. It's just that I've read too many books with paranoia as the central theme.

The romance part is OK but not especially interesting. The plot is fine. The characters are quite good. It is only the theme that really bothered me.

4.0 out of 5 stars Unique plot, interesting characters, and hard to put down, February 16, 2012

By 

T. Anderson (PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Never Say Die (Paperback)

Willy Maitland's mother is dying. Her dying wish is for Willy to travel to Vietnam and get proof her father is really dead. Her father was a highly skilled fighter pilot in the Vietnam War. His plane crashed in the jungle: two men were found dead, one man survived only to become a POW, and her father was never found. In Vietnam, Willy is befriended by Guy Barnard whose profession is to identify fallen American soldiers' remains. The closer Guy and Willy get to the truth the more people around them begin to die.

Never Say Die is one of Tess Gerritsen's early non-series romance/suspense novels. It has the perfect mix of intrigue and romance. The "romance" wasn't overly explicit and the "intrigue" was not graphic or gory. The book had a unique plot, well developed characters I started to feel like I knew, and moved along at a good pace. If you never tried Tess Gerritsen, this might be one to start with to see if you like her style.