Series · thriller
Rizzoli & Isles
The Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen has 13 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Surgeon (2001).
- Books
- 13 books
- First published
- 2001
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: The Surgeon (2001) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Surgeon
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Surgeon - Book 2:
The Apprentice
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Apprentice - Book 3:
The Sinner
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Sinner - Book 4:
Body Double
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Body Double - Book 5:
Vanish
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Vanish - Book 6:
The Mephisto Club
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Mephisto Club - Book 7:
The Keepsake
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Keepsake - Book 8:
Ice Cold
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ice Cold - Book 9:
The Silent Girl
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Silent Girl - Book 10:
Last to Die
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Last to Die - Book 11:
Die Again
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Die Again - Book 12:
I Know a Secret
Alternative text for cover: Cover of I Know a Secret - Book 13:
Listen to Me
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Listen to Me
About the Rizzoli & Isles series
Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles make an unlikely pair — Rizzoli is blunt, working-class and allergic to bureaucracy, Isles is reserved, patrician and nicknamed "the Queen of the Dead" for her calm around corpses — but Tess Gerritsen, a physician-turned-novelist, builds the series on the genuine chemistry between them as much as the forensic detail she brings from her own medical background. Rizzoli doesn't actually appear until book one and Isles is introduced only in book two, so the partnership that gives the series its name and its later TV adaptation takes a book to fully form.
The novels lean into medical-thriller territory (autopsy detail, real pathology, disease and bioterrorism plots alongside straightforward serial-killer cases) and aren't afraid of genuinely dark, high-body-count set pieces. It's for readers who want their police procedural grounded in real forensic science, with two strong, contrasting female leads whose friendship deepens book by book rather than being static.
How to read this series
Publication order, starting with The Surgeon — Rizzoli is the lead in book one, Isles is introduced in book two (The Apprentice), and from there the two women's partnership, families and personal lives develop continuously across the series.
Watch for regional title differences: book 7 is published as The Keepsake in the US and Keeping the Dead in the UK, and book 8 as Ice Cold in the US and The Killing Place in the UK — same books, different covers. There's a long real-world gap (2003-2004 aside) between I Know a Secret (2017) and Listen to Me (2022), but no missing entries in between — the series simply slowed down as Gerritsen also launched her Martini Club spy series.
Frequently asked questions
How many Rizzoli and Isles books are there?
13 novels, from The Surgeon (2001) to Listen to Me (2022). Author Tess Gerritsen has said she has another Rizzoli & Isles story in mind, but nothing is announced or scheduled.
What order should I read the Rizzoli and Isles books in?
Publication order, starting with The Surgeon. Maura Isles isn't introduced until book two, The Apprentice, so starting there is essential to seeing the partnership form.
Is the TV show Rizzoli & Isles based on the books?
Loosely. The TNT series (2010-2016) uses the same central characters and Boston setting but tells largely original stories rather than adapting the novels directly, and gives Rizzoli and Isles a closer friendship earlier than the books do.
Why does book 7 or 8 have a different title on some editions?
Tess Gerritsen's UK and US publishers used different titles for two entries: book 7 is The Keepsake (US) / Keeping the Dead (UK), and book 8 is Ice Cold (US) / The Killing Place (UK). They're the same novel.
Is there a new Rizzoli and Isles book coming?
Gerritsen has said in interviews she has another story worked out, but as of August 2026 nothing has been announced or scheduled. She has been focused on her separate Martini Club series since 2023.
Reading order last verified .