The Keepsake

A Rizzoli & Isles Novel

By: Tess Gerritsen

Narrated by: Deirdre Lovejoy

New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen knows how to expertly dissect a brilliantly suspenseful story, all the while keeping fascinated readers riveted to her side. By turns darkly enthralling and relentlessly surprising, The Keepsake showcases an author at the peak of her storytelling powers.

For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston’s Crispin Museum. Now its sudden rediscovery by museum staff is both a major coup and an attention-grabbing mystery. Dubbed “Madam X,” the mummy–to all appearances, an ancient Egyptian artifact–seems a ghoulish godsend for the financially struggling institution. But medical examiner Maura Isles soon discovers a macabre message hidden within the corpse–horrifying proof that this “centuries-old” relic is instead a modern-day murder victim.

To Maura and Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli, the forensic evidence is unmistakable, its implications terrifying. And when the grisly remains of yet another woman are found in the hidden recesses of the museum, it becomes chillingly clear that a maniac is at large–and is now taunting them.
Archaeologist Josephine Pulcillo’s blood runs cold when the killer’s cryptic missives are discovered, and her darkest dread becomes real when the carefully preserved corpse of yet a third victim is left in her car like a gruesome offering–or perhaps a ghastly promise of what’s to come.

The twisted killer’s familiarity with post-mortem rituals suggests to Maura and Jane that he may have scientific expertise in common with Josephine. Only Josephine knows that her stalker shares a knowledge even more personally terrifying: details of a dark secret she had thought forever buried.

Now Maura must summon her own dusty knowledge of ancient death traditions to unravel his twisted endgame. And when Josephine vanishes, Maura and Jane have precious little time to derail the Archaeology Killer before he adds another chilling piece to his monstrous collection.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Bone Garden

“A suspense thriller likely to keep you reading into the wee hours . . . richly plotted, with superbly developed characters.”
–The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Riveting . . . one of Gerritsen’s best.”
–The Globe and Mail

“Pitch-perfect . . . highly engrossing.”
–USA Today

“Fascinating . . . Gerritsen, as always, puts her medical training to ghoulish use.”
–The Boston Globe

great read

enough detail that you can listen over and over but engaging enough to keep you intrigued.

Books to Series

This book was well written. It is kind of hard to try to go with the story and not think of the series and how some things are different. You lose some of the back and forth between Rizzoli and Isles but that doesn't necessarily take away from the book. I have read other Rizzoli and Isles books and will read more.

The Keepsake

LOVED IT! Very interesting and gripping story line! Great narration! I’ll definitely listen to More of Tess Gerritsen’s books!

Good story. Silly dialog.

This is a pretty good story, but it is padded with some really silly dialog. Be prepared to roll your eyes about once a minute, especially in the first half.

A Great Read!

I really enjoyed this book - couldn't wait to get back it the car to listen to it. The narrator was wonderful too. Interesting story line; highly recommend this one.