A fan-favorite novel by internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen
For attorney David Ransom, it begins as an open-and-shut case: malpractice. Then Dr. Kate Chesne storms into his office, daring him to seek out the truth—that she’s being framed. When another patient turns up dead, David starts to believe her. Somewhere in the Honolulu hospital, a killer walks freely. And now David finds himself asking the same questions Kate is desperate to have answered.
Who is next—and why?
Rave reviews for the novels of Tess Gerritsen
VANISH
“Gerritsen’s latest novel is a tense, taut thriller that grabs readers from the get-go and never lets up.”
—Booklist
BODY DOUBLE
“An electric series of startling twists, the revelation of ghoulishly practical motives and a nail-biting finale make this Gerritsen’s best to date.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The story zips along…. A delightfully bizarro plot twist.”
—Entertainment Weekly
THE APPRENTICE
”Well-drawn characters and a compelling story will grab readers’ interest and earn Gerritsen more admirers.”
—Booklist
“Leave the lights on, check the closets, and lock the doors before cracking [The Apprentice].”
—People
THE SURGEON
“Gliding as smoothly as a scalpel in a confident surgeon’s hand, this tale proves that Gerritsen…has morphed into a…suspense novelist whose growing popularity is keeping pace with her ever-finer writing skills.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Gerritsen fans know by now what to expect from her: a fascinating story with a gripping plot and believably human characters. Such is The Surgeon, and, in places, then some. Let new readers learn what the fans delight in.”
—Booklist
THE SINNER
“Gerritsen gives atmospheric depth to her tale… satisfyingly gritty.”
—Publishers Weekly
Under the Knife
Tess Gerritsen
To my mother and father
CONTENTS
DEAR GOD, HOW the past comes back to haunt us.
From his office window, Dr. Henry Tanaka stared out at the rain battering the parking lot and wondered why, after all these years, the death of one poor soul had come back to destroy him.
Outside, a nurse, her uniform spotty with rain, dashed to her car. Another one caught without an umbrella, he thought. That morning, like most Honolulu mornings, had dawned bright and sunny. But at three o’clock the clouds had slithered over the Koolau range and now, as the last clinic employees headed for home, the rain became a torrent, flooding the streets with a river of dirty water.
Tanaka turned and stared down at the letter on his desk. It had been mailed a week ago; but like so much of his correspondence, it had been lost in the piles of obstetrical journals and supply catalogs that always littered his office. When his receptionist had finally called it to his attention this morning, he’d been alarmed by the name on the return address: Joseph Kahanu, Attorney at Law.
He had