Lapped by he gentle waters of Locust Lake, the small resort town of Tranquility, Maine, seems like the perfect spot for Dr. Claire Elliot to shelter her adolescent son, Noah, from the distractions of the big city, and the lingering memory of his father's death. She's also hopeful that she can earn the trust of the town as she builds a new practice. But all her plans unravel with the news of a shocking incident: a teenage boy under her care has committed an appalling act of violence.
Claire has stopped prescribing a controversial drug to the troubled boy, a decision that some in town now second-guess. But before she can defend herself, a rash of new teenage violence erupts in Tranquility, forcing Claire to perform increasingly risky emergency procedures. And when one of her patients dies, the town's panic turns to fury.
Shaken by accusations, and fearful that Noah is now at risk, Claire desperately searches for a medical cause behind the murderous epidemic. She begins to suspect that the placid waters of Locust lake conceal a disturbing history, and an even greater threat: a shocking conspiracy to manipulate nature, and turn innocents to slaughter.
Woven with the kind of action and detail only a doctor could deliver, and propelled by an expert sense of small-town terror, Bloodstream is Tess Gerritsen's most unforgettable thriller yet.
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"For the first half or so of this book, you feel as if you're in a Stephen King or Dean Koontz novel...although I much prefer Ms. Gerritsen's writing! There's a sense of the supernatural as an epidemic of violence repeats itself very 50 years in a small town in Maine. The local teenagers become increasingly violent and in several cases murder their families. Plenty of entertaining subplots and characters come into play as the plot works itself out. For one brief moment I felt a bit let down because I thought it was going to turn into a mundane "boring" resolution, but she quickly brought me back with new developments. Another great book from one of my very favorite authors!!!"
— Nancy (5 out of 5 stars)
[An] intricate thriller…A tale sure to fascinate.”
— People“[A] fascinating, well-crafted, fast-paced medical thriller.”
— Booklist“This is a gory medical thriller that will keep YAs totally engaged.”
— School Library Journal" This started off very good then turned into the usual thrillerish stuff, because it's a thriller. Don't thriller fans get bored of these boring familiar twists and turns? Oh look - he wasn't a this, he was a that. Who'da thought. And the missing hand was in the dog's mouth! And the laptop had had an affair with the coffee cup with the DNA on it! No, that can't be right. But the forensic experts were twins! And there was a misunderstanding on page 31 which has a repercussion on page 228. And the motive was that the guy in the wheelchair had filmed the dog molesting his ex-wife and was threatening to put the whole thing on facebook, and not the other way around! That's why he had to get these people to do those things. But I saw the whole thing coming by chapter 19. When Lorna gave a lift to the armadillo with the eyepatch, it was a giveaway - they obviously already knew each other. You just wouldn't pick up any old hitchhiking armadillo. Thrillers. They're thrilling. Every ten years I read one. "
— Paul, 2/18/2014" Amy! So Stephen King! Brilliant! Sat up till 3am reading this. So "It". "
— Liz, 2/17/2014" Enjoyed the book. A little too many horror scenes to my taste...But I do enjoy Tess Gerritsen very much. "
— Vicky, 2/12/2014" Set in Maine...I always forget Tes Gerritsen lives in Maine. "
— Molly, 2/1/2014" This is a well written, exciting book, but at times seems a bit cliche. The plot is predictable and sometimes relies on coincidence. Yet I liked the relationship between the main characters. It had flaws that made it seem real. The book is well worth reading. "
— Steve, 1/24/2014" I could not put this one down!! "
— Cheryl, 1/21/2014" Took a good 40 pages to get going, but then it was go, go, go! "
— Lindasueanne, 1/11/2014" This is one of Tess Gerritsen's finest medical thrillers featuring the blood in this read. It has great twist and turns to keep you at the edge of your seat. "
— Kristen, 1/4/2014" Amazing book! It kept me interested all the way through! "
— Ashly, 12/20/2013" Love this author and I find her series and her stand alone novels very good. Fast moving and exciting. Death, mystery, romance and thrilling all wrapped into one story. I would suggest this author to anyone who enjoys reading. "
— Book, 12/16/2013" I read this in two days. My new favorite author. I am not sure if I gobble her books up or if they gobble me up! "
— Suzette, 11/21/2013" Always love Tess. She did not disappoint. "
— Kristi, 10/18/2013" Tess Gerritsen's books are always page-turners. The descriptions sometimes sound fantastic, but the premise always seems so believable when you read it. "
— Rhonda, 8/16/2013" A little over the edge but good read. "
— Helen, 8/16/2013" Boy, this one had my heart pumping! I haven't been brave enough to read another of her books without a blood pressure monitor. "
— Kitty, 7/18/2013" I missed the characters from Gerritsen's more recent books at first. Figured out the basic scheme fairly early on, but this was STILL a terrific page turner. I read it in about 3 sittings. "
— Diane, 6/28/2013" A bit different than the other Tess Gerritsen books thus far. Rather than a 'who-done-it', she's written an engaging story of a medical mystery plaguing the teenagers of a small town in Maine. Again, couldn't put it down! "
— Lesley, 6/28/2013" Intriguing mystery but lost me toward the end. "
— Mary, 6/26/2013" Didn't expect to like it, never read these kind of books. But I couldn't put it down, and was even a bit afraid to go to sleep :-) "
— Marit, 5/2/2013" First time reading Tess Gerritsen. Enjoyable reading and excellent plot. Hard to put down and story flowed really nice. Recommend highly. "
— Micky, 2/2/2013" A really satisfying mdeical thriller that made my interminable travels to and from work slightly less painful. Every page is designed to thread you to the next with no long unneccessary passages. "
— Nina, 10/6/2012" My first book read on my new kindle! A good read while on holiday, though kept expecting Rizzoli & Isles to pop up (they didn't!!). "
— Helen, 9/1/2012" I love going to the lake so a medical mystery in the wood of a lake was my idea of great read on a chilly night. As always, Tess Gerritsen writes with intelligence and a gives the message of better health choices. "
— Noelle, 5/12/2012" a good read...like tess gerritsen and the knowledge of medicine/anatomy/science she plugs into her books. "
— Sarah, 4/30/2012" Never read Gerritsen before - a real page-turner. Horror or medical mystery or romance? Read it and find out! "
— Terry, 12/26/2011" Really enjoyed this book, the first I have read by Tess Gerritsen. "
— Kate, 11/10/2011" another good medical thriller. only disappointing part: the end was too rushed. could have drawn out the medical reasoning at the end. "
— Anita, 10/31/2011" Nancy 5 stars; Ron xx stars "
— Nancy, 8/12/2011" I enjoyed the story but the story-telling was a little slow for me. Or probably because early on the story I already somewhat had an idea what they should be looking after. I'll try another one of the author's books and see if I'll like it better... "
— Jem, 4/29/2011" Haven't finished it yet but so far I really like it. I love that her books are action packed with mystery medical stuff with a romance underneath it all that you don't even notice. It sneeks right up on ya!!! <br/> <br/>Finished it, I would definately reccomend! "
— Amanda, 2/9/2011" a good read...like tess gerritsen and the knowledge of medicine/anatomy/science she plugs into her books. "
— Sarah, 1/11/2011" Definitely not one of her best books "
— Ting, 1/6/2011" This one took awhile for me to finish. It didn't grab my attention as much as her others. I think there was so much going on with a lot of characters that I never really could get a handle on the storyline. Glad I'm done. "
— Kona, 12/25/2010" I loved it. It was hard to put down, stayed up all night to finish. "
— Kathy, 12/18/2010" Really grusome. I liked the mystery, but the violence was a put-off. "
— Jessica, 12/8/2010" Found this in the lobby of my building -I think the author couldn't decide if she is Dean Koontz or Michael Palmer. The premise of the book seemd intriguing but the resolution was essentially not believable. "
— Karlin, 11/30/2010" Sometimes I wonder why it is so hard for me to just put a lousy book down. I kept thinking that this one was going to get better...It never did. "
— Heather, 10/15/2010" I like almost all of Tess Gerritsen's books and this one was a good read, too. They all have some element of medical suspense which I find entertaining. "
— Deborah, 9/29/2010Tess Gerritsen, a former phyisican, is the internationally bestselling author of Harvest, Life Support, The Silent Girl, and The Surgeon, a work for which she won the RITA Award and the Nero Award. She also wrote a screenplay, Adrift, which was made into a movie for television in 1993. Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles is the inspiration for the TNT television series Rizzoli & Isles. Gerritsen currently lives in Maine.
Richard Poe, a professional actor for more than thirty years, has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including 1776 and M. Butterfly. On television he has had recurring roles on Star Trek and Frasier. His films include Born on the Fourth of July and Presumed Innocent. Poe is a well-known and prolific audiobook performer and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards.