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Whistleblower
This title presents a deadly truth...Victor Holland comes flying out of the night into the path of Catherine Weaver's car. Horrified by his broken body, Cathy rushes him to the hospital, praying for his survival.But, her nightmare had just begun. Because Victor is running for his life, and their shocking encounter has put Cathy in mortal danger. Victor has uncovered a terrifying secret - and the trail leads all the way to Washington, where powerful men will go to any lengths to silence him.Victor's story sounds like the ravings of a mad man, but the haunted look in his eyes-and the bullet hole in his shoulder-tell a different story. As each hour brings pursuers ever closer, Cathy has to wonder, is she giving her trust to a man in danger or trusting her life to a dangerous man?
248 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1992
1348 people are currently reading
3614 people want to read
About the author
Tess Gerritsen
204 books21.1k followersInternationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.
While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. In 1987, her first novel was published. Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller, was followed by eight more romantic suspense novels. She also wrote a screenplay, "Adrift", which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.
Tess's first medical thriller, Harvest, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Her suspense novels since then have been: Life Support (1997), Bloodstream (1998), Gravity (1999), The Surgeon (2001), The Apprentice (2002), The Sinner (2003), Body Double (2004), Vanish (2005), The Mephisto Club (2006), and The Bone Garden (2007). Her books have been translated into 31 languages, and more than 15 million copies have been sold around the world.
As well as being a New York Times bestselling author, she has also been a #1 bestseller in both Germany and the UK. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon.) Critics around the world have praised her novels as "Pulse-pounding fun" (Philadelphia Inquirer), "Scary and brilliant" (Toronto Globe and Mail), and "Polished, riveting prose" (Chicago Tribune). Publisher Weekly has dubbed her the "medical suspense queen".
Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.
While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. In 1987, her first novel was published. Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller, was followed by eight more romantic suspense novels. She also wrote a screenplay, "Adrift", which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.
Tess's first medical thriller, Harvest, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Her suspense novels since then have been: Life Support (1997), Bloodstream (1998), Gravity (1999), The Surgeon (2001), The Apprentice (2002), The Sinner (2003), Body Double (2004), Vanish (2005), The Mephisto Club (2006), and The Bone Garden (2007). Her books have been translated into 31 languages, and more than 15 million copies have been sold around the world.
As well as being a New York Times bestselling author, she has also been a #1 bestseller in both Germany and the UK. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon.) Critics around the world have praised her novels as "Pulse-pounding fun" (Philadelphia Inquirer), "Scary and brilliant" (Toronto Globe and Mail), and "Polished, riveting prose" (Chicago Tribune). Publisher Weekly has dubbed her the "medical suspense queen".
Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 487 reviews
August 31, 2015
I am a Tess Gerritsen fan but this was not one of her best books. There was plenty of action but the characters were bland and the "romance" totally unbelievable. I had been warned not to read her early books and will now take heed of that warning. At least I now know how very far she has come from her first writings.
December 20, 2011
I wanted to pass time on a bus with a light read. Early Tess Gerritsen crime novel seemed a good choice. It ended up a festival of eye rolling and brow raising. Never again anything that is not Rizzolli and Isles series. Cringeworthy descriptions and dialogues, unrealistic situations (oh the deep connection and meeting of souls with a complete stranger, as if straight from a Harlequin), and running away from mortal danger, this is something to stay away from if one can help it.
August 23, 2024
Whistleblower, by Tess Gerritsen, Dreamscape Media Audiobook, narrated by Erin Yuen.
Generally I like Tess Gerritsen, and I will pick up one of her books on author's name alone. She always provides excellent characters, exciting plot, setting suspense, drama and excellent writing. This book has most of those things, but the level of achievement across the board was not up to her usual standards. Entertaining but no WOW factor.
Generally I like Tess Gerritsen, and I will pick up one of her books on author's name alone. She always provides excellent characters, exciting plot, setting suspense, drama and excellent writing. This book has most of those things, but the level of achievement across the board was not up to her usual standards. Entertaining but no WOW factor.
December 8, 2010
Lame. Okay, so I hit you with my car now we have to have sex. Seriously? Just unrealistic--well, maybe everyone else in the world falls madly in love with people first sight, but I just don't think so.
June 13, 2023
I like Gerritsen stories but this one was a harlequin romance wrapped up in an unbelievable story. It did make me laugh though especially the romantic consummation of their love on the living room floor. Victor the nerdy ethical hero and Cathy the insecure needy heroine.
A virus being developed to kill enemy young soldiers. Er my only thought was if it was difficult to rollout vaccinations wouldn’t it kill their side too. Some cliche villains with the psychopathic killer and mad soldier with a dodgy pharmaceutical company bent on money not profits.
I did like Sam Polowaski the overweight FBI agent. He was very tenacious and entertaining.
A virus being developed to kill enemy young soldiers. Er my only thought was if it was difficult to rollout vaccinations wouldn’t it kill their side too. Some cliche villains with the psychopathic killer and mad soldier with a dodgy pharmaceutical company bent on money not profits.
I did like Sam Polowaski the overweight FBI agent. He was very tenacious and entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2020
Yazarın aşk, gerilim, macera türündeki kitaplarında konuyu işleyip hep aynı.
Okunup unutulacak kitaplar yine de soluksuz okuyorum.
3,5
Okunup unutulacak kitaplar yine de soluksuz okuyorum.
3,5
September 5, 2016
I adore Tess Gerritsen’s work, and I’m trying my hardest to get my hand onto everything she has written. I accept, however, that not everyone shares this view. I’ll gladly admit that her more recent work is her best, but her older stuff is also fun. However, when it comes to her older stuff you need to enter with an open mind. There is no question that her recent work falls into the mystery and thriller category, whereas her older work falls into the romance. Romantic suspense, even. Due to this, I know a lot of her more recent fans do not enjoy her older work.
Now I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest lover of romance, but I am coming to enjoy it more and more. With Tess Gerritsen, I find myself enjoying her older books – those that fall more into the romantic category than anything else – a lot more than I ever expected. Due to this, I find myself easily giving four stars. When compared to her more recent work – such as her Rizzoli and Isles – they’re a different kind of four stars. Her mystery stories are four stars because of the countless layers she adds, whereas her romantic stories are four stars because they’re easy and enjoyable. The plot is straightforward, the story telling to the point, and they’re generally easy reads.
For me, Whistleblower is a very weak four stars. It was enough to keep me entertained throughout the story, but it was nowhere near as thrilling as some of her other early books. If nothing else, it does work to show how far she has come since her early books.
With Whistleblower, we have the usual romance you would expect of an early Tess Gerritsen book. The romantic aspects are more than a little bit predictable, yet they’re still enjoyable if you’re willing to open your mind to unlikely events. For me, what prevented me from dropping the rating down to three stars, was the thriller aspect. It far from the best thriller tale, but it is a classic notion that keeps you gripped throughout. It’s the age-old terrifying government secret that means bad news for all.
If you have read some of Gerritsen’s older work and you know you enjoy it, then give this one a read. If you have yet to read any of her older work then I wouldn’t recommend starting here. Whilst it is enjoyable, it is so far from her recent work that you may very well be left shocked by the differences and unwilling to believe the same woman wrote the books.
Now I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest lover of romance, but I am coming to enjoy it more and more. With Tess Gerritsen, I find myself enjoying her older books – those that fall more into the romantic category than anything else – a lot more than I ever expected. Due to this, I find myself easily giving four stars. When compared to her more recent work – such as her Rizzoli and Isles – they’re a different kind of four stars. Her mystery stories are four stars because of the countless layers she adds, whereas her romantic stories are four stars because they’re easy and enjoyable. The plot is straightforward, the story telling to the point, and they’re generally easy reads.
For me, Whistleblower is a very weak four stars. It was enough to keep me entertained throughout the story, but it was nowhere near as thrilling as some of her other early books. If nothing else, it does work to show how far she has come since her early books.
With Whistleblower, we have the usual romance you would expect of an early Tess Gerritsen book. The romantic aspects are more than a little bit predictable, yet they’re still enjoyable if you’re willing to open your mind to unlikely events. For me, what prevented me from dropping the rating down to three stars, was the thriller aspect. It far from the best thriller tale, but it is a classic notion that keeps you gripped throughout. It’s the age-old terrifying government secret that means bad news for all.
If you have read some of Gerritsen’s older work and you know you enjoy it, then give this one a read. If you have yet to read any of her older work then I wouldn’t recommend starting here. Whilst it is enjoyable, it is so far from her recent work that you may very well be left shocked by the differences and unwilling to believe the same woman wrote the books.
January 15, 2017
I got to a point in the book where I could no longer "suspend belief"... it already wasn't great, but when the "love story" forced itself into the book at an unlikely place in an unlikely way, I just didn't buy it. I was just disgusted because it was such a bad fit, that I snapped the book shut and decided I was done with it!
September 28, 2020
Not one of Tess’s good books. Normally I like her books but this one was bad.
January 11, 2015
Whistleblower
I was a bit disappointed in this book after reading all of Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles novels but then I realized that this was one of her very first published books. It wasn't terrible but her writing has certainly come a long way since this was written.
I was a bit disappointed in this book after reading all of Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles novels but then I realized that this was one of her very first published books. It wasn't terrible but her writing has certainly come a long way since this was written.
May 26, 2023
Un poco a lo telefilm de esos que son todos iguales. Con un principio prometedor que me hizo relamerme imaginando qué se le ocurriría a la autora en esa situación, acabo siendo algo muy visto. Una pena. Destripadoras
November 23, 2021
Aš savo simpatijos Tess kūrybai niekada neslėpiau. Kai reikia ko nors įtraukiančio, bet tuo pačiu lengvo, kartais - netgi aistringo, žinau, kad galiu ja pasitikėti. Na, tiksliau pasakius, žinojau iki šiol. Ši knyga man buvo vienas didelis nesusipratimas. Gerai jau gerai, nebuvo taip ir blogai, bet kai žinau, ką ši autorė gali, tai ir kartelė užkelta jau pakankamai aukštai. Daugelyje vietų veiksmas per daug neįtikėtinas ir nerealus, aplankė tas pats jausmas, kaip žiūrint kokį seną veiksmo filmą, kur vienas superherojus stebuklingai išsisuka iš visų kėblių situacijų ir jo nesugeba sustabdyti būrys profesionalių smogikų. Žinau, kad ta pati situacija kartojasi ir ne vienoje mano išgirtoje knygoje ( kad ir apie Bleiką ), bet yra du visiškai skirtingi dalykai, kur tai daro profesionalas, o kur - paprastas mokslininkas, be to, viską nulemia rašymo stilius ir įtaigumas, kurio šiuo atveju nė su žiburiu nerasi. Visi personažai taip pat pasirodė silpni, neišvystyti, o meilės linija tarp Viktoro ir Ketės - lyg primesta. Susiskaitė tikrai neskaniai. 🙈
January 20, 2019
Basit kısa bir kitaptı ama ben sevdim 😊😊 gayet heyecanlıydı. Özlemişim tess kalemini. Ama rizzoli & isles serisi hala favorim 😁😁
February 27, 2024
Rizzoli&Isles serisinden olmayan kitaplarında yavan şablonu var Tess Gerritsen 'in. Onun dışına çıkmıyor. Birbirinin kopyası ucuz Amerikan aksiyon filmleri tadında kitaplar. Sırf yazarın külliyatını bitirebilmek adına okudum, okuyorum ve de okuyacağım Rizzoli&Isles serisine ait olmayan kitaplarını.
March 21, 2022
Tess Gerritsen nasıl böyle bir kitap yazmış diye düşündüm kısa bir an.
February 6, 2019
Very disappointed in this one. Did Tess Gerritsen really write it? Or perhaps it was written by her 14-year-old assistant? The characters are superficial. The plot is thoroughly predictable: no surprises; no challenges; as if it was written to a formula by an early teenager who decided "I think I'll write a book." Did not enjoy this at all. Certainly not in the same league as Gerritsen's Rizzoli & Isles series. If not for Gerritsen's name on the cover, I'd think someone else wrote this book.
February 28, 2017
Meh plot obscured by bland romance .... the kind that does nothing for the plot.... "killers are after us but let's stop getting away and have sex ".
Annoying early book from tess g. I will stick to the later books from now on.
Annoying early book from tess g. I will stick to the later books from now on.
March 15, 2017
Harlequin Romance! Good plot, weak story line. And the sap will gag you!
Read
March 1, 2025Tess has great men in her books. They aren't necessarily hot hunky heart-throbs. They are strong, caring, sensitive, and smart. Her women are not always described as drop-dead gorgeous either. But they have brains, a sense of adventure, and the energy needed to get things done.
I love Tess.
I love Tess.
July 18, 2023
Kept my interest for the first 3 chapters and then I got bored of it
July 24, 2021
I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down
January 15, 2020
W końcu sięgnęłam po książkę Tess i ja.
Świetnie skonstruowany kryminał ,oj działo się działo i trupów co chwila przybywało .Nie oceniam książki zbyt wysoko,ale na pewno sięgnę po inne pozycje tej autorki .
Świetnie skonstruowany kryminał ,oj działo się działo i trupów co chwila przybywało .Nie oceniam książki zbyt wysoko,ale na pewno sięgnę po inne pozycje tej autorki .
September 5, 2017
Victor Holland comes flying out of the night into the path of Catherine Weaver's car to end up colliding with its hood. Horrified by his broken body, Cathy rushes him to the hospital, praying for his survival, but her nightmare has just begun. Because Victor is running for his life, and their shocking encounter has put Cathy in mortal danger. Victor has uncovered a terrifying secret - and the trail leads all the way to Washington, where powerful men will go to any lengths to silence him.Victor's story sounds like the ravings of a mad man, but the haunted look in his eyes-and the bullet hole in his shoulder-tell a different story. As each hour brings pursuers ever closer, Cathy has to wonder, is she giving her trust to a man in danger or trusting her life to a dangerous man?
I have to say the romance portion of this book takes away the thriller portion thus I can only give it two stars. I totally understand sexual tension in a story but not head over heals devotion.
I have to say the romance portion of this book takes away the thriller portion thus I can only give it two stars. I totally understand sexual tension in a story but not head over heals devotion.
July 17, 2017
After loving Never Say Die, I decided to give another early Gerritsen romantic suspense novel a try. This one? Well, let's just say it's hard to believe it was published by the same author, the same year that Never Say Die came out. This one just isn't very good. Not enough disbelief on the part of the heroine, and too much fretting over the hero's Dead Perfect First Wife while hired government goons are trying to kill her. I don't know - I just don't think I'd spend time fretting about my "feelings" for the hero or my belief that he's still in love with his Dead Perfect First Wife if GOVERNMENT GOONS WERE TRYING TO MURDER ME!
But I'm wacky like that.
A lot of Gerritsen's suspense fans tend to smear her romantic suspense writing with a broad brush. That's not what I'm doing here. I like romantic suspense. It's just this one isn't very good.
But I'm wacky like that.
A lot of Gerritsen's suspense fans tend to smear her romantic suspense writing with a broad brush. That's not what I'm doing here. I like romantic suspense. It's just this one isn't very good.
February 9, 2018
Whistleblower (again one of Gerristen’s older books) fell into the trap of focusing more on the romance between the two main characters, Cathy and Victor, at the expense of vital plot development. What could have been an exciting book detailing the government cover up of an illegal biological weapons testing facility ended up being a romance book where the characters meet in the middle of this conspiracy and fall in love. The insta-love was at times too much for me and I quickly got tired of the damsel in distress mentality of Cathy and her dependence on Victor after only meeting him a couple days earlier. The ending was probably one of the cheesiest things I have read and rounded up a light thriller that I will forget about in a week or two.
January 20, 2016
Seriously, Tess Gerritsen? Seriously? When a monkey dies in agony "in the name of humanity (my arse)" it is effing OK ??????? If we, the effing and ultimately stupid humanity, want to create a virus (#wtf) (please tell me where is the so called "human intelligence" here, because I struggle to see it) then please test it on humans. Let people die for it. People created it - why should animals die? "In the name of humanity"? Why should the monkeys care? The human race does not care a bit about the animals or the nature respectively, so why do we think we have the right to destroy it "in the name of humanity"? What is wrong with you, Tess Gerritsen? Why can`t you see it is WRONG!? #brainwash
April 4, 2019
Originally written in the late 90s, Whistle Blower by Tess Gerritsen, is still a good romantic mystery read.
It opens with a nailbiting chase scene and the momentum keeps building as the story goes along. There isn’t a lot I can say about the plot without giving spoilers. But…mix a whistle-blowing scientist with a makeup artist for horror films, and a few quirky sidekicks and you’ve got yourself an entertaining fast read.
Though I’m partial to the Rizzoli & Isles books from Gerritsen, this was an enjoyable mystery read that wasn’t too heavy and made for great bedtime reading.
It opens with a nailbiting chase scene and the momentum keeps building as the story goes along. There isn’t a lot I can say about the plot without giving spoilers. But…mix a whistle-blowing scientist with a makeup artist for horror films, and a few quirky sidekicks and you’ve got yourself an entertaining fast read.
Though I’m partial to the Rizzoli & Isles books from Gerritsen, this was an enjoyable mystery read that wasn’t too heavy and made for great bedtime reading.
April 15, 2023
Although I am a massive fan of Tess Gerritsen, I must admit this really was not one of her best. The plot seemed to be a bit all over the place so it was very difficult to keep her. Not only that but the main character wasn't very likeable due to her need to be in love one minute with the 'hero' of the story and then all of a sudden seemed to forget about him.
Definitely not my favourite.
Definitely not my favourite.
November 16, 2019
Gripping from the first page and didn't want to put it down until I finished it. A bit of a David and Goliath story with plenty of action love and a little bit of humour. If you're looking for a quick and easy read this is the one.
October 26, 2024
Tess Gerritsen is a very good writer who specialises in medical thrillers and being am ex physician shows a great knowledge and detail to her work.
Fast paced novel that makes excellent reading.
Fast paced novel that makes excellent reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 487 reviews