Bloodstream

by Tess Gerritsen

The small town of Tranquility, Maine seems like the perfect spot for Dr Claire Elliot to shelter her adolescent son from the distractions of the big city and the lingering memory of his father's death until a rash of teenage violence erupts.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Medical

484 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Internationally 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.

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit to liking Gerritson's Rizzoli and Isles series the best, but her stand alone books can be very good too. Bloodstream is definitely one of the good ones although you have to like your books gory to appreciate it fully!

I was amazed at the end to find I had read over five hundred pages. I had no idea - they just slid past. The book opens as it means to go on, with some totally disturbing murders by person unknown to persons also unknown. Then we are introduced to a vast number of characters, almost all of whom turn out to be important in one way or another. Keep a note of all their names or lose track altogether! Then there are lots more murders, some really gross medical stuff including some about worms that became stomach turning, a little bit of romance on the side and the eventual discovery of the bad guy which is a surprise.

Very entertaining although best not to read some parts at meal times.

[Paul Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Widow Claire moves to Tranquility, Maine, with her teenage son, Noah. Noah was hanging out with a bad crowd in the city and getting into trouble with the law, so she hopes the change to small-town life will be beneficial to him. She has also set up a practice as the new town doctor. Claire and Noah are still adjusting to their new life months later. Then when November and the cold weather rolls around, there is suddenly a rash of violent and deadly behavior among the teenagers in town. Claire begins to question her decision in making this move to what seemed like a peaceful town by the lake. What is the cause of this violent behavior in the town's teenagers, and does the answer lie within the waters of Locust Lake?

This was a terrific medical suspense/thriller. A real page-turner. I really enjoyed the medical aspect of the story. All of the characters, including the supporting ones, I found really interesting. I liked that the story was told from many points of view and not just that of the main characters. There was some romance between Claire and Police Chief Lincoln Kelly, but the story was mostly driven by the suspense. The book was chilling, grim, entertaining, and a very engrossing read that I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next and how it would all end.

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can see this review in our blog: TheWildReaders



Honestly, when I saw the blurb of this,I wasn't feeling it. Tess Gerritsen is known for her way of spooking you with medical words and when I read the summary, the first thing that came into my mind is :

U R B A N L E G E N D

I love urban legends but I was thinking that maybe T.G wouldn't do well with that genre so I was a little bit wary. But really, I shouldn't have doubted Tess Gerritsen because holy smoking mackerel, she did an amazing job combining some urban legend and science.

Bloodstream takes us into Tranquility, Maine where twice a century, teenagers went all Genghis Khan to everyone. Murder rates go high and violence is everywhere. No one knows how it starts and no one knows when it will strike again.



What I love about Bloodstream is that Gerritsen captured the nature of small town mentality. You don't know who or what is the reason behind this shit because the people don't talk about it. That makes the whodunnit/whatdunnit factor more delicious.

Gerritsen also didn't fail to make me delirious of her perfect medical words. She gaves you the right amount of science fact without causing boredom and information overload. What's really more amazing is that she can scare you by her science facts.


If you want a clean, I-wanna-be-spooked crime book, give this book a try. It's deliciously creepy.

[Cym & Her Books 🍉 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be a sufficient contender for the fourth "spooky" October book and I was thoroughly impressed. This was my first time reading a novel by Gerritsen and boy was I glad I chose it. The plot was fast paced and interesting, the (many) characters were all well-presented and actually made a difference in the advancement of the plot, AND SO MUCH BLOOD.
(I will admit that I had to stop and regroup myself after multiple points throughout the book because I am an empathetic fool lolololol. You hurt someone in a book YOU HURT ME :P)
This was a good book, with a surprising ending, and there was even a lil romance thrown in to make it a well-rounded novel. Even some teenage angst for good measure.
4 stars for sure! Would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who doesn't mind some gore.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Tess Gerritsen's series Rizzoli and Isles and wanted to read something else by her that I haven't yet read. A decent read but nothing special

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okayish thriller.
Claire is like Tess's other heroine, Maura Isles. A doctor who is capable of solving mysteries and i dont like either if them, because she is too hormonal like a teenager. Detective Lincoln must be an Adonis, what with 3 middle aged women crazy about him.
The book was at least 100 pages too long. I lost interest midway. Ending was quite satisfactory, but was rushed.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent medical mystery tale. New doctor in Maine town realizes that something is making the youth of the village turn violent. Can she resolve the problem before her own son is affected? Well done, recommended.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Apparently the only books that can keep my attention right now are mindless thrillers. One second where I have to think about anything and I’m straight back to scrolling through the news for more depressing updates.

Of course if the trash fiction also features a virus then it gets super duper extra points. And this fit the bill nicely.

On the one hand, it gives you violently crazed teens murdering family like it’s the new trend (✔️) but on the other, it offers a finale the author whipped out of nowhere (❌) but WHATEVER. It passed the time well and I don’t have to think for a moment.

Any recommendations for more like this welcome...

[Ann Girdharry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Tess Gerritsen and I had high expectations.

In the first half of the book, I started to feel disappointed. There are so many characters introduced, and the scenes are so short for each bit of the action, that I found it hard to follow the thread of the story. We seem to skip from character to character too quickly.
I also, I have to say, found Claire, the main protagonist, a bit whingey. I prefer my female leads to have more bite.

However, I should have been more patient!
About half way through, I began to understand the characters better and the story started to come together. Claire turns out to have staying power and determination.

By the end, I wasn't disappointed. It was an enjoyable read. In particular, I enjoyed the view of small-town American life and the dynamics of a tightly knit community who have secrets to hide.
I might have expected more bang for the buck from a writer who seems so highly rated, but perhaps this isn't one of her best?

[Dania Niemeijer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geweldig boek! Ook alle medische details

[Alisha Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge, self-confessed Tess Gerritsen fan. I love and adore her Rizzoli & Isles books (and the TV series which is totally different from the books, but the character interactions are great. The mysteries...not so much). So, I assumed that I would like Bloodstream. I assumed that I would LOVE Bloodstream after I finished the prologue. It (the prologue, I mean) was nail-bitingly creepy. I was seriously holding my breath while frantically clicking on the Kindle. I thought that the prologue would set the tone for the book. Ehhh, it didn't really happen that way.

Again, this book starts off with a BANG!!! I think it may be one of the creepiest prologues from a mystery book that I've ever read. The chapters following the prologue were still plenty creepy and more than a little intriguing. In fact, the beginning chapters of Bloodstream reminded me heavily of a UK movie called The Children (totally recommended, by the way. It's creepy, underrated, and due to what happened in the movie, it will never be remade and subsequently ruined by American filmmakers). So much that I thought it was sort of going to go that way (which I really would've preferred). But it didn't.

There were just too many things going on in this book. It's a parasite. No, it's evil. No, it's an actual person. No, it's the evil corporations. No, it's the parents' influece causing the kids to go violently crazy and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Seriously, everything was packed in here. Every single excuse was packed in here. I understand that the point of mysteries is to keep you guessing, but it was just too much. And the resolution was very anti-climactic and the ending a bit abrupt. So much that I kept clicking the Kindle thinking "It can't really be over..."

However, my main issue with Bloodstream was that I thought every single character in it was an idiot. That makes it REALLY hard to root for them. I understood why the teenagers were bratty (they were teenagers, therefore, are supposed to be bratty and then if you add in what's actually happening then it's sort of understandable), but all of the adults were pissing me off, too. They were acting worse than the children. So, I didn't feel a huge sense of remorse when they started getting picked off.

I did give Bloodstream two stars instead of one because the premise was very intriguing and so promising (which was why the execution was so disappointing). Plus, it's Tess Gerritsen so you know the book was a huge page-turner. All I could think about in my 8AM college math class was how to get back to this book, so that's something. In the end, I thought that Bloodstream was just okay and I definitely liked all of the books in the Rizzoli and Isles series more than I liked this one.

[Kace | The Booknerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloodstream is the first book by Tess Gerritsen that I've read. And I'm glad that I did.

After her husband's death, Dr. Claire Elliot and her teenage son, Noah, moved to Tranquility, a small town in Maine. She hoped that this move would be a good opportunity for Noah to forget the past and run the medical practice. But all her hope dies when winter comes and teenagers start acting in rage and violence. Fearful that her son is now at risk, Claire desperately seeks the cause behind the murderous incidents. As she searched for an answer, she learned that an identical problem had occurred decades before. She also discovered a shocking conspiracy much more in-depth than she could ever have imagined. 

I was fascinated from page one up to the last. The storyline was excellent, with a tight, tense, well-paced plot, full of intense and engaging characters that contribute to its uniqueness. I loved how the author kept the readers guessing. The characters were wonderfully crafted, and the ending was unexpectedly great and not in the least bit predictable. But I was hoping for more love scenes between Claire and Lincoln. 

Overall, Bloodstream is worth a read; Tess Gerritsen had me guessing and on the edge of my seat. I had fun piecing things together. This is the first time I've read Tess Gerritsen, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

[Jurga Šernienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ką jau ką, bet gerą įtampą viso pasakojimo metu autorė išlaiko puikiai. Šiurpuliukai sėkmingai bėgioja kūnu. Siaubiakų ir trilerių privengiu, bet šią knygą suvalgiau su malonumu ir nekantrumu. Viso chaoso priežastis tokia truputį iš fantastikos srities, bet pateikta labai labai įtikinamai. O Tess Gerritsen tai puikiai sugeba.

[Hatice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Öncelikle bu kitap bana çok özendiğim halde neden küçük bir yerde yaşamak istemediğimi tekrar hatırlattı. Başkahraman Dr. Claire ergen oğlunun kendisine yaşattığı sorunlardan bunalıp Tranquility'e taşınıyor romanda. Sanıyor ki sakin bir yerde huzuru bulabilecek. Ama nerde ?! Kasabalılar, "Diğerleri dayanamayıp gitti. Nasıl olsa bu da gider." diyerek kadıncağızı bir türlü kabullenemiyorlar. Herkes birbirini tanıyor, koca bir aile gibi hareket ediyorlar. Dedikodular ışık hızıyla yayılıyor. Biri istenmeyen adam ilan edilmeye görsün, daha onun o kasabada barınması çok zor. Warren adlı bir karakter daha var mesela. Adama yaşayan bir ölü gibi davranıyorlar. Gerçi bu dışlamada haklı bir korku da var ama yine de çok iticiydi. Bir de çok tutucular. Arkadaş, neredeyse kasabadaki bütün çocuklar cinnet geçirip sevdiklerini öldürüyorlar. İnsan hiç demez mi bunda bir anormallik var. Varsa yoksa çocukları suçlasınlar. İlginçti açıkçası.

Kitabın kötü adamı emeline ulaşsaydı neler olurdu düşünüyorum da tüylerim ürperiyor. İnsanoğlunun ne kadar acımasız olabileceğini her gün haberlerde görüyoruz zaten. Askerleri öfkeden delirtip onları birer ölüm makinesi haline getirebilecek bir şeyi keşfederek bunu orduya satmaya çalışmak nedir? Neyse ki layığını buldu Mitchell Efendi ve saz arkadaşları.

Kitabın atmosferi çok iyiydi yalnız. Kara kışın hüküm sürdüğü romanları çok seviyorum. Olayların gidişatını az çok tahmin edebildim. Claire'i de takdir ettim. Karşısına çıkan onca güçlüğe rağmen yılmadı. Kitabın sonunu çok beğenmedim ama Gerritsen'in yazım dilini seviyorum. Tıbbi polisiyeler hoşuma gidiyor ve Gerritsen de bu konuda en iyilerden bence.

[Julianne S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really surprised me by how good it is. It's dark, gory, and genuinely terrifying, with good writing and some very likable and heroic characters (mixed in with all the loathsome ones). The plotting and foreshadowing are some of the best I've seen in this type of thriller. The wintry atmosphere made it a fitting read for this time of year; the Maine setting and the number and types of characters made it feel like a Stephen King book, but smarter, because Gerritsen's medical expertise adds such detail, groundedness, and plausibility to the story. I'll be thinking about it for a while yet, I'm sure.

[Bent.viena.puslapi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaip visada - TOBULA 👌

[Širvinskaitė · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Britta Böhler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, fast pace thriller.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m quite the Tess Gerritsen fan, and will gladly pick up one of her books whenever I see one. Although I favour her Rizzoli and Isles books, I am more than happy to read her earlier work as well. Her earlier work falls more into the romantic suspense genre, but there are also a few medical thrillers to be found. With Bloodstream, we have more of a medical thriller than anything else.

Although I enjoyed Bloodstream, I found it was not quite to the level of some of Tess Gerritsen’s other work. It had me turning the pages, but it was lacking in the little something extra that has my heart pumping with each new sentence I read.

I think it’s because of the prologue. The prologue has me expecting huge things, things that would have my heart threatening to escape my chest, but once the story got going it was more relaxed than I’d anticipated. There was the curiosity of how everything came together, but the sense of impending doom present in the prologue seemed to have become muffled.

In truth, my rating is more of a three-point-five-star read. I was interested, I was happy to read, but I was not blown away. In comparison to other reads by the author, this one wasn’t quite all it could have been. It’s certainly worth it if you’re a fan of Gerritsen, though – I simply wouldn’t recommend it as a starting point.

[Colin Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stand-alone novel. This has a background with medicine and follows the happenings in Tranquility, Maine after the arrival of Doctor Claire Elliot and her son Noah. They are finding life difficult as the struggle for acceptance in this rural backwater by the lake and then life explodes with a series of brutal killings. What is the cause, was this connected to past events? What is the source? A very gory story with an excess of violence. Far too many guns are so easily available. The characters though are good and well portrayed but more might have been made of the scenery and location.

Good enough read to pass an evening and worth a 3-star rating from me.

[Willemijn jufwillemijnopallstars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tieners die op hol geslagen zijn en beginnen aan het uitmoorden van de hele stad 🤯 daar gaat dit boek over. Oké, het uitmoorden is wat overdreven, maar gemoord wordt er zeker. Claire is sinds een paar maanden huisarts in het stadje, maar doordat ze een buitenstaander is, wordt ze niet echt geaccepteerd.. Ze is vastbesloten om uit te zoeken waardoor de tieners zich raar zijn gaan gedragen. Dit is in het verleden al eens eerder voorgekomen... Spannend boek dat je zo snel mogelijk uit wil lezen 😁 beetje gedateerd misschien doordat het boek oorspronkelijk uit kwam in 1999, maar toch zeker een aanrader.

[Sonia189 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just knew having watched all those episodes of "monsters inside me" on TLC would pay off one day!

[De Rijdende Boekenwurm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ook ‘Koud bloed’ van Tess Gerritsen heb ik gelezen voor 'The 52 Bookclub Connection Challenge'. De opdracht was om een boek te kiezen van dezelfde uitgeverij als boek 10. Omdat ‘Gouden kooi’ van Camilla Läckberg is uitgegeven door The House of Books, viel mijn keuze op deze medische thriller van Gerritsen.

Wat een vaart zit er in dit boek! Het verhaal pakt vanaf de eerste hoofdstukken en laat niet meer los. Het is bijna onmogelijk om het boek weg te leggen. Gerritsen weet spanning en medische diepgang moeiteloos te combineren. Dankzij haar achtergrond als arts voelen de beschrijvingen realistisch en overtuigend aan, zonder te technisch te worden. Haar stijl is toegankelijk en meeslepend, waardoor de lezer makkelijk wordt meegezogen in de dreigende sfeer van het stadje Tranquility. Een origineel en beklemmend plot dat smaakt naar meer!

Dit boek sleept je mee een klein stadje in, waar achter de façade van rust en routine een ijzingwekkend mysterie wacht.

Dit boek is perfect voor lezers die houden van spannende medische thrillers met een realistische sfeer en psychologische diepgang. Fans van auteurs als Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell en Camilla Läckberg zullen dit verhaal zeker waarderen.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5
Het was moeilijk te doorlezen. Veel medische termen die voorkwamen maar het is me gelukt. Het verhaal is zeker goed met een plot die ik niet zag aankomen en een mooi einde :)

[Ashley Redd · Rating 4 out of 5]

the beginning got you hooked but the end just kinda dragged but it was still a good book

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soon after Tess Gerritsen's Ice Cold was published in 2010, I saw a friend borrowing a copy of it from another friend. I was completely unaware of Gerritsen and her Rizzoli and Isles series - Ice cold is the eighth book in the series. I borrowed the book too, liked it, and quickly read all of the earlier books in the series and a few of Gerritsen's very early thrillers.

Bloodstream is another of her early thrillers. It was published in 1998, a few years before the first Rizzoli and Isles book. I wasn't expecting much with this thriller, but I was quickly drawn in by the story. Claire, a family doctor, who was recently widowed, moves to northern Maine to take her teenage son away from the crime spree he had started in Baltimore. He is not happy in Maine and the residents of the small town are reluctant to trust the new doctor.

Then there is a rash of violence among the high schoolers. Claire suspects that an unusual environmental substance is causing personality changes in some of the teens, but the community disagrees. Now they actively dislike her.

Bloodstream is an almost believable story. The plot moves at a good pace and the characters ring true. The twists and turns definitely add to the plot. It proved to be a much better thriller than I expected, so I'm pleased that I dipped into another of her older books. There are a few more that I haven't read.

[Justė · Rating 4 out of 5]

bakterijos žudikės

‘Šėlas’ jau trečia Tess Gerritsen knyga, kurią skaitau ir vis dar neprisikasiau prie garsiosios Rizzoli/Isles serijos, bet man atrodo jau pastebiu jos tobulėjimą.

Kas man kiek kliuvo ‘Donore’ ir ‘Užkrate’ tai vangios pradžios ir su dideliu trenksmu sprogstančios pabaigos, kas sudarydavo išbalansavimo jausmą. Tai šį kartą jo neliko, aišku, įtampa didėjo pamažu, bet nuobodu nebuvo nei akimirką. Pagrindinė veikėja šį kartą irgi imponavo daug labiau, kaip buvo protinga taip ir išliko praktiškai visą laiką, nebuvo to tokio lyg dirbtinio akivaizdžių dalykų nematymo.

Apskritai tai šitas trileris dar ir toks labai keistas, toks grynai labai medicininis, ne medikai blogiečiai kaip ankščiau, bet bakterijos. Ir tokia kažkokia net kurioziška ta trileriška įtariamųjų kaita, kai tie įtariamieji išvis ne žmonės. Nežinau, kiek ten viskas realu, bet tikrai įdomu, vienas originalesnių siužetų.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, decent author. I have to admit, I thought it'd be better. The thriller genre doesn't thrill me as much as it once did.

[Polly Dyar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a hard time accepting that she wrote this book, its just not the same as the others. Its horrible, predictable and something I would think a teen would write.