Had she survived because of fate, coincidence or just luck? If Nina Cormier's wedding had taken place, she would be dead. But after the bride was left at the altar, the church stood empty when the bomb went off. It wasn't until a stranger tried to run her car off the road, however, that she realized someone wanted her dead.But who? That's what Detective Sam Navarro needs to find out...fast. As a cop, he knows better than to become attached to the woman he's trying to protect. But as a man...With a nightmare unfolding around them, Sam and Nina decipher the stunning truth. Now they're at the mercy of a brilliant madman who plays for keeps...
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.
Keeper Of The Bride by Tess Gerritsen is a great edge of your seat thriller, it has a little romance but plenty of ' quick quick quick go go go' moments it's also a standalone book (as I've only read the Rizzoil and Isles series which is great too 👍) it's a quick fun read so if you need to pass the afternoon away and want romance , bombs and a HEA then I definitely recommend this 📖
Well, I've read a lot of Tess Gerritsen's books and have really enjoyed them for their strong characters and they way she weaves a mystery.
That said, I was NOT prepared for a Harlequin Romance. That's right, you heard me. This was actually a Harlequin Romance Novel, one of several she appears to have written earlier in her career.
It was one of those books you pick up when you're in the mood to read but not in the mood to get too involved or to think too much. It was okay, and it was a quick read. Picked it up late yesterday and finished it at lunch today. I"m not sorry I read it, just very disappointed in what it was - and wasn't - a real Tess Gerritsen novel
You know what bugged me the most about this book? Spectre. What kind of idiot bomber would fake his own death to avoid prosecution, have plastic surgery to conceal his identity, but continue to use the exact same signature on his devices--right down to the color of the electrical tape? I'm supposed to think this guy is smart? Had he, say, switched to red tape, the police might never have guessed he was still around, and he might never have needed to kill the nurse who knew he was missing a finger. Uh-huh, yep, that's the central point in this book--a guy missing a finger. This combined with the fact that Nina and Sam started their internal conflicts of "I love him/her, but I'm afraid" about 15 minutes after meeting for the first time made this book a big disappointment.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Tess Gerritsen is one of my favourite authors especially if I am in the mood for suspense and gore.
I didn't realise this book was one of her earlier novels and more geared towards the romance genre. It was easy enough to read, and the story line was ok and from any other author it could have been a 4 star, but I expect so much more from Tess, I expect her to make my stomach turn and wince, both of which I can normally rely on her for but not in this book.
While I generally enjoy some level of romance sprinkled into my police procedurals - I was not at all prepared for the clear romantic lane of this book - and honestly, I may still be blushing!
Upon further analysis, I discovered that this author started out as a romance writer and later made a shift to thriller/crime/ police procedurals.
So, while this book was not my favourite, I did enjoy the writing and will definitely seek out more recent Tess Gerritsen works.
First off Gerritsen writes great thrillers - this is an earlier book and regardless of the covers suggestion is more a romance story. Mira are Harlequin releases.
I read to the end. But the plot soon gets rather silly with obvious flaws to the logic of both the protagonist and our heroes. The bride must be protected at all costs, I think because she's beautiful, but when most at risk is allowed to go unguarded. By the end the dastardly villain was doing a panto turn. The clue, the reason, none of it stood up to analysis.
From first glance our jilted bride and the weary cop are in love and they spend the rest of the book running hot and cold with the 'I can't, we shouldn't' 'she's beautiful' 'he's back to cold cop'. Frustrating.
There's were a number of typos in my version, some guy in prison alternatively called 'The Showman' or 'The Snowman' and by the end I was really confused over who he actually was
If you like thrillers try her later books. This is a romance mish-mash and written to fit the genre.
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.
As cheesy as this one is, Keeper of the Bride is one of my favourite early Tess Gerritsen books. I cannot really explain what in particular has left me with such an opinion, yet such is the case. I believe her bridge book – Girl Missing – will always have the title of my favourite romantic Gerritsen book, yet this one certainly had me hooked from the get-go.
It starts off with a left at the altar scene, and quickly develops into a bombing mystery. Who is to blame? Why does Nina appear to be a target? What bigger player is involved in the game? It is very far from Gerritsen’s modern day mysteries, but you can see the start of them developing here. This book is still more romance than anything else, but it is possible to see how Gerritsen is starting to develop into the author we know and love today.
Overall, another fun read. Even though I love some more than others, this one highlights how I’m never disappointed by Gerritsen’s work.
I should preface this review by stating that I was given this book by my mother, who thoroughly enjoyed it.
I am in no way a book snob: anything that encourages people to read and enjoy reading is a massive plus in my book.
However, this was simply terrible writing, and I appreciate it was one of Tess Gerritsen's earlier works, but it is simply substandard.
The dialogue was stilted and just didn't scan as being real, the characters weren't even two dimensional, the plot wafer thin and the repetition of stock phrases drove me crazy (there should be an accompanying spotter book to count the overuse of some).
I was slightly amazed that a woman could write such poor romance, and express the sexual joy and release of tension in such a shoddy fashion.
I know there are plenty of Tess Gerritsen fans out there, and I hope you really enjoy her books, but I for one will not be revisiting soon.
O kadar akıcıydı ki aynı gün içinde başlayıp bitiriverdim. Tabii bunun olumsuz tarafı da hikayeye tam olarak alışamadan bitivermesi oldu. Tess ne yazsa okurum, bu yüzden bu kitabı da hiç tereddütsüz elime alıp okumaya başladım. Bu Tess Gerritsen'ın epey eski romanlarından biri. Yazarın daha sonraki eserlerinin aksine hikaye çok dallanıp budaklanmıyor, okuru çözülmesi gereken daha az ve basit gizemle baş başa bırakıyor. Bu yüzden Tess'in diğer kitaplarıyla karşılaştırınca oldukça soluk kaldığını söyleyebilirim. Yine de olay örgüsü, karakter ve betimlemeleriyle oldukça güzel bir polisiyeydi. Bir tek katilin Nina ile olan bağlantısının çok daha karmaşık olacağını beklemiştim. Ama onun dışında olaylar birbirine oldukça güzel bağlanmıştı.
This is one of TGs older books when she was writing romance novels. If you like old fashion, damsel in distress type books, this one is perfect for you. It was readable, but dated having been written in the 90's. It was short, had some action and some romance. I prefer TGs suspense thriller books, but want to go back and read her older romance novels. It ended just as you would suspect.
An exciting and thrilling tale about a left-at-the-alter-bride, Nina and an introvert- Detective, Sam. Nina is on the hit-list of a mad guy, who wants Nina dead. The sizzling chemistry between Nina and Sam is very enthralling. Well this was the first novel of Tess Gerritsen that I read, I liked it a lot. The mystery keeps you hooked on to its pages, truly a gripping tale. The author's writing was also very flawless and easily understandable, makes you feel like everything happening in front of your face. The twists and turns will definitely keep you on your edges. A must-read for every mystery-lovers.
Jau ne mažai Tess Gerritsen knygų esu perskaičiusi. Visada skaičiau šios autorės trilerius ir detektyvus. O ši knyga buvo kitokia. Romantinis trileris. Šioje knygoje buvo nemažai romantikos, dramos, intrigos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Nach der Hälfte hatte ich keine Lust mehr. Bis dahin war der Fall zwar ganz okay, aber ziemlich klischeebeladen und die Liebesgeschichte hat mich genervt.
Vestuvių dieną sužadėtinis Niną Kormjer paliko prie altoriaus. Nors šis jo poelgis moteriai buvo tikras smūgis, jis išgelbėjo Ninai gyvybę, nes kiek vėliau bažnyčia sprogo. Pradžioje tai atrodo tik sutapimas, bet, kai kažkas bando ją nustumti nuo kelio, paaiškėja, kad kažkas iš tiesų ją nori nužudyti. Detektyvas Semas pasiruošęs tai išsiaiškinti.
Dar vienas romantinis Tess Gerritsen trileris - perskaitytas. Žinoma, kaip jau ir minėjau, kai apžvelgiau kitą šios autorės knygą - „Skambutis po vidurnakčio”, tai tikrai nėra rimti trileriai, o veikiau romanai, pagardinti žiupsneliu įtampos ir šaukštu mįslingų paslapčių. Tačiau jau antrą kartą įsitikinau, kad toks žanrų derinimas viename kūrinyje tikrai ne man, jei būtų trečias romantinis trileris, jo neskaityčiau. Nežinau kodėl, bet, asmeniškai man, susidarė toks įspūdis, kad vietomis autorė bando parašyti rimtą kūrinį, o vėliau, nei iš šio, nei iš to, įterpia tokias banalias meilės scenas, kad net pasidaro keista.
Negaliu sakyti, kad buvo visiškai neįdomu skaityti, ne, priešingai - buvo smalsu sužinoti, kas ir kodėl iš tiesų nori pakenkti Ninai, ar gali būti, kad jos sužadėtinis, palikęs moterį prie altoriaus, su tuo kažkaip susijęs. Tad rašytoja savotiškai moka įtraukti skaitytoją, o knygą įmanoma perskaityti vienu prisėdimu, nes ir pats jos formatas nedidelis, kompaktiškas, kas irgi prisideda prie lengvesnio skaitymo.
Kalbant apie pagrindinius herojus, na, bent jau man, jie pasirodė paviršutiniški. Norėjosi žavėtis arba Nina, arba detektyvu Semu, bet jie abu man pasirodė tokie nykūs ir neįdomūs, kad nepajaučiau nė menkiausios simpatijos. Atsižvelgiant į tai, mano knygos vertinimas žvaigždutėmis yra toks tik dėl to, kad siužetas įtraukė ir norėjosi išsiaiškinti nusikaltimo užsakovą bei motyvą.
Rekomenduoju, jei norite romano, kuris būtų ne vien tik saldus, bet taip pat savyje turėtų ir šiek tiek aštresnio prieskonio. Šis romantinis trileris patiks tiems, kas nemėgsta rimtų trilerių, kuriuose įtampa auga su lyg kiekvienu puslapiu, o mėgsta lengvesnio siužeto ir turinio knygas, kuriose yra ir nemažai meilės scenų, ir paslaptingo nusikaltėlio paieškų bei karts nuo karto užpučia pavojaus dvelksmas. Tačiau tiems, kurie visiškai netoleruoja banalių ir šiek tiek lėkštų meilės scenų, šie Tess Gerritsen romantiniai trileriai tikrai nepatiks.
The book gets off to a good start with Nina Cormier being left at the altar by her surgeon groom and then having the church blow up behind her. Why would anyone want to kill this lovely, caring nurse? Bomb squad expert, Sam Navarro, pits himself against a deranged bomber who seems to go to great lengths to dispose of people who have no idea who he is. Plenty of action but a sort of cheesy, predictable romantic ending, which is fine by me.
Disapooooointed! Nothing original or very interesting. The further it got the more it felt like some romance crap. The characters were ridiculous and stupid. The plot felt forced and way too complicated for that situation. Even the criminal was stupid and the ending...uhh, predictable, predictable, predictable. I'm so done with the old T.G. books.
Die Protagonistin war mit ihrer Anhänglichkeit so nervig. Und der Polizist verliebt sich auf den ersten Blick in sie? Diese Anwallungen bemerkt man schon im dritten Kapitel, was im Verlauf des Buch solch Überhand nimmt. Kapitel zu lang, da brauchte ich mehrere Stunden für ein einzelnes Kapitel.
The problem I'm facing is that we're in the middle of a Patricia Cornwell drought. With no new Scarpetta book on the horizon, I'm on the hunt for enjoyable crime books. Unfortunately on the journey for a book or author to fill that void, I run into books like this.
I'm fairly sure I've read and enjoyed Tess Gerritsen books before and thought they were passable, however this one was dreadful.
Nina is left at the altar and as she exits the church, it blows up. She's hunted down on the road and rammed off a cliff, and when her fiancé finally turns up, unapologetic, also runs into an unfortunate fate.
The bomb squad cop Navarro comes along to save the day, and is just unable to resist the urges he has to protect and *gasp* love Nina. With a force never before seen in romantic crime novels (ha) the two of them break all the rules to give their love a chance.
The love story ruins what would have otherwise been an ok crime book. So I don't like being duped into something I wasn't expecting. The love story is so predictable I'm certain theres a mills and boon writer screaming plagiarism somewhere.
Nesurandu kito žodžio kaip skystokas romanas. Siužetas neblogas, tačiau labai nuspėjamas, romantinė linija susipina su detektyvu, tačiau būtent detektyvinė pusė ir nuvylė. Viskas klostėsi pernelyg gerai, net ir su visais sprogimais ir mirtimis, nepajutau didelės intrigos ir įtampos, kuri skatintų nepadėti knygos kol nebus perskaitytas paskutinis puslapis. Manau iki Sandros Brown romantinių trilerių šiai autorei labai toli. Daug kur pasakojimas sausokas, trūksta detalių, mažų smulkmenų, kurios leistų pajusti rašytojos unikalų, savitą stilių. Neteko skaityti jokios kitos šios rašytojos knygos, tad galbūt pasirinkau netikusią, ateityje pamėginsiu ką nors kito. Rekomenduoju norinčioms greito ir lengvai skaitomo romano, kuriame detektyvinė pusė švelni (mirtis ir sprogimai be jokių smulkių detalių ir kraujo), o romantinė neįkyri ir saldoka.
I'm a fan of Tess Gerritsen's Jane Rizzoli books (not the TV show, but the books) and also a reader of Romantic Suspense, so when I saw this book, it was a no brainer for me. I'm amazed by the people complaining on Amazon that the book is a Harlequin romance--the publisher is identified right in the book details. It's generally a good idea to read the details before clicking the buy button. Fewer surprises that way. But for me, while I'm not certain police investigations, and especially the bomb squad, work the way Gerritsen portrays them here, Keeper of the Bride was an excellent thriller with a good mystery and a lovely romance at its center.
I've seen Tess Gerritsen books around for years so I decided it was time to try one. Gerritsen can write well and has good ideas I'm just not liking Nina the protagonist, that didn't bode well for me. Sam Navarro was interesting but again he was saddled with Nina. I liked the police procedure parts and the mystery was textbook. I just couldn't get into caring about these people. I'll try this writer again.
Written in 1996!! I hate it when they do this. The old cover looked a little like a Harlequin romance. Not my kind of book. The publisher obviously felt like they had to trick people into buying this. I see why.
Portland w stanie Maine. Do wybuchu bomby, podłożonej w kościele, dochodzi w czasie, gdy miał się tam odbyć ślub doktora Roberta Bedsoe’a z pielęgniarką Niną Cormier. Trudno wymyślić równie intrygujący wstęp do powieści z wątkiem kryminalnym.
Ślub został odwołany przez pana młodego, o czym Nina dowiedziała się dwadzieścia minut przed planowaną godziną rozpoczęcia uroczystości. Podczas eksplozji kościół jest już pusty. Goście, w większości należący do elity, zdążyli się rozjechać. Nina czekała na odwiezienie do domu matki w samochodzie wielebnego Sullivana.
Kto miał być głównym celem ataku? Kim jest sprawca? Poprzedni bombiarz, Vincent Spectre, nie żyje od kilku miesięcy? Ale przed tygodniem podobny wybuch zniszczył przemysłowe magazyny w okolicy. Portlandzka policja, poganiana przez prokuratora, zdaje sobie sprawę, źe czasu na rozwiązanie zagadek ma niewiele. Czy nowe wydarzenia potwierdzają, że to Nina jest na celowniku zabójcy? A wszystko na to wskazuje. Ale dlaczego? Czy w rolę tytułowego strażnika panny młodej wcieli się kierujący policyjnym śledztwem Sam Navarro?
W kryminalnych romansach Tess Gerritsen przejawy erotycznej fascynacji między protagonistami następują na ogół wcześnie, zazwyczaj w sytuacjach, gdy co najmniej jedno z nich przeżywa stres. Podobnie jest tutaj, ale ich wzajemne oceny w pierwszych fazach znajomości iskrzą sarkastycznym humorem. Szczególnie Nina wydaje się lubować w wymyślaniu złośliwych epitetów pod adresem Sama, głównie jako przedstawiciela całego męskiego gatunku, choć nie zawsze werbalizuje je na głos. Jednak wszelkie przejawy frywolności szybko znikają pod ciężarem tragicznych wydarzeń i coraz większego zagrożenia. Jednocześnie rośnie pragnienie fizycznej bliskości, przed jaką twardy gliniarz broni się jak może.
Wątek kryminalny ma dwa etapy. Przebieg ustalenia tożsamości sprawców, zleceniodawcy i wykonawcy zamachów, specjalnie ciekawy nie jest. Za to zapobieganie nowym atakom, ratowanie potencjalnych ofiar skutecznie kumuluje napięcie …
Postcriptum: Pierwsze wydanie „Keeper of the Bride” ukazało się w 1996 roku. Polskie tłumaczenie powieści wydane w 2008 roku nosiło tytuł „Sen o miłości”, a późniejsze wydania są zatytułowane „Z zimną krwią”.
This is not the kind of book I usually read but I have to admit that once I started it I couldn’t put it down. It was so suspenseful, with new perils arising on almost every page. I really enjoyed that.
Since I don’t read a lot of romance I’m not as familiar with the conventions as I might be, but it did seem to me that the character development missed an important point: what attracted Sam to Nina so strongly other than her looks, at least for most of the book? Had there been something special about her his feelings might have made more sense. I don’t want to spoil the story so I won’t get too specific, but I will say that later in the book the author did remedy the issue, but that came too late to explain his behavior, IMO. But not a fatal flaw.
An okay book, one of her early ones with a fair sprinkling of romance rather than the blood and gore Tess Gerritsen is renowned for! A decent enough story, but not edge of the seat stuff like her newer books. But still a good read in my opinion.