The Keepsake, by Tess Gerritsen

TITLE: The Keepsake
AUTHOR: Tess Gerritsen

COPYRIGHT: 2008
PAGES: 349
PUBLISHER: Ballantine

SETTING: Contemporary US
TYPE: Mystery / Thriller
SERIES: 7th in the Rizzoli / Isles series

For untold years, the perfectly preserved mummy had lain forgotten in the dusty basement of Boston’s Crispin Museum. Dubbed “Madam X,” the recently rediscovered mummy is, to all appearances, an ancient Egyptian artifact. But medical examiner Maura Isles discovers a macabre message hidden within the corpse–horrifying proof that this “centuries-old” relic is instead a modern-day murder victim. When the grisly remains of two other women are found, it becomes clear to Maura and Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli that a maniac is at large. Now Maura and Jane must unravel a murderer’s twisted endgame before the Archaeology Killer adds another chilling artifact to his monstrous collection.

Maura's involvement in the case of 'Madam X'starts out as purely personal interest. A small Boston museum have recently discovered a mysterious mummy among their extensive and disorganised stock, and they have arranged to have it scanned to find out more about it (the attendant publicity will also be very welcome). Maura has been invited out of professional courtesy, as it's an exciting case. And when the scan finds evidence the mummified body might not be as old as initially thought, having her there turns out to be quite practical.

It turns out the mummy is not the only grisly object in the museum's stores, and it quickly becomes clear the killer Maura and her friend, Detective Jane Rizzoli, are after is one sick person, and that he's got some sort of special interest in Dr. Josephine Pulcillo, a young woman who works for the museum.

What first struck me when I started this was that it felt a bit too similar to The Mephisto Club, starting with a young woman on the run from a mysterious monster and unable to ask for help from the police, and the ties to some sort of ancient culture and mystery. But then Gerritsen won me over. The investigation itself, the painstaking following of the crumbs and the clever deductions were fun, and very, very satisfying. And even though it was extremely icky, the details of the case, with its focus on the traditions of body preservation in different cultures, were just fascinating.

The character stuff was a bit of a mixed bag. I really liked seeing more of Jane's partner, Barry Frost, and I hope we get more of him in future books, because he's such a nice guy that I want good things for him. Jane is as clever as ever, but I find her a teeny bit boring now. As for Maura, I really don’t like the direction Gerritsen is taking her personal life. It’s very frustrating, because it’s so blind and stupid, and neither of them, she and her priest lover, are acting well. There’s no suspense, because it’s obvious things won’t turn out well, and I like Maura, so I don’t want her to end up with this hypocrite. It does look like Gerritsen might have realised this is a total dead-end narratively, so I’m hoping the next one moves away from this.

MY GRADE: A B.