Reading order · 13 books · 2001 to 2022 · Set in Boston
Rizzoli and Isles Books in Order
Jane Rizzoli is a tough, driven Boston homicide detective, and Maura Isles is the cool, logical medical examiner. They meet in The Apprentice and work together through gripping, often gruesome medical thrillers that inspired the Rizzoli & Isles television series.
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Series facts
- Books
- 13
- Published
- 2001 to 2022
- First book
- The Surgeon
- Latest
- Listen to Me (2022)
- Setting
- Set in Boston
The reading order
Every Rizzoli and Isles book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
13 books · Set in Boston
- 1The Surgeon2001With Thomas MooreA killer is murdering women in Boston in a way that echoes the crimes of a man who was shot dead two years before by his intended victim, Dr Catherine Cordell.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Apprentice2002With Jane RizzoliA new killer is stalking couples in Boston, and Jane Rizzoli, still haunted by the Surgeon, learns that he has escaped.Buy on Amazon
- 3The Sinner2003With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesA young nun is murdered in a Boston convent, and Maura Isles and Jane Rizzoli find links to a dark secret.Buy on Amazon
- 4Body Double2004With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesMaura Isles comes home to find a dead woman in a car outside her house, a woman who looks exactly like her.Buy on Amazon
- 5Vanish2005With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesIn the morgue, Maura Isles sees a body open its eyes.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Mephisto Club2006With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesOn Christmas Eve, a woman is found murdered in a Boston house with strange symbols around her, and the case leads Jane and Maura to a society of scholars who study evil.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Keepsake2008With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesAn ancient Egyptian mummy at a Boston museum turns out to be a modern murder victim.Buy on Amazon
- 8Ice Cold2010With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesMaura Isles is stranded after a car accident in the mountains of Wyoming, in an isolated village whose residents have all vanished.Buy on Amazon
- 9The Silent Girl2011With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesA severed hand is found on a rooftop in Boston’s Chinatown, and the case leads Jane Rizzoli back to a mass killing years before.Buy on Amazon
- 10Last to Die2012With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesThree children, each of whom has survived the murder of their family, not once but twice, are sent to the same school in Maine, and Jane and Maura try to protect them.Buy on Amazon
- 11Die Again2014With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesA big-game hunter is found hanging and gutted like one of his own trophies, and the case leads to a safari in Botswana six years before.Buy on Amazon
- 12I Know a Secret2017With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesA string of killings in Boston, each staged in a disturbingly theatrical way, leads Jane and Maura back to a notorious case from years before.Buy on Amazon
- 13Listen to Me2022With Jane Rizzoli and Maura IslesA nursing student is found murdered, and Jane Rizzoli’s mother, Angela, convinced something is wrong next door, starts her own investigation.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with The Surgeon, where Jane first appears. The cases stand alone, but the lives of Jane and Maura develop through the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Jane Rizzoli | Maura Isles | Thomas Moore | Barry Frost | Vince Korsak | Gabriel Dean | Angela Rizzoli | Daniel Brophy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Surgeon | MMajor | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | ||||
| 2 The Apprentice | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 3 The Sinner | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 4 Body Double | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 5 Vanish | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 6 The Mephisto Club | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 7 The Keepsake | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |
| 8 Ice Cold | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 9 The Silent Girl | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 10 Last to Die | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 11 Die Again | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 12 I Know a Secret | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 13 Listen to Me | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor |
Characters in the Rizzoli and Isles books
10 characters from Tess Gerritsen’s chart, with the number of Rizzoli and Isles books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Jane RizzoliBoston homicide detective | 13 | The Surgeon 2001 |
| Maura IslesMedical examiner | 12 | The Apprentice 2002 |
| Thomas MooreDetective, Jane’s partner on the Surgeon case | 2 | The Surgeon 2001 |
| Barry FrostDetective and Jane’s partner | 13 | The Surgeon 2001 |
| Vince KorsakDetective, later retired | 13 | The Surgeon 2001 |
| Gabriel DeanFBI agent who marries Jane | 11 | The Apprentice 2002 |
| Angela RizzoliJane’s mother | 11 | The Sinner 2003 |
| Daniel BrophyCatholic priest and Maura’s lover | 4 | The Sinner 2003 |
| Warren HoytSerial killer known as the Surgeon | 3 | The Surgeon 2001 |
| Catherine CordellSurgeon who survived an attack | 1 | The Surgeon 2001 |