Tess Gerritsen Books in Order: Rizzoli & Isles, Martini Club

Looking for Tess Gerritsen books in order? You’re not alone. Between long-running series, standalones, and books that shift tone from medical thrillers to crime and suspense, it’s easy to lose track of what connects and what doesn’t.

This guide breaks Tess Gerritsen’s books down in a clean, easy-to-follow order so you can pick the best place to start for your reading style. Whether you want to begin with Rizzoli & Isles, work through everything in publication order, or stick to standalones, you’ll have a clear path forward.

Jump to:

• Where to Start?
• Tess Gerritsen Books in Order
  • Rizzoli & Isles Books
  • The Martini Club Books
  • Standalone Novels
  • Anthologies
  • Tavistock Family
• Rizzoli & Isles TV Show
• Who is Tess Gerritsen?

Where to Start?

What order should you read the Rizzoli and Isles books?

As is the case with many mystery thrillers, it is possible to read the Rizzoli and Isles books by Tess Gerritsen in any order you choose. That’s because each book will have its own case and investigation with a satisfying conclusion.

However, it is recommended to read these books in order of publication. This reading order will provide the best experience for character development.

Is Tess Gerritsen still writing Rizzoli and Isles books?

Yes. Tess Gerritsen has continued the Rizzoli & Isles series, but new installments haven’t come as regularly as they did earlier in her career.

That doesn’t mean she’s finished with the series—just that she tends to space these books out more now, especially while working on other projects. Gerritsen says she wants to tell different stories these days, but there’s “still hope” for Rizzoli & Isles.

Tess Gerritsen Books in Order

Rizzoli and Isles Books

1. The Surgeon (2001)
2. The Apprentice (2002)
3. The Sinner (2003)
4. Body Double (2004)
5. Vanish (2005)
6. The Mephisto Club (2006)
7. The Keepsake (2008)
8. Ice Cold (2010)
   Freaks (2011) (Short Story)
9. The Silent Girl (2011)
   John Doe (2012) (Short Story)
10. Last to Die (2012)
11. Die Again (2014)
12. I Know a Secret (2017)
13. Listen To Me (2022)

The Martini Club Books

1. The Spy Coast (2023)
2. The Summer Guests (2025)
3. The Shadow Friends (2026)

Standalone Novels

1. Adventure’s Mistress (1985) (Out of Print)
2. Call After Midnight (1987)
3. Under the Knife (1990)
4. Never Say Die (1992)
5. Whistleblower (1992)
6. Girl Missing (1994)
7. Harvest (1996)
8. Keeper of the Bride (1996)
9. Life Support (1997)
10. Presumed Guilty (1997)
11. Bloodstream (1998)
12. Gravity (1999)
13. The Bone Garden (2007)
14. Playing with Fire (2015)
15. The Shape of Night (2019)
16. On the Edge (With Rita Herron, 2021)
17. Choose Me (With Gary Braver, 2021)
18. No Reason to Trust (With Barb Han, 2021)

Anthologies 

1. In the Shadow of the Master (2003)
2. Killer Year: Stories to Die For… (2008)
3. No Rest for the Dead (2011)
4. Fourteen Days (2024)
5. Birds of Prey (2026) (“The Coffin Bearer”)

Tavistock Family Books

1. In Their Footsteps (1994)
2. Thief of Hearts (1995)

Rizzoli & Isles TV Show

Due to the book’s success, TNT’s producer Janet Tamaro bought the rights and started working alongside Tess Gerritsen on a homonymous TV series which premiered on TNT on July 12, 2010. The episode had 7.55 million viewers, which placed it as the second most-watched cable program on that evening.

Like in the books, the narrative follows Boston Homicide police officer Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander) as they combine their backgrounds and radically different personalities to solve cases. The show ran for seven seasons, with a total of 105 episodes.

It has mostly positive reviews from the public and critics. It has a score of 7.6 on IMDB, and 86% of Average Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. So, if you are a fan of the books it might be worth it to give it a shot.

Who is Tess Gerritsen?

Tess Gerritsen is an American mystery/suspense writer and a retired general physician. She has been dubbed “the best crime thriller novelist in publishing today” by many of her colleagues and contemporaries. She is most well-known for her Rizzoli & Isles series, but she has other works, including mysteries, romantic suspense novels, and medical thrillers. 

Gerritsen was born in San Diego, California, to Chinese American parents who initially did not support her desire to become a writer. They were uncertain that a writer’s pay would be substantial enough, so she had to choose a different path.

She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from Stanford University, where she studied during her undergraduate years.

In 1979, she graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, with a medical degree. She began practicing medicine full-time after relocating to Honolulu, but she continued to value writing as a method to escape from daily life and as a kind of therapy.

She chose to pursue writing less as a treasured pastime and more professionally after winning a $500 prize for a short tale she authored in her leisure time.

Tess Gerritsen has been dubbed “the best crime thriller novelist in publishing today” by many of her colleagues and contemporaries.

Horror master Stephen King famously claimed that she was “even better than Michael Crichton” and that, “Tess Gerritsen is an automatic must-read in my house; what Anne Rice is to vampires, Gerritsen is to the tale of medical suspense.”

Gerritsen co-wrote the concept and screenplay for Adrift, which featured Kate Jackson and Bruce Greenwood and broadcast on CBS as Movie of the Week in 1993.

As well, she has pieces published in Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers anthologies. She also writes about the writing profession on her own website and on Murderati.com, a mystery author’s website.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• Karin Slaughter Books in Order
• Kathy Reichs Books in Order
• Louise Penny Books in Order