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.
Her series of novels featuring homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles inspired the hit TNT television series “Rizzoli & Isles,” starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander.
She lives in Maine.
Q: What inspired the idea for this story?
Tess: This is the second book in the series. I talked to the daughter of a CIA person who died. She told me her dad was here working on a project for the CIA. I began researching what she said and found the CIA did have a small branch in midcoastal Maine. I also wanted to explore the conflicts between those that lived here and those that came for the summer.
Q: How would you describe Ethan, the novelist?
Tess: A lot of things that Ethan had happen I have also had happen, including trouble writing the second book and how a novel can take over a writer’s life. Ethan is someone obsessed with getting the next novel written. He is very focused, kind, a family man, and he has clashes between wanting to be involved in his family life with the drive to write the next book.
Q: Have you ever personally experienced writer’s block like Ethan?
Tess: For me I sometimes have trouble figuring out how do I get my characters in the situation I want them to be in. I start off with a sense of what emotions will they go through in the story, the darkest moments of their lives. Sometimes it isn’t always clear how to get them into a fix or how to get them out of it.
Q: How would you describe the Conover family dynamic?
Tess: The Conover family is horrible. Elizabeth Conover, family matriarch mother, is a tiger lady. She defends and protects her family which I consider good qualities. Her son, Colin, is arrogant, a golden boy, a spoiled older son, and successful.
Q: How do Jo and Maggie—and the Martini Club—interact with each other?
Tess: They are all basically good people. Jo is a local gal who never has been outside Maine. She has a limited perspective. Jo is slowly figuring out that she can use the Martini Club’s help. It bothers her that they are always one step ahead. There is a little bit of competition, but she also has an appreciation for their skills. Maggie does not want her to feel inadequate. Maggie generally likes and respects her. Both are determined, stubborn, and bright, but with a different skill set.
Q: What can readers expect from the relationship between Maggie and Declan?
Tess: Because she has been haunted by the death of her husband it has been hard for her to get in a relationship again. It is about time so they will have one.
Q: What role does Reuben play in the story?
Tess: Reuben represents for me local Mainers. He sees the summer rich people as having preconceptions of what people in Maine are like. He is an interesting man and has been victimized by his circumstances.
Q: How would you describe the fictional town of Purity?
Tess: Purity is an idyllic peaceful town where people still trust each other. It is the town I live in representing small town America, a smaller fictionalized version of my hometown. It is beautiful, remote, harsh winters, with a respect for privacy.
Q: Is the CIA’s MKUltra program referenced in the book based in reality?
Tess: Mkultra is real. The CIA between the 1950s and the 1970s used experiments in mind control using drugs. There was a tiny branch in Maine. It caused psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, and memory loss because they used LSD. This book theme is a distraction.
Q: How did the short story crossover between Maggie and Reacher come about?
Tess: This was done for fun. Lee Child and I share an editor in the UK. She thought it would be fun if they met. There is a Reacher book where he goes to Maine. We put that together. He wrote a chapter and then I wrote a chapter.
Q: Can you share what’s next for the Martini Club series?
Tess: The next book will explore one of the Martini Club members, Ingrid, and her marriage to Lloyd. It is titled The Shadow Friends. An old lover spy partner of Ingrid comes back into her life, and asks for her help, which threatens her marriage. Somebody will die during a national security conference in Purity. The person was poisoned. It will be published in August of next year.
The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen, the second book in the series, is more of a mystery than a spy thriller, which just shows how diverse Gerritsen can be in her writing.
The story has fifteen-year-old Zoe Conover disappearing after visiting her newly found friend. Callie Young. The suspect is Luther, Callie’s grandfather. He is the neighbor of Maggie Bird, a retired CIA spy. The Conovers are a wealthy family who used to come to Purity, Maine for the summer. Some are thinking that Zoe has run away, while others want a quick arrest of Luther, but Susan, Zoe’s mom is pushing for the authorities to find her daughter.
Enter the Martini Club, a group of ex-CIA friends that get together for a cocktail-sipping book club. But they feel that although retired, they have much more still left to offer. Thus, they get involved in the investigation, much to the chagrin of acting police chief Jo Thibodeau. Over the course of the story, she realizes that although the Martini Club can be a pain, their contributions cannot be overlooked. After Acting Chief Thibodeau has the pond drained, skeleton remains are found. Now Thibodeau has two mysteries to solve.
There are many bonuses in this book. The budding relationship between Maggie and her ex-CIA friend, Declan Rose, the humorous banter between Jo and the Martini Club, and at the end of the book a short story written by Gerritsen and Lee Child that brings together Maggie and Jack Reacher.
This story has many twists and turns, suspenseful, and is fast paced. As with previous books this is a character driven story that readers root for or despise.
