The sinner / Tess Gerritsen.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From theNew York Timesbestselling author ofThe SurgeonandThe Apprenticecomes a chilling new novel of suspense featuring Boston medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles, on the deadly trail of an anonymous madman who's committed an unholy crime. . . . THE SINNER Not even the icy temperatures of a typical New England winter can match the bone-chilling scene of carnage discovered in the early morning hours at the chapel of Our Lady of Divine Light. Within the sanctuary walls of the cloistered convent, now stained with blood, lie two nunsone dead, one critically injuredvictims of an unspeakably savage attacker. The brutal crime appears to be without motive, and the elderly nuns in residence can offer little help in the police investigation. But medical examiner Maura Isles's autopsy of the dead woman yields a shocking surprise: Twenty-year-old Sister Camille, the order's sole novice, gave birth before she was murdered. Then the disturbing case takes a stunning new turn when another woman is found murdered in an abandoned building, her body mutilated beyond recognition. Together, Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli uncover an ancient horror that connects these terrible slaughters. As long-buried secrets come to light, Maura Isles finds herself drawn inexorably toward the heart of an investigation that strikes closer and closer to homeand toward a dawning revelation about the killer's identity too shattering to consider. As spine-tingling as it is mind-jolting,The Sinnershowcases Tess Gerritsen in peak formbringing her intimate knowledge of the dark depths of criminal investigation brilliantly to bear. Beneath its layers of startling insight into the souls of its characters, and the richly wrought depiction of the everyday war between good and evil, beats the unstoppable heart of an irresistible thriller. Tess Gerritsenleft a successful practice as an internist to raise her children and concentrate on her writing. She gained nationwide acclaim for her first novel of medical suspense, theNew York TimesbestsellerHarvest. She is also the author of the bestsellersLife Support,Bloodstream,Gravity, andTheSurgeonandThe Apprentice. Tess Gerritsen lives in Maine. PRAISE FOR TESS GERRITSEN The Surgeon "A briskly paced, terrifically suspenseful work that steadily builds toward a tense and terrifying climax." People(Page-Turner of the week) "Creepy . . . [The Surgeon] will exert a powerful grip on readers." Chicago Tribune "Grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go." TAMI HOAG The Apprentice "Skillful and scary." The Washington Post Book World "An adrenaline rush from start to finish." IRIS JOHANSEN "Masterful . . . Gerritsen moves into the Thomas Harris class, though with a style all her own." Kirkus Reviews(starred review)