In THE MEPHISTO CLUB, Tess Gerritsen's sixth installment in the Jane Rizzoli/Maura Isles series, the reader is introduced to Gerritsen's best book to date. The story begins on Christmas Eve with the murder of a woman whose body has been brutally mutilated. At the scene of the murder, the word PECCAVI, Latin for I HAVE SINNED, is written in blood.

After some research, Detective Rizzoli links the murdered woman to Joyce O'Donnell, a psychiatrist. Joyce O'Donnell enjoys interviewing and studying murderers. Has her dangerous work finally caught up to her? Is Joyce protecting a murderer?

Maura Isles is the town's coroner and she's worked closely with Detective Jane Rizzoli in past cases. While investigating the murders, they are introduced to a group of people called The Mephisto Club. The Mephisto Club believes that Satan exists and lives amongst us. They have been studying this theory for a long time and they believe they are finally on to something. Their only problem is that Detective Rizzoli doesn't believe in Satan and thinks it is all nonsense.

The Mephisto Club does not believe that people are murderers. They believe that the people who kill are actually descendants of Satan or Satan himself. It's an interesting theory to explain why people kill, a question people have wondered for a very long time.

Detective Rizzoli and Maura Isles work close with The Mephisto Club to try to find this elusive killer. Together they put together the clues and start to wonder if what they are searching for is even human. Are they hunting for Satan or a very sadistic human being?

Gerritsen is one of my favorite authors. I absolutely loved this book. If you are new to her series, make sure to read them in order. The first book is The Surgeon. She also has stand alone medical thrillers which I love. My favorite is Life Support which I highly recommend.

Gerritsen writes with such intelligence and grace, that it's always a pleasure to read a new novel by her. The tension in this book never lets up from page one to the last. The story has many scenes that are chilling and memorable. The characters are authentic and haunting. I love the concept of this novel and its message. It's an interesting theory that everyone in this world is innocent and that it is Satan who is responsible for all the evil. This is the perfect story to read around Halloween, just make sure to leave your lights on at night!