Tess Gerritsen

Tess Gerritsen's latest novel is The Silent Girl.

From her Q & A with award-winning crime writer Matt Rees:

[Rees:]What’s your favorite sentence in all literature, and why?

[Gerritsen:] I’m traveling at the moment so don’t have the book in front of me, but it’s the first sentence from GONE WITH THE WIND (paraphrased): “Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it…” At least, it’s the one sentence that has stuck with me through the years.

And you remembered it correctly, even on the road, by the way. What’s the best descriptive image in all literature?

The battle scenes of Helm’s Deep from Tolkien’s THE TWIN TOWERS. Or maybe it’s just that the book was such a beloved favorite that I still remember the horrible description of the decapitated warriors’ heads flying over the battlements.

Who’s the greatest stylist currently writing?

An impossible question! Let’s just say that I’m very much enjoying the creativity of Markus Zusak’s THE BOOK THIEF.

Who’s the greatest plotter currently writing?

Another impossible question! But I do think that there’s a reason that writers such as...[read on]

Learn about Gerritsen's favorite heroine from outside literature.

--Marshal Zeringue