The Mephisto Club marks the 6th book in the Rizzoli and Isles series and takes us into the depraved mind of a killer brought up following beliefs and ideologies that are rejected by most. Be prepared for a series of gruesome crime scenes, a nicely contrived storyline and a continuance of the personal lives of both of the main characters. The one thing I can clearly attribute to my lowered enjoyment is the attention paid to the private life of Isles. Ever since we started to get glimpses into her private life, I’ve found myself somewhat disinterested in the events outside of the criminal elements of the story. I positively adore following Rizzoli’s life – I’ve become so invested, I always want more – yet I cannot bring myself to feel the same way about Isles. I’m not sure what it is about her in particular, but I’m nowhere near as invested in her life.

It amazes me that Tess Gerritsen is able to write such awesome thrillers, time after time. And yet she does, proving that she is, quite simply, at the top of her game--and at the top of the psychological thriller/mystery genre! Homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are called to the scene of the brutal murder of a young woman. Strange symbols and a cryptic message are clues that lead them to an even stranger group of people who are members of the Mephisto Foundation, a group of scholars who believe in and study the history of evil. Even more disturbing is the discovery that Dr. Joyce O’Donnell is a member and evidence suggests the killer is somehow connected to her. I loved that Father Brophy and Dr. Maura Isles finally "got together," but I need this relationship to go beyond THE THORN BIRDS!! There has got to be a resolution to this plot line, and soon!It is Christmas Eve and both Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles draw the short straws when they are called out to a brutal murder scene. Even the cops are stunned by the brutality. Lots of blood and body parts. PECCAVI ( I HAVE SINNED) is written in blood ... along with upside down crosses. And there is a link to Dr. Joyce O’Donnell, the celebrity psychiatrist and Rizzoli's nemesis. Naturally Dr. O’Donnell gives Jane a hard time and won't say where she was or who she was with at the time of the murder. Only that she was with friends. Turns out the friends were members of the Mephisto Club.

The Latin word is scrawled in blood at the scene of a young woman's brutal murder: "I HAVE SINNED". It's a chilling Christmas greeting for Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli, who swiftly link the victim to controversial celebrity psychiatrist Joyce O'Donnell - Maura's professional nemesis and member of a secret society called "The Mephisto Club."A gruesome murder calls both Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles out on Christmas Eve with the crime scene displaying numerous signs of devil worship. Upside down crosses, a pentagram, confronting displays of body parts and blood indicates that an extremely deranged individual has been at work. I have skipped #5, though, as it involves a crime in a hospital setting with a hostage situation, etc. I don't like those kinds of stories; I find them tedious with everyone kind of holding static in place.)