Tess Gerritsen – Medical Suspense Queen

Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to her writing career.

Tess Gerritsen Growing up

Gerritsen is the child of a Chinese immigrant and a Chinese-American seafood chef. She grew up in San Diego, California and was prompted to go to medical school due to her families reservations about the sustainability of writing.

Gerritsen attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.

Gerritsen was born Terry Tom on June 12,1953. She decided to feminize her name when she became a romance writer.

Tess Gerritsen’s writing career

While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. In 1987, her first novel was published: Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller. This was bought by publisher Harlequin Intrigue in 1986 and published a year later.

Gerritsen’s first medical thriller, Harvest, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list.

In 2001, Gerritsen wrote her first crime thriller, The Surgeon. This book introduced homicide detective Jane Rizzoli. Rizzoli became the central focus of 13 subsequent novels and was paired with medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. A television series was thus inspired called Rizzoli & Isles.

Her books have been translated into 31 languages, and more than 15 million copies have been sold around the world.

Gerritsen has also been a #1 bestseller in both Germany and the UK.

What Awards has Tess Gerritsen won?

Her novel Vanish won the Nero Wolfe Award

Her Novel The Surgeon won the Rita Award

Publisher Weekly has dubbed her the “medical suspense queen”.

Tess Gerritsen personal life

Gerritsen is married to Jacob who is also a physician. They have two sons and is now retired from medicine. She writes full time from her home in Maine.