The Surgeon (novel) The Surgeon (novel) The Surgeon (2001) is a suspense novel by Tess Gerritsen, the first of the Maura Isles/Jane Rizzoli series. A terrifying new serial killer begins stalking the streets of Boston, using his vast medical knowledge to systematically torture and kill vulnerable women, a modus operandi which has earned him the nickname "the Surgeon". As Jane Rizzoli, accompanied by detective Thomas Moore, works the case, she comes across trauma doctor Catherine Cordell, who almost died in the same fashion at the hands of another psychopath several years before, but killed him before he could kill her. Rizzoli soon establishes
Rizzoli & Isles lesbian subtext to its popularity. Harmon said that she was not surprised by the attention and that, while it was "'super fun' to play a role that has some same-sex romantic vibes", the characters are "straight" and "just best friends". Alexander said that she was not initially aware of the subtext but believed it reflected the characters' chemistry. She also expressed skepticism that Rizzoli and Isles' friendship was out of the ordinary. Rizzoli & Isles Rizzoli & Isles is a TNT television series starring Angie Harmon as police detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles.