The Mephisto Club (Rizzoli and Isles thriller) by Tess Gerritsen

Opening line:  They looked like the perfect family.

Synopsis:  Can you really see evil when you look into someone's eyes?  In a rundown house, a woman has been dismembered in an act of carnage that leaves veteran cops in shock.  Drawn on the wall, in blood, are ancient symbols, and a mirror-image word in Latin that, translated, says 'I have sinned'.
Then a second woman is found butchered on Beacon Hill, just outside the home of the leader of the Mephisto Club, a secret society dedicated to the study of evil.  On the door have been scrawled yet more ancient symbols.
This is evil that the Boston PD has never encountered before.  And the only way Maura Isles can defeat it is by turning to the people who understand the devil himself.

My take:  In the sixth book of the Rizzoli and Isles thriller series, Gerritsen explores the conjecture that evil exists in this world in the form of evil spirits known as Nephilim ("fallen angels and women mating to produce hybrid monsters") or the Watchers.  They co-exist with members of the human race, walking among us, people who look human but are the farthest from it, people who commit acts of atrocious cruelty, who come out wreaking havoc when society breaks down during turbulent times on earth.

I must say that Gerritsen is a master at story-weaving and this book ticks all the boxes for me.  I marvel at how Gerritsen sprouts out so much information at every turn of the page and yet is able to produce a truly absorbing and cohesive plot.  Because the existence of evil cannot be explained and the tale of Nephilim will probably remain a mystery till the end of time, the conclusion to this book justly reflects that particular myth from The Book of Enoch.  Highly recommended series if you have not already started.

Towards the end of this video, Gerritsen explains why she is interested in evil:









(Audiobook read by Lorelei King published by Chivers Audio Books).

Rating:  4/5 (Excellent read)