Tess Gerritsen is an American author and physician born on June 12, 1953, in San Diego. After completing her medical education, she practiced medicine briefly before turning to writing in the 1980s, gaining recognition particularly for her medical thrillers. The Rizzoli & Isles series, which began with the 2001 novel The Surgeon (Cerrah), attracted attention in the literary world and was later adapted into a television series, securing its place in popular culture.

Tess Gerritsen was born in San Diego to a Chinese immigrant father and a mother of Chinese descent. She studied anthropology at Stanford University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1975. She completed her medical training at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, earning her medical degree in 1979. She began her medical career in Honolulu, Hawaii.

She began her writing career while on maternity leave, penning a short story. After publishing her first novel, Call After Midnight (Gece Yarısından Sonra), in 1987, she wrote eight romantic thrillers. Her 1996 novel Harvest (Hasat) emerged as her first medical thriller and entered the New York Times bestseller list. In her 2001 novel The Surgeon (Cerrah), she introduced the character of Detective Jane Rizzoli, who, alongside Dr. Maura Isles, became the central figure in the thirteen-book Rizzoli & Isles series. The series was adapted into a television show of the same name on the TNT channel.

• Harvest (Hasat)
• Life Support (Gece Nöbeti)
• Bloodstream (Kan Gölü)
• Gravity (Yörünge)
• The Bone Garden (Kemik Bahçesi)
• Playing with Fire (Ateşin Şarkısı)
• The Shape of Night (Gece Gelen)

• Call After Midnight (Gece Yarısından Sonra)
• Under the Knife (Bıçak Sırtı)
• Never Say Die (Asla Arkana Bakma)
• Whistleblower (Proje: Ölümcül Virüs)
• Presumed Guilty (Masumiyetin İçin Savaş)
• In Their Footsteps (Karanlığın Ayak İzleri)
• Thief of Hearts (Aşk Ölümden Uyanıştır)
• Keeper of the Bride (Ruhundaki Zehirle Yüzleş)
• Girl Missing (Ruhundaki Zehirle Yüzleş)

• The Surgeon (Cerrah)
• The Apprentice (Çırak)
• The Sinner (Günahkar)
• Body Double (İkiz Bedenler)
• Vanish (Siliniş)
• The Mephisto Club (Mefisto Kulübü)
• The Keepsake / Keeping the Dead (Ruh Koleksiyoncusu)
• Ice Cold / The Killing Place (Buz Gibi Soğuk)
• The Silent Girl (Sessiz Kız)
• Last to Die (Sona Kalan)
• Die Again (Diriliş)
• I Know a Secret (Bir Sırrım Var)
• Listen to Me (Dinle Beni)

Gerritsen, together with her son Josh Gerritsen, produced the horror film Island Zero and the documentary Magnificent Beast. Additionally, her screenplay Adrift was broadcast as a television movie on CBS in 1993.

Tess Gerritsen is married and a mother of two children. Outside of writing, she is also involved in filmmaking and documentary production.