A Killer Harvest by Paul Cleave ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Bullying, Cellular Memory, Medical Thriller, Organ Donation, Serial Killers, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: Available Now

400 Pages

Synopsis: Joshua is convinced there is a family curse. It’s taken away his biological parents, robbed him of his eyesight, and is the reason why his father Logan, the detective who raised him, is killed while investigating the homicide of a young woman. The suspect, Simon Bowers, is killed by Logan’s partner Ben, whose intentions are murkier than expected. 

After this tragedy, Joshua is handed an opportunity he can’t refuse: a new pair of eyes. But a mishap during surgery leads to Joshua unknowingly getting one eye from his father, and the other from Simon. As Joshua navigates a world of sight, he gets glimpses of what his eyes might have witnessed in their previous life. Memories, truth, and lies Joshua discovers a world darker than the one he has emerged from. What else has he failed to see?

Meanwhile, Simon’s accomplice Vincent, is bent on revenge, going after the loved ones of those involved in Simon’s death, and Vincent is drawing closer and closer to Joshua.

Huh. This was a surprise. I figured I was going to enjoy Killer Harvest after reading so many positive reviews, but I didn’t suspect how much I was going to love it! 

At the heart of this story is the controversial phenomenon of cellular memory. Is it possible for a recipient of an organ donation, to receive the emotions and behaviors from the donor through memories stored in the neurons of the donated organ? It seems like the medical community is divided as of now over this possibility, but there have been cases that make you wonder. There have been plenty of books and movies that have used this theory as part of their premise, but Paul Cleave puts a whole new spin on it.

Joshua is one of the most lovable characters I’ve come across in a while. There are times that it really does seem like some supernatural curse is hanging over his head. He grabbed me by the heartstrings from the very beginning and because of that I was thoroughly invested in the story. He’s sweet, compassionate, and determined to do the right thing. He’s also a bit impulsive, like many teens, and this winds up getting him into trouble. 

There are many secondary characters, and while I didn’t think all of them were necessary to further the plot, there were a few that play a big part in Joshua’s life and I really enjoyed them.

The story itself has more than one theme with organ donation/cellular memory, bullying, and serial killers, among them. This could have been messy and confusing, but the author deftly brings everything together. I was hooked from the very first page, and the surprising twists and mini cliffhangers at the end of each chapter made it impossible for me to put this book down. I started it mid-afternoon and finished about 1:00 in the morning.

The only reason why I’m not giving this a perfect 5 stars is because of the ending. It’s deliberately left open-ended, which I had no problem with, although it’s left me longing for a sequel. However, there were some loose ends concerning a couple of characters that left me a little frustrated.

There are quite a few reviewers on Goodreads who have mentioned that Paul Cleave, who’s from New Zealand, is underappreciated in the U.S. and after reading Killer Harvest, I have to agree. It’s a brilliantly written thriller and a perfect beach and vacation read. I really can’t recommend it highly enough. This was my first book by Cleave, but it certainly won’t be my last! 

Under The Knife ~ By Kelly Parsons – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Medical Thriller

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

352 Pages

Synopsis: Morgan Finney, a biotechnology tycoon, is a shy, highly intelligent but socially awkward and emotionally fragile man. It was his wife, Jenny, with whom he connected and who enabled him to connect with others. When Jenny dies of complications during a surgery led by Dr. Rita Wu, Finney’s grief turns to rage. He vows to kill Rita just as he believes she killed his wife. But first he will systematically destroy her life. Aided by a mysterious man named Sebastian, Finney uses advanced medical technology to brainwash Rita. He tricks her into ruining her reputation and brings her to the brink of madness. Alone, fighting for her sanity and life, Rita reaches out to ex-lover Dr. Spencer Cameron. Together they uncover Finney’s horrific intentions and race to stop him.

Under the Knife is the first book I’ve read by Kelly Parsons and I wound up reading it in one sitting. In my opinion it’s definitely more of a plot driven story than a character one. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case the two protagonists: Dr. Rita Wu, and her ex, Dr. Spencer Cameron struck me as a little flat. They were both likable enough but particularly in Rita’s case, I never had a solid emotional connection to her. She’s an ambitious female doctor who is determined to show no weakness in a field dominated by men. Unfortunately her personal life is a mess. She has a drinking problem which is what led to her current predicament. After the death of their parents, she’s trying to care for her younger sister who also has an addiction. And despite loving him, she breaks up with the rather bland Spencer for a reason which made no sense to me whatsoever. Basically, she’s the type of character I’ve seen in many other books and there’s really nothing that makes her stand out. Morgan Finney however scared the heck out of me! During flashbacks to before his wife Jenny dies, it’s apparent he’s not quite right. He’s a genius yet socially awkward and it’s Jenny who succeeds somewhat in bringing him out into the world through their shared love of Comic Con. His grief and rage over the loss of his beloved wife leaps off the page, but then he turns into a true psychopath who doesn’t care who dies in his quest for revenge, so there’s no sympathy for him either. The true star of this story though is the medical technology. I mean, what Parsons sets forth is pretty implausible (although he’s a doctor so what do I know?) but its suspenseful and creepy, and it kept me turning the pages because I just had to know the outcome. I also liked that underneath everything is the very real quandary about ethics as it’s applied to the field of medicine and the positive and negative implications of medical technology. Overall, Under the Knife is a decent medical thriller, that with the right director and cast would probably make an even better movie. If you’re a fan of authors such as Robin Cook, Michael Palmer and Daniel Palmer, I definitely recommend this. It’s a quick read although it might give you second thoughts about being treated at a hospital!

 

Mercy ~ By Michael Palmer and Daniel Palmer – 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Medical Thriller, Mystery

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Dr. Julie Devereux is an outspoken advocate for the right to die–until a motorcycle accident leaves her fiancé, Sam Talbot, a quadriplegic. Sam begs to end of his life, but Julie sees hope in a life together. With the help of an organization that opposes physician-assisted suicide, Julie has Sam coming around to her point of view when he suddenly dies from an unexpected heart attack.An autopsy reveals that Sam died of an unusual heart defect, one seen only in those under extreme stress–in fact, it appears that Sam had been literally scared to death.

As Julie investigates similar cases, she finds a frightening pattern…and finds herself the target of disturbing threats. The more cases Julie discovers, the more the threats escalate, until she is accused of a mercy killing of her own. To clear her name and save her career, she must track down whoever is behind these mysterious deaths…but time is running out as someone has decided that killing Julie is the only way to stop her.

Michael Palmer in my mind was the king of medical thrillers and although he passed away in 2013, his equally talented son Daniel has continued his work alongside writing his own suspense novels. Mercy is an almost perfect medical thriller that takes a thorough look at physician-assisted suicide, while not taking any sides. It’s such a complex issue and there are compelling arguments made on both sides in this book. At the same time, the authors also examine the darker side of hospitals; reminding readers that they are businesses and as such, walk a thin line between profit margins and patient care. Both of the Palmers are brilliant at creating characters readers can relate to, and that’s certainly the case here. At the beginning of the story Julie is an outspoken advocate of a patient’s right to die, but after her fiancé Sam is injured so horribly in a motorcycle accident, and she sees that quadriplegics can lead fruitful lives thanks to new therapies and technology, her beliefs change. You can see how she struggles with passing that faith and hope on to Sam. Just as he’s showing signs of being willing to fight, he dies from a mysterious heart attack. From here, the story goes into full-fledged conspiracy mode with many different characters getting involved and except for a couple of them, it’s unclear who Julie should trust. This is another thing I liked about her; while she’s careful about who she brings into her inner circle, neither does she stupidly try to go it alone. She’s smart, and resourceful, and while she makes a few mistakes, they’re perfectly understandable given the circumstances. There are many twists and turns before the exciting conclusion which makes this near impossible to put down. The only criticism I have is that for about the first 1/4 of the book there’s a lot of medical terminology and it slows down the pace of the book somewhat. While I fully expected some as this is a medical thriller, this was a little much. But once you get past that the pace picks up and never slows down. Mercy is a fantastic read for both fans of the Palmers as well as readers who might be new to their novels. If you decide to try this, I recommend you pick a time when your schedule isn’t too busy because you’re not going to want to put it down!

 

A Cure For Madness ~ By Jodi McIsaac – 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Government Conspiracies, Medical Thriller, Mental Illness, Relationships, Suspense

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 19th, 2016

Synopsis: Clare Campbell has worked hard to create distance between herself and her troubled family. By when she receives news of her parent’s murder, she’s forced to return to the quiet town of Clarkeston, Maine, to arrange their funeral and take legal guardianship of her unpredictable and mentally ill brother, Wes.

While Clare struggles to come to grips with the death of her parents, a terrifying pathogen outbreak overtakes the town. She is all too familiar with the resulting symptoms, which resemble those of her brother’s schizophrenia: hallucinations, paranoia, and bizarre, even violent, behavior. Before long, the government steps in–and one agent takes a special interest in Wes. Clare must make a horrifying decision: save her brother or save the world.

I love medical thrillers and when I read the premise of A Cure For Madness I had such high hopes. Unfortunately due to an initially unrelatable and unlikable protagonist, this wasn’t the perfect read I thought it would be.

Almost from the very beginning I had a difficult time getting a handle on Clare. She’s supposed to be thirty-one but her attitude and actions are those of a rebellious and impulsive teenager. She’s completely self-centered and shows absolutely no loyalty to the people she supposedly cares for, especially Wes. There’s a traumatic event in her past that I guess is supposed to explain why she’s this way, but I just couldn’t buy into it. I think this is partly because the way it’s written it almost comes across as a forced plot device to manipulate the reader into being more sympathetically-inclined toward Clare. Instead, it left me feeling even more frustrated with her. In the second half of the book, she slowly improves as she and Wes spend more time with one another, and by the end she does redeem herself. I also found the relationship between Clare and Wes interesting, and the author does a credible job exploring the difficulties of caring for someone who’s mentally ill. The character who really stood out for me was Wes. Displaying all of the traits of severe schizophrenia, he still draws you in and his suffering tugs at your heartstrings.

The storyline is fast-paced and WAS everything I had hoped for: mysterious pandemic, government cover-up, some light romance, and a great twist at the end–although I did feel it was a little rushed. It’s also a mini-cliffhanger, which has me wondering if there will be a sequel. 

Despite my early issues with Clare, I did wind up enjoying A Cure For Madness. Enough so, that I’m actually hoping there’s a follow-up. If you’re looking for a quick medical thriller that you can read in 1-2  sittings, I recommend you give this a try.