May 2024 — There's a Doctor in the House...

By necessity, we place a lot of trust in our healthcare systems. Even world leaders must occasionally consult physicians, placing their lives (and, in some cases, their country’s), in their another's hands. Those of us outside the medical profession may find advances in technology and research a bit intimidating. Cutting-edge approaches and treatments have accelerated at such a blistering pace that they appear more akin to science fiction than reality.

For this month, I wanted to explore how medical thrillers address the power imbalance between healthcare providers and those whose very existence relies upon them. It is because their work is so crucial that strong emotions can be evoked just by asking: What happens when our trust in those who care for us is betrayed with negligence or malicious intent?

	*She's Not Sorry - Mary Kubica* "When it is revealed her patient with a traumatic brain injury didn't jump from a bridge but was pushed, single mother and full-time nurse Meghan Michaels mistakenly lets herself get too close to the case, realizing she and her daughter could be the next victims."
	*The Panacea Project - Catherine Devore Johnson* "When doctors discover her immune system holds the key to curing cancer, she struggles to advance lifesaving research in a world that sees her only as a means to an end."
	*Manner of Death - Robin Cook* "Dr. Ryan Sullivan offers to participate in a research project on a series of suicides...hint at some bothersome questions about their 'manner of death."
	*Deep Freeze - Michael C. Grumley* "...the doctors assure him that everything is normal. As Reiff's mind and body gradually recover, he becomes certain that the doctors are lying to him."
	*After That Night - Karin Slaughter* "Sara has remade her life. A successful doctor, engaged to a man she loves, she has finally managed to leave the past behind her. Until one evening, on call in the ER, everything changes."
	*Misfire - Tammy Euliano* "A jaw-dropping twist causes her to rethink everything she once thought she knew, but Kate will stop at nothing to protect her aunt and the other patients whose life-saving devices could turn on them at any moment."
	*Sometimes People Die - Simon Stephenson* "Amid the maelstrom of sick patients, overworked staff and underfunded wards, a more insidious secret soon declares itself: too many patients are dying. And a murderer may be lurking in plain sight."
	*Doing Harm - Kelly Parsons* "Detailing the politics of hospitals, the heirarchy among doctors and the life and death decisions that are made by flawed human beings, Doing Harm marks the debut of a major fiction career."
	*First Cut - Judy Melinek & T.J. Mitchell* "San Francisco's newest medical examiner, Dr. Jessie Teska, uncovers a constellation of deaths that point to an elaborate plot involving drug dealers and Bitcoin brokers."
	*Under the Knife - Tess Gerritsen* "Somewhere in the Honolulu hospital, a killer walks freely among patients and staff."
	*Trauma - Michael Palmer* "When Carrie learns about an experimental program at the VA Medical Center exploring the use of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) that could forever cure the emotional and memory trauma of PTSD, it seems like a way back into medicine."
	*Miracle Creek - Angie Kim* "In rural Miracle Creek, Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine - a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic 'dives...'"
	Summaries sourced from publishers' marketing materials

May's Featured Review

Ammon's Horn, or the Mystery of the Brain - Pierre and Christine Magistretti

"Five cutting-edge scientists compete for $100 million and control of a new institute dedicated to eradicating Alzheimer’s in this edifying, Da Vinci Code-esque thriller.

Hop on the Holds List

Swan Song – Elin Hildebrand

The Housemaid is Watching – Freida McFadden

The Comfort of Ghosts – Jacqueline Winspear

The Middle of the Night – Riley Sager

Flashback – Iris Johansen

Quote of the Month:

"Poisons and medicines are oftentimes the same substance given with different intent." - Peter Latham

Bookish News and Links:

Want personalized recommendations? Fill out a questionnaire to get a customized list sent directly to your email

Love Lists? Try these:

Novel Suspects is a great resource for all crime-related content, fiction and nonfiction: https://www.novelsuspects.com/...

Author Jack Jordan (Do No Harm) suggests some cross-genre thrillers: https://www.waterstones.com/bl...

If you are new to the genre or just want to revisit some classics, a Goodreads list offers 242 possibilities: https://www.goodreads.com/list...

Adaptation News: Upcoming movies and shows based on books:

Tattooist of Auschwitz, based on Heather Morris' bestselling book will begin airing of Peacock on May 2.

Blake Crouch's sci-fi thriller, Dark Matter is streaming on Apple + as of May 8.

Recent Reads

I have recently finished reading I am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore and The Return by Rachel Harrison (for GPL's own Horror Book Club). I also just finished listening to The Spite House by Johnny Compton.

I am currently reading Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano, and The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz. I am also listening to the audiobook of She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica (see above).

Are you susceptible to medically-induced chills and thrills? I am! Send me some of your picks- fiction or nonfiction! : jnmegan@gpl.

Until next time: Be safe, be well, and be well-read!

Joelle

So, who am I, anyway? I am a resident of West Groton, with a husband, 3 children in college (and one at GDRHS) and a Samoyed that keeps my vacuum well-employed. I am currently working part time at the Groton Public Library and in a former life I was a Director or PR/Marketing at a high-tech consulting firm. My BA is in Psychology, but most of my time was spent in college earning a Concentration on the Novel. That is all to say that I make no claims at being an expert of any kind and my thoughts, opinions and mistakes are solely my own. I am just a person whose passion for books has continued to grow from the moment I was first able to grip and gnaw on them. I have been devouring them ever since.

May 01, 2024 / Joelle M Egan