It’s not long before the first murder and you know exactly who is behind it. It’s not really a mystery, though the main character has some history she’s afraid to reveal that remains a mystery for a while and that was good. This is a thriller, filled with suspense and realistic characters. The author is a family physician and the book reflects a deep knowledge of the medical field. You feel that the medical details could have leapt right off any medical chart it’s so real and exact. I love well researched books, so this was a real treat for me.
The characters feel so real that at one point, as they were telling Laura she’d never be able to do surgery again I actually got very emotional and near tears. The main character’s dedication to her job, to all she does to help people, to her relationships, her family, they all feel so deep-seeded that you immediately feel a strong connection to her.
The villain may not be a mystery, but he adds so much to the story as it grows more and more complex. You even feel you can relate to him on some level. I understood his desperation and it was propelled by the love of a woman. This is such a well-crafted villain and he gets a lot of stage time in the book.
The overall story isn’t just that Laura took a fall and can’t be a surgeon. That’s just the first part of how she ends up in the crosshairs of a killer. This brings you inside a pharmaceutical company creating a break-through drug that could really make a difference in the lives of millions. Unfortunately, one of the scientists on the project, a beautiful Middle Eastern woman named Adawia will be sent back home to Iraq and forced to marry a man she does not love. The time period of the book puts us in a Hussain Iraq, when it was even more dangerous and horrible to be a woman. You don’t want her to go back either. And it is her lover who is bent on saving her, at the cost of other people’s lives.
The story is complex in a way I appreciate. It’s intelligent and well written giving all the characters layers and intricacies that keep those final chapters moving fast and hard to put down.
For more information about the author and her books you can go to http://patriciagussin.com/.
