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A doctor sits behind the wheel of his car, intent on leaving the stress of his job, when an unknown assailant accosts him. He is directed to drive and ask no questions. New City Hospital is a teaching hospital currently overseen by Tom Bolling. Bolling's past in the military serves him well in his position as chief of staff at the hospital, where he runs operations with a structured mindset. The hospital is thrown into a chaotic state when a patient dies after a fairly routine procedure. Bolling wants answers and questions Dr. Adam Schlecter on his actions that may have led to the patient's demise. Bolling worries about negligence that could lead to the hospital forfeiting its accreditation. However, a bigger problem emerges when Schlecter goes AWOL, and various hospital personnel members turn up dead.
The author's book lands with an impactful body blow in its opening pages. This mystery/thriller takes the reader for a ride where the destination is nebulous, but the fun lies within the trip itself. The story is deftly divided between the ongoing bustle of the New City Hospital and the growing investigation by the local police into the spate of homicides that appear to be connected to the hospital and a missing doctor. The emotional crux of the story lies within Bolling's journey from one battlefield to another (war to medicine) and the homicide investigation conducted by Detectives Looney and Novalchek, who provide some comic relief along the way. Barbour succeeds with a thriller that ramps up the palpable tension with every successive chapter.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review