|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Dr Eli Branch is a rising star in the medical community. As a recent recruit to Gates Memorial Hospital in Memphis, he is about to become a surgeon-scientist with his own lab and assistant that will enable him to do groundbreaking research. However, his star quickly sets when he participates in an operation with the chief of vascular surgery, Dr James Korinksy. When the patient ends up dying, Korinsky quickly assigns the blame to Branch. Why would Korinsky knowingly lie about what happened? As a result of his falsification, Branch's reputation is ruined and his job is on the line. Obviously, Eli needs to figure out exactly what transpired. His first line of inquiry is to have the hospital's forensic pathologist, Meg Daily, examine the body. What she finds out is quite amazing - it appears that the patient's aortic device failed and that the cause of death had to do with cells that had been implanted and were causing holes where the device had been grafted. The plot then unfolds into a medical conspiracy of chilling, and rather unbelievable, proportions. There's a thread having to do with stem cell research; a sub-plot around the trustworthiness of Eli's late father, a noted anatomist; necrophilia; and a secret tunnel where bodies are transported for experimentation; attempts on Eli's life; a really mind- boggling connection between Meg's child and Eli's brother - the nefarious activities never end. I wish that Pearson had had enough confidence in his story to stick with the dilemma around the aortic device rather than introducing all of these other diversionary elements. I'm assuming that he was striving to increase the thriller aspect of the narrative; instead, he ended up with a real messy mish-mosh when the basic tale would have sufficed. Pearson is a member of the surgical faculty at Vanderbilt University. It must have been challenging for him to write the scientific aspects of the book in layman's terms. Mostly, he succeeds; but there are times when he lapses into incomprehensible medical jargon, e.g.: Most of the cells are endothelial, as you might expect, ingrowth of vascular cells trying to coat the new lumen. Huh? I believe that most of the issues that I had with the book can be attributed to the fact that Pearson is a first-time author. As such, it's understandable that his plotting was overly ambitious. I was engaged in the main plot until the point where he diverged into other areas and I had sympathy for the dilemmas that the protagonist faced. On the whole, I think that Pearson does show promise.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, February 2009
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
