Great mystery and a page turner. Definitely too technical for me to fully understand but enjoyed it regardless. ( )

The book opens with someone killing a terminally ill patient, a mercy killing, except the patient did not ask for it. Dr. Julie Devereux is a critical care physician working in Boston. She's also an advocate for death with dignity. She believes that patients should be able to end their suffering on their own terms, that is until her fiancee suffers serious injuries and paralysis in a motorcycle accident. When he begs Julie to help him die, she enlists the help of a volunteer with the organization Very Much Alive to help Sam recover his desire to live. Sam starts to get better, when he suddenly dies. Julie orders an autopsy and what she finds leads her in a search for the reason for several unusual deaths. With the help of others in the hospital, she puts together the pieces at risk to her own job.

The philosophical debate that is the heart of this novel is very timely. Mercy or murder? Do the terminally ill or the severely disabled deserve the right to die at their own request and in their own time to avoid inhumane suffering? Or should suicide or assisted suicide in those cases remain illegal and generally thought immoral? Would allowing it lead to abuse or reduced care? Beyond this question, this is a Medical thriller that had me reading fast and furious. This was a realistic story (as far as the ill patients, discussion of right to die) with lots of medical action and terminology, intensive care, pathology, laboratory analysis and more. Of course there are also plotlines that are a bit far-fetched, but there is always license with fiction to fictionalize. I liked the character of Julie. She was a hard worker, very smart and intuitive, friendly to her co-workers and willing to put herself out there to find out what was going on. The only think I was unsure of was the fact that she is able to disconnect from work completely when she goes home. I wish I could have done that and I was in education, not as stressful or life altering as a medical career. This was a fast-paced story that I really enjoyed! I was unable to solve the full mystery of who was involved in these killings until the very end when it was all put together and revealed to the reader, yet it all made sense. I have read one other book by Michael Palmer, but will definitely be looking for others. ( )

When Julie Devereux’s fiancé, Sam, is left a quadriplegic following a horrific motorcycle accident, she finds it difficult to hold onto her belief in a patient’s right to die, especially when he begs her to end his life. But before the doctor can convince Sam that there are still good things ahead for him, he suffers a massive heart attack and dies.

Stunned, Julie looks for answers and discovers a disturbing pattern suggesting other patients have died in a similar manner. She becomes the target of threats and stubbornly digs in her heels, determined to uncover the killer. And when she gets too close, the killer decides she must become the next to die . . . .

Politics, power, and control each play a part in this mystery. With a question of medical ethics, this realistic plot is supported by in-depth medical exposition, vivid hospital scenes, and building tension. Believable characters and situations keep the story grounded; a mysterious culprit will keep readers guessing.

Recommended. ( )

Initially, I was not sure I would like this book. The book began okay, but soon evolved into a lot of medical terms, conditions and jargon, which I found boring and tough to get through. However, I kept with the book, and it moved beyond this to a fairly good medical suspense mystery/thriller. Dr. Julie Devereux has been a fan of patients having a say about their death until her fiancé, Sam Talbot, has a horrific motorcycle accident and ends up a quadriplegic. After working with an organization that advocates for life to continue rather than end, Sam, who has been begging Julie to end his life, starts to move in Julie’s new direction. However, Sam suddenly dies of a rare heart problem. Plagued by questions about Sam’s death, Julie begins researching this rather rare heart condition, looking at similar cases, and finds a pattern of deaths associated with these same symptoms that frightens her and makes her wonder if there is something going on. She is relentless in her quest to find out what is going on, to get closure on Sam’s death as well as to determine whether there is someone or thing amiss in the hospital where she works. Julie quickly becomes involved in something far bigger than what she thought, threatening her own life as well as the lives of others involved. Is there a nefarious plot going on? Is there a reason for these similar deaths Julie discovers during her research?

I have not read anything else by Daniel Palmer, but this book has definitely opened up a new author to me, providing a very well written mystery that held my attention once I got beyond all the medical mumbo jumbo in the beginning. The characters are well defined and help bring this story home to the reader, as the plot moves through a myriad of twists and turns to a surprising conclusion. This book will appeal to the reader who enjoys medical thrillers/mysteries as well as to anyone who enjoys a great mystery. Now that I have read this book, I will seek out others by this author, since this book as shown me that Daniel Palmer can write well and hold a reader’s attention and interest while delving into the unique medical world. I received this from NetGalley to read and review. ( )

This is bittersweet to write this review. While the last book I was not so much a fan of, this time around I could not read this book fast enough. Which I have been a fan of Mr. Palmer's since his first book. It is sad that I won't get to read another book by Mr. Palmer since it seems that he had found his stride again when it came to me and his books. Yet, I am glad that his son helped finish this book for him. At the same time I was introduced to a new author in Mr. Daniel Palmer.

Everything from the setting to the characters, pacing of the story, the plot, and the ending was on point. Dr. Julie was a great, strong female lead. Also very smart and determined. Even when confronted by danger, she for the most part stayed calm under pressure. The only "Mercy" I had with this book was when I finished it. Again, however I am sad that I am done reading it. ( )