Title: Lethal Harvest
Author: William Cutrer & Sandra Glahn
Pages: 416
Year: 2016
Publisher: Kregel
My rating is 5+ stars.
Sometimes when I am perusing online bookstore sites, I run across interesting looking novels. I saw Lethal Harvest some time back and wanted to read it. Too often I have come across books that disappointed me as a reader, but this novel sure didn’t, so I hope the publishers reissue the other novels these two authors collaborated on!
Originally written many years ago when technology was beginning to impact the medical field along with the ethics accompanying some advances in medicine, this novel really brings to the front of readers’ minds many issues. One was how easily on occasion a doctor will secretly do experiments, thinking he is doing good for the greater population, but how he goes about it reveals more about the heart of the man. One such example is the character known as Dr. Tim, an embryologist in this novel who is also the nephew of the President. Even though he is in a medical practice with two other doctors, they are totally unaware of what is going on after hours.
What ensues is a not just a medical thriller, but a mystery as well. It grips the reader’s attention straight from the start. I was touched though to learn this novel was updated years after the Dr. William Cutrer had died suddenly from a heart ailment while riding his bike one morning. The co-author included part of a sermon Dr. Bill actually preached in real life, which when inserted into the story really helped me get to know the man behind the sermon.
Dr. Tim’s experiments bring a rippling effect he never thought would happen that puts many lives in danger, eventually even his own. The web of lies and deceit by this doctor didn’t reap all bad fruit; God in the novel used it to bring his wife to the Lord with a spiritual hunger unmatched. I thought how Dr. Tim reacted to the Gospel message was a touch of realism as not all are open to God, some even see themselves as god.
When you read the book, be prepared for suspense, tension, thrills, mystery and faith elements that will keep you reading for hours! I hope to read the other novels written by these two authors because they bring such a unique and powerful message to the audience, as well as being very entertaining!
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Christy nominee Lethal Harvest by Sandra Gahn and the late William Cutrer was first released sixteen years ago. But its emphasis on the gap between medical technology and ethics is still relevant today. A page-turning look into what can go wrong when moral values are disregarded, this novel is a good choice for fans of medical suspense. It also has a unique romance thread that also emphasizes God’s will over human desires.

A mix-up in the fertility clinic owned by partners Luc Morgan, Tim Sullivan and Ben McKay precipitates a lawsuit with far-reaching implications. Adding to the tension is the disappearance and presumed death of Dr. Sullivan. As the weeks progress, more and more information becomes available, but nothing is clear, except some strange things were going on at the clinic. As government agencies and shady operatives become involved, the danger increases, causing Marnie Sullivan, Dr. Sullivan’s surviving spouse, and Dr. McKay to look into secrets that more than one person wants left alone.

Cutting edge medical procedures are examined by the authors in the light of God’s moral laws. Several discussions, both pro and con, for the free exercise of research in order to promote the greater good are presented within the fictional framework. Never preachy, they do give the reader a lot to think about. As a suspense novel, Lethal Harvest succeeds in keeping the reader guessing. A romance between Marnie and Ben develops, but the characters act in the light of their Christian worldview, rather than what the world would deem acceptable. That is the heart of the novel — God’s view vs. the world’s view — in ethics, love and life in general. Characters are presented with God’s truth and freely accept or refuse the offers of grace, peace and salvation.

If you are looking for a novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat as well as giving you much to ponder, then check out Lethal Harvest.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Kregel for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

Plot Summary: What happens, When & Where, Central Characters, Major Conflicts
In the midst of an incendiary malpractice lawsuit, the Center for Fertility and Enhancement loses its brightest embryologist, Dr. Tim Sullivan, in a freak traffic accident. When a bomb destroys the lab and almost kills one of Sullivan's partners, Dr. Luc Morgan, remaining partner Dr. Ben McKay, an ordained minister, and Marnie Sullivan, Tim's widow, begin to piece together discrepancies involving Tim's determination to cure akenosis, a disease affecting his uncle, the President of the United States. As a Machiavellian plot comes to light, everyone connected to the clinic is in danger. (from L.J. Review




Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.
The authors makes the story plausible enough, depsite the disease that Tim and the president suffer from being made up. The medical/ethical issues are a great hook. The characters are not greatly developed, seeming somewhat stereotypical. I really had trouble with Tim "dying" and then later contacting his wife via istant message. And his wife's reactions didn't seem to reflect the emotion that that would put someone through (though I wasn't duped that he was dead). Ben, the Christian, and the conversion scenes seem a little too pollyannna, as does the whirlwind romance.


How Good is it?
Nice exploration of a medical/ethical dilemma, but lacks somewhat in character devlopment. ( )