Harvest

by Tess Gerritsen

One Thumb Up, One Thumb Down.

Abby DiMatteo is in the first year of her surgical residency.  But some things at the hospital are beginning to seem, at best unusual, and at worst downright frightening.  Dr. DiMatteo follows her conscience and solves the mystery at great peril to her future career and her personal safety.

Ms Gerritsen writes a great story.  The characters are realistic and enjoyable.  The plot is compelling.  The suspense is just right.  Ms. Gerritsen avoids explicit descriptions of the s*xual situations.

Although some of the medical descriptions are of a somewhat technical nature, Ms. Gerritsen smoothly pulls everything together so that her readers are able to understand the implications of the various details she later needs to use. Some detail of a seemingly unrelated episode will reappear later in the book where it has implications.  But because the author has given the details and descriptions earlier on, the action does not have to slow down during the important parts. The book was remarkably well done in that regard. 

The story line deals with serious lapses in medical ethics.  It made me uneasy to think of people putting their lives into the hands of someone who may manipulate the health of another for their own personal ends.  Although the story was a good read, it is one of those books that is realistic enough and whose premise is repulsive enough to me that it left me with an unsettled feeling that was hard to shake.