Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The apparent suicide of London cardiothoracic surgeon Susan Bayliss, found in a pool of blood with her brachial artery cut, expands into a much bigger case with Dr. Harry Kent at the core of it. When Kent, who moonlights as a police medical examiner, is called by his ex, Acting DCI Frankie Noble, to certify Bayliss' death, he sees too many anomalies for a suicide, then realizes that the victim was the whistle-blower who recently lost her job and stature for suggesting that the deaths of four young children were the result of risky cardiac surgery she thought was performed to enhance the surgeon's reputation. But Bayliss was a champion of the children's parents one of whom describes her toddler son's cremated remains as a handful of ashes who cooperate with police on what becomes a murder investigation. Despite his stalled medical career, Kent (introduced in McCarthy'sThe Hollow Men, 2016) is a gifted and intuitive doctor who's enlisted by Noble to participate in what becomes an increasingly difficult case with tragic consequences. Medical student McCarthy has created humane, fallible characters notably Kent and Noble, who struggle with addictions as he spins a taut plot that's part police procedural, part medical thriller. An unbeatable combination for what's shaping up as a winning series.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
British author McCarthy's outstanding sequel to 2016's The Hollow Men finds medical examiner Harry Kent bemoaning his less-than-successful medical career and hooked on the amphetamines he tells himself he needs to function. To his further dismay, he receives a summons from his troubled, alcoholic former girlfriend, Frankie Noble, now an acting DCI, to look into the death of Dr. Susan Bayliss, who apparently stabbed herself more than once until she severed a major artery. Susan was suspended by London's Belgrave Hospital for Sick Children, one of the world's leading pediatric facilities, after she blew the whistle on a cardiac surgeon who lost four young patients in quick succession. Though a previous attempt at a fatal overdose supports the theory that Susan took her own life after losing her job and being publicly vilified, Harry notes marks on her body that suggest someone held her down. McCarthy delivers a startling ending and perfectly blends the whodunit plot with Harry's struggles with his addiction and his relationship with Frankie. Agent: Jane Gregory, Gregory & Co (U.K.). (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
This follow-up to McCarthy's acclaimed debut mystery, The Hollow Men, again pairs Dr. Harry Kent, a medical examiner with London's Metropolitan Police, and DIC Frankie Gold. This time, Frankie calls Harry when an apparent suicide has some inconsistencies. Harry learns that the victim, Susan Bayliss, was a doctor who had recently blown the whistle on a famous heart surgeon at a noted children's hospital, accusing him of performing unnecessary high-risk operations to enhance his reputation. Bayliss was the one eventually fired, but at the time of her death she was still pushing for an investigation. Now the families of the deceased children, who had seen her as their chief advocate, are demanding answers from a stonewalling hospital, while Kent and Gold must identify who wanted Bayliss dead. Verdict This second entry in an excellent medical thriller/police procedural series fulfills the promise of the first volume. Fast-paced with an unexpected ending, this novel has everything fans of the genre could want.-Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
