Part of Alan Gregory, book 6
First published 1999
Dr. Alan Gregory arrives at the hospital to evaluate a teenage girl who tried to take her own life. The psychologist learns her young stepsister lies dying in another facility from heart disease. The family's managed care company has refused to cover an experimental treatment that could save the child's life. The sick girl becomes a rallying point against a healthcare system that prioritizes profits over patients. When a wealthy HMO executive turns up dead, Gregory teams with Denver detective Sam Purdy to investigate. They discover the suicidal teenager has connections to the murder. The case reveals a family pushed to extremes by a system that failed them. Gregory and Purdy must untangle motives of love and vengeance before more blood is shed.
Genres: medical, crime, contemporary, mystery-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Denver
Period: 21st-century
398 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: medical-trauma, suicide