by Robin Cook
First published 2010
Laurie Montgomery returns to her job as a New York City medical examiner after caring for her young son through his neuroblastoma treatment. Her first major case involves the death of CIA agent Kevin Markham. The autopsy proves inconclusive, and while Laurie suspects poisoning, toxicology tests fail to confirm her theory. Her colleagues question whether she has lost her edge during her time away from work. Laurie refuses to abandon her assassination theory despite the skepticism around her. She convinces her husband Jack Stapleton, also a medical examiner, to help investigate. Together they uncover connections between Markham's death and a major pharmaceutical company involved in stem cell research through various biomedical startups. As Laurie and Jack dig deeper into the case, they find themselves caught in a web of corporate espionage that threatens their own safety. The investigation becomes a race against time as they work to expose the truth before becoming targets themselves.
Genres: medical, suspense, mystery, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, race-against-time
Setting: New York City
396 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons