First published 2013
Dr. Mike Scanlon views himself as a healer, not a soldier, when the army sends him to Afghanistan as a military physician. He worries about leaving behind his wife Chloe and their newborn daughter, but duty calls. While Mike operates on wounded soldiers in a combat zone, tragedy strikes at home. Chloe dies in what appears to be a household accident in their quiet suburban neighborhood. Mike returns to bury his wife and confront a life in ruins. His medical practice teeters on collapse. His baby daughter feels like a stranger to him. Then he uncovers a devastating secret that threatens to destroy him completely. Mike discovers that his greatest fight won't be in a war zone overseas. The battle for his family's future will be waged on American soil, and he must risk everything to protect the one person who matters most.
Genres: medical, contemporary, mystery-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Afghanistan, America, Suburban Neighborhood
Period: Contemporary
374 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: death, medical-trauma