by Robin Cook
First published 2009
Medical examiner Jack Stapleton performs an autopsy on a college student who died after visiting a chiropractor. The case sparks his interest in alternative medicine and the reasons people seek treatment outside conventional medical practice. Meanwhile, his former college classmate Shawn Doherty works as an archaeologist and biblical scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Shawn's health is declining and his wine consumption is affecting his career, but he secures permission for one final excavation beneath Saint Peter's. His research takes him from Rome to Jerusalem to Venice, where he uncovers something that could shake both medical and religious establishments. When Bishop James O'Rourke of New York learns about Shawn's discovery, he panics. The findings threaten his political ambitions within the Catholic Church. O'Rourke turns to Jack, asking his old friend to help suppress the secret. Jack must choose between his loyalty to a classmate and protecting information that could transform how people understand faith and medicine.
Genres: medical, mystery, archaeology, thriller, alternative-medicine, academic
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, loyalty
Setting: Jerusalem, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rome, Saint Peter's, Venice
Period: Contemporary
387 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons