by Sanjay Gupta
First published 2012
Every Tuesday morning at Chelsea General Hospital, Dr. Sarah Chen walks into the Morbidity and Mortality conference knowing her latest case will be dissected. The brain tumor removal that went wrong. The valve replacement with complications. The femur surgery that failed. Five surgeons gather in this room where medical mistakes are exposed and careers can crumble. Chen and her colleagues bet their reputations against impossible odds daily, pushing beyond safe limits to save lives. When procedures fail, they must defend their decisions before peers who show little mercy. The M&M conference strips away surgical egos and forces brutal honesty about what went wrong. Each surgeon carries personal demons alongside professional pressures. Some seek validation, others redemption. All face the reality that even skilled hands make fatal errors. In medicine's most guarded weekly ritual, these doctors confront their limitations and learn that survival requires admitting failure.
Genres: fiction, drama, medical, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, medical-drama
Setting: Chelsea General Hospital
Period: Tuesday Mornings
304 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: medical-trauma