The Book:
Do No Harm by Christina McDonald, 2021
The Characters:
Emma and her husband Nate
Their son Josh
Emma’s high school boyfriend Gabe
Emma’s brother Ben
Get it on Amazon.
Thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Emma loves her life. She’s the mother of a precocious kindergartener, married to her soulmate—a loyal and loving police detective—and has a rewarding career as a doctor at the local hospital.
But everything comes crashing down when her son, Josh, is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Determined to save him, Emma makes the risky decision to sell opioids to fund the life-saving treatment he needs. But when somebody ends up dead, a lethal game of cat and mouse ensues, her own husband leading the chase. With her son’s life hanging in the balance, Emma is dragged into the dark world of drugs, lies, and murder. Will the truth catch up to her before she can save Josh?
The Ending:
Nate figured out what Emma was doing.
Emma met up with Gabe at the warehouse to try to find Ben; Nate tracked him there as well. They all fought, Gabe told Nate that Josh was his son, and Emma admitted to Gabe that she had lied about that to get Gabe to help her. Josh was Nate’s son after all. Gabe tried to shoot Emma for getting him involved, but Nate jumped in front of the bullet and died. Ben killed Gabe because Emma told him Gabe killed Violeta.
Dr. Palmer (Josh’s oncologist) had supplied the fentanyl. Ben and Violeta had been working for him. He had also let Emma’s dad die the night he found her because he had been driving drunk and would have lost his license. Emma killed him to protect herself.
Emma kept dealing to cushion her paycheck, taking over Ben’s customers when he left town. She also started using herself.
The Review:
How far would you go to save your child’s life?
This book grabbed my attention right from the beginning. It was a very quick read as I was eager to see what would happen to this family.
When their son Josh is diagnosed with leukemia, Emma and Nate panic as they do not have the funds to afford his treatment. Desperate for a solution, Emma turns to old friends for help selling opioid prescriptions to make the $98,004 she needs by the end of the month. To add to the suspense, Nate is the very police detective in charge of busting the drug ring that Emma becomes involved with.
I loved this unique plot–kind of similar to the premise of Breaking Bad, so I assume this book will be very popular with fans of the show. Emma was a great main character. She was driven by her emotions and her need to save her son, but held back by her responsibility as a doctor to do no harm. As she grapples with this decision throughout the book, she decides that the ends will justify the means.
After The Night Olivia Fell, I knew I would always be a huge fan of Christina McDonald. Do No Harm did not disappoint! I highly recommend this unique medical thriller.
Do No Harm will be available on February 16, 2021. Many thanks to Gallery Books and Simon and Schuster for a gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.
