Do No Harm

Emma is a mother and doctor. Her husband, Nate, is a police officer. Together they have a beautiful son, Josh. Their world turns upside down when Josh is diagnosed with leukemia. The best chance for him to live is with an expensive treatment that their insurance won’t cover. Emma is determined to do whatever it takes to save her son. As a mother I felt for Emma. She needs to do whatever she has to for her son. Emma risks everything to get the necessary money to pay for Josh’s treatment. She has to make some very tough decisions and I loved how the author navigated me through Emma’s decisions. I loved this book. The basic plot of a mother going to great lengths to save her son is turned into a thrilling novel.

This book just steamrolled over me like a runaway train! It was so good, from the beginning to the surprise ending. Emma Sweeney is a physician who is caught up in a web of lies and deceit when she has to make impossible choices in order to save her son Josh’s life. Her police detective Nate loves her with all of his heart, but he has no idea what is festering beneath the surface and what Emma is willing to do to save Josh. This book touched every emotion I have, from love to hate and from fear to surprise. I really liked the fast-pace and the short chapters that led into each other. The characters were well-developed, in a slow and methodical manner that made me think that I really knew them. There are many “bad guys” in this book, but the real villain is the opioid crisis and how it has affected so many people. I enjoyed how the drug crisis was almost personified in the book as an evil entity lurking around every corner. The author did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of what has become a national crisis throughout the world. She also does a stellar job of presenting the case for the addiction, the reason doctors prescribe the drug and why it is so stealthily intrusive. The Reader’s Guide questions at the end were thought-provoking and insightful. I enjoyed this book so much that I want to put it in my TBRA stack. (To Be Read Again) I want to read it again to get all of the nuances that I missed the first time and to just see the character study clearly that is done on each character, especially Nick and Emma. This was some wild ride, and I’m so glad that I took it! Disclaimer: I purchased a hard copy of this book from an indie bookstore. All opinions expressed are my own.

What would you do to save your child? Emma and Nate’s son Josh is diagnosed with leukemia and needs an expensive experimental treatment to save his life. She’s a doctor and he’s a detective, so they are basically good people. She’s still in debt from medical school and his civil servant salary won’t contribute much to the cost of his treatment. How do you find the money? This book had me hooked from the start. Both lead characters are in noble professions trying to help people, but have secrets from their past. How many bad or selfish acts outweigh all the good someone does? And how minor or major do those acts need to be to sway your opinion? An edge of your seat thriller that has depth in the opiate crisis and family versus career. I loved all the twists and turns along the way. I never knew what secret would surface next. If you love a suspenseful plot with developed characters, you should definitely add this to your TBR list.