The Magic Bullet
by Andrew
Neiderman
Medical
Suspense: ethics, bureaucracy and pioneer research
Publisher:
Leisure Books (November, 2008)
Demi Peterson's young niece Jodi Walker needs a blood transfusion,
Terminally ill from cancer, she takes a turn for the worse and her rare
blood type O/Rh negative makes finding blood donors not the easiest
task. Demi's son Taylor is the perfect match. He doesn't want to be a
blood donor, but what family can resist the plight of a dying child? At
the very least, doing something will ease their conscience. Taylor's
hopeless gesture succeeds beyond their wildest dreams. Something in
Taylor's blood causes a complete and immediate remission not only in
Jodi but another cancer patient. Could this be the magic bullet, the
key to a new effective cure?
For Dr. Allan Parker, cancer is the enemy, an enemy against whom he
dedicates every thought. Too many lives have been lost already, too
many families affected by this deadly disease while promising research
itself is boggled down in rules and regulations and clinical trials.
Looking into the faces of cancer's victims and all the suffering, how
can he not try each and every means within his power to alleviate the
suffering for real people in the here and now. Dr. Allan Parker's good
intentions and pioneer spirit have unexpected consequences when the
secret gets out. Taylor only has so much blood and cancer takes the
lives of people every day, every hour, every minute.
Mobster Frankie Vico survived all his years in crime but now he has a
death sentence hanging over his head --- cancer. When he sees the
miraculous cure of a patient next to him, how can he not want the same
cure for himself and with his past, any means necessary, even
kidnapping and murder is par for the course. From an act of generosity
to a deadly chase, Taylor and Dr. Parker must work together to save
their lives.
Andrew Neiderman's THE MAGIC BULLET
gives a chilling look into the ethics of medicine, the often slowed
down cog-like bureaucratic safeguards meant to protect patients and the
business aspects of research that often delay research as well as
promote cures. Against the impersonal side of medicine, Andrew
Neiderman juxtaposes a range of characters, all who have a personal
stake for good or evil in the magic bullet scenario. Indeed, the
promise of an instant cure provides a catalyst to unveil the hidden
tensions, hopes, greed and generosity of characters as they make
choices. Their character defines itself through those choices. Andrew
Neiderman writes a fast-paced medical thriller with just the right
amount of character development and questions to keep the pages turning
with interest not only in the resolution but also in the characters
themselves. Although Andrew Neiderman poses thoughtful issues, the
thriller itself presents them with a certain lightness and humor that
makes this a fun read from start to finish. A shocking encounter with
several twists towards the end step up the pace until the wonderful
last line.
Andrew Neiderman's THE MAGIC BULLET
is a quick, fast-paced medical suspense that puts together a set of
characters into a situation in which medical ethics and self-interest
conflict. THE MAGIC BULLET
is not only a book for fans of medical suspense but will also appeal to
those a bit more squeamish who wish to forgo the details of gore,
plagues, and medical mayhem common in the genre and instead choose
suspense that ratchets up the level of everyday scenarios and ethical
scenarios in the news. Indeed, THE
MAGIC BULLET is suspense that maintains the interest through the
characters, the intersection of their motives, and an intriguing set of
circumstances that bring them all together at cross purposes.
Although THE MAGIC BULLET poses ethical questions that add depth to the
suspense plot and the subject of cancer is not a light one, THE MAGIC BULLET maintains a
perfect balance of suspense and characterization to make it an
excellent choice for readers who want to just relax or unwind into a
fun exhilarating suspense.
|
