Fiction Pick of the Week: Perfect People

Perfect People by Peter James 2012

After losing their first son to a rare fatal interaction between the couple’s gene pools, John and Naomi have decided to have another son. They seek the assistance of Dr. Leo Dettore, a genetic scientist, who offers a gene-screening process which allows couples to “design” their unborn children. As Dr. Dettore’s patients begin to die at the hands of a murderous cult, the couple flees to England, believing they are safe.

Their troubles have only begun. After Naomi delivers boy-girl twins, and not the son they had selected, they realize the ethical dilemmas of the doctor’s plan for a new breed of humanity. In this well-written, fast-paced page-turner, both the main characters and the readers are left questioning the ethics of genetic manipulation.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Venom

Venom: a Novel of Suspense by Joan Brady 

In this sequel to Bleedout, wealthy Helen Freyl  owns a small farm in Caton, Ala., where a unique strain of honeybees produces honey with unheard of healing properties. Helen, along with her imperious grandmother, become enmeshed in a struggle between two pharmaceutical giants vying for the patent to the bees' venom. Then the women discover that one of the companies is conducting deadly experiments on the unsuspecting inhabitants of a region in Belarus not far from the Chernobyl disaster. After several deaths, Helen realizes her life is in danger, and turns for help to her ex-con former lover. A medical thriller that should appeal to Robin Cook fans.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Oxygen

Oxygen by Carol Cassella 2008

Carol Cassella’s first novel “Oxygen “is a mix of medical thriller and relationship novel.

Dr. Marie Heaton, an anesthesiologist, experiences a profound professional and personal crisis when an intellectually disabled girl dies in her care during a routine surgery.The autopsy reveals that the girl had an undiagnosed heart problem that may have led to her death. The girl’s mother launches a lawsuit against the hospital and medical team who operated on her daughter. An audit of the drugs administered during surgeries that Dr. Heaton worked on points out many discrepancies in drugs recorded and administered. The head of the Anesthesiology Department is convinced that Marie is a drug addict. Marie is aware of who the true addict is but is afraid no one will believe her. She is forced to take a leave of absence until the lawsuit is resolved. During this time Marie decides to visit her dad and sister in Houston. Her father, a retired history professor, is losing his sight and is struggling with day to day living. During this difficult period Marie has been helped by her boyfriend, Joe, who is also a doctor at the hospital.
What I liked the most about this novel is the mix of suspense and the realistic characters who are portrayed. You want to keep reading to see what will happen to this very likeable doctor.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Tainted

Tainted: a Dr. Zol Szabo Medical Mystery by Ross Pennie 2009

A real treat for Burlington readers – a debut novel from physician and McMaster University professor Ross Pennie set in our own backyard. Dr. Zol Szabo lives on Hamilton Mountain, works on Concession Street and has a favourite restaurant in Lowville (the book is even dedicated to the Halton Region Health Department). Zol is a former chef, single father of young Max, and now a doctor working for the (fictional) Hamilton-Lakeshore Public Health Unit. When an outbreak occurs of a variant strain of Mad Cow disease, Zol and his team race to determine the cause: is it a new cosmetic treatment (in which health officials and academic leaders have significant financial stakes), or perhaps the ‘gourmet’ meat products made on a farm near Campbellville? The answer may even determine whether Zol and his son live or die. Along the way, Zol and his colleagues (including Natasha, whose dedication to the job has to compete with her mother’s attempts to find her a “nice Indian boy” to marry, and socially-awkward Hamish) contend with political turf wars, conflicts of interest and a maze of regulations. It’s fast-paced and suspenseful, but also has a feel of a cozy mystery, with lots of local colour and likeable characters (and some pointed commentary on the food safety system).