Publisher Description
" Medical suspense as sharp as it gets. Euliano is off to a good, no, a brilliant start."
— Kathy Reichs, New York Times best-selling author
End-of-life care— or assisted death
When her elderly patients start dying at home days after minor surgery, anesthesiologist Dr. Kate Downey wants to know why. The surgeon, not so much. " Old people die, that' s what they do," is his response. When Kate presses, surgeon Charles Ricken places the blame squarely on her shoulders. Kate is currently on probation, and the chief of staff sides with the surgeon, leaving Kate to prove her innocence and save her own career. With her husband in a prolonged coma, it' s all she has left.
Aided by her eccentric Great Aunt Irm, a precocious medical student, and the lawyer son of a victim, Kate launches her own unorthodox investigation of these unexpected deaths. As she comes closer to exposing the culprit' s identity, she faces professional intimidation, threats to her life, a home invasion, and, tragically, the suspicious death of someone close to her. The stakes escalate to the breaking point when Kate, under violent duress, is forced to choose which of her loved ones to save— and which must be sacrificed.
Perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen
While the books in the Kate Downey Medical Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:
Fatal Intent
Misfire (coming January 2023)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jacksonville, Fla., anesthesiologist Kate Downey, the narrator of Euliano's promising debut, is concerned about unusual patient deaths at her hospital. They all had minor surgeries, came out of the procedures in good health, but for reasons Kate doesn't understand died a few days later. Kate suspects a temporary nurse anesthesiologist who was present at each of the surgeries is somehow responsible, but when she starts asking questions, she's accused of sexual harassment and comes under scrutiny for the deaths. Despite being suspended and warned by an anonymous message left on her dog's collar to back off, Kate determines to get to the bottom of the mystery. Meanwhile, she must make some crucial life and death decisions about her husband, a wounded veteran who's in a vegetative state with little chance of surviving, and she's also mourning the death at birth of a premature daughter. A possible romantic relationship that develops between Kate and one of the victims' sons enhances the intriguing plot. Euliano, herself an anesthesiologist, brings authenticity to this chilling medical thriller. Readers will look forward to her next.
