Blood Run

Dr. Evelyn Sutcliffe #1

by Leah Ruth Robinson

When a brilliant young doctor dies of a self-induced overdose, her friend and colleague, Dr. Evelyn Sutcliffe, starts asking questions that expose a shocking medical world rife with tension, scandal, and murderous intent

Genres: Thriller, Mystery

260 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Leah Ruth Robinson Rousmaniere, the author of the novels First Cut and Blood Run, is a New York State certified emergency medical technician. She has served in the Emergency Department of St. Luke's Hospital (St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Center) in New York City and taught Basic Life Support for several years at Lenox Hill Hospital, also in New York City. She currently serves on the national board of directors of Mystery Writers of America and is a member of the steering committee of the New York/Tri-State Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Married to writer John Rousmaniere, she divides her time between Manhattan and Stamford, Connecticut.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I think about vintage (say, mid-70s to late 80s) medical thrillers, one of the things I enjoy is the sense of "omg this could happen to me if I ever go to the hospital!" This isn't that kind of book; it's a pretty straightforward whodunnit with the locked room being a hospital and its adjacent doctors quarters. Having said that, it's a perfectly acceptable read with fairly complex characters and a decent way to spend a couple of hours.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is good, and the plot is suspenseful. However, the book is kind of sad.

[Mande Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to it on audiobook

[Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Le pire livre de cette année, histoire sans aucun sens, on part d’une intrigue, la mort d’une brillante chirurgienne, en passant pas les relations amoureuses d’une collègue médecin, pour finir dans les dernières pages à la résolution de l’histoire.
J’ai mis du temps à le lire, heureusement que je l’ai trouvé sur une brocante.
Très décevant.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel doesn't stand up to the review on the cover that describes it as "quick, incisive, thrilling". To me, it seems like too much of the story has nothing to do with the main plot.

[CarolAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast twist but boring a little funny tho

[Sandra en Marco]

NL version: Dodelijke dosis

[Catsalive · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half but Evelyn was giving me the irrits in the second half so I lost interest. Not too bad though.

blurb:
Evelyn Sutcliffe, M.D., resident in emergency medicine, is on duty when her colleague, Dr. Shelley Reinish, is brought in to the emergency room by her frantic husband; she is comatose from an overdose of medication, apparently a suicide attempt. Attempts to save her life fail and Evelyn grieves for this friend who had a brillant future in surgery. Drawn into the case is Evelyn's lover and Dr. Reinish's psychiatrist, Phil Carchiollo. Did he have clues that Shelley was contemplating suicide? Or was her death murder? Stories of bizarre behavior in the operating room lead a shaken Evelyn to other discoveries about the dead surgeon. Tales of her eccentric conduct with staff doctors and talk of an expose she was writing that contained provocative interviews with her peers are mysterious developments. When Evelyn's own investigation turns up some horrifying surprises it becomes clear that Shelley's life was not as placid as everyone believed.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out pretty good, I liked the characters, I liked the pace but it fizzled out fast and the the paced screeched to a halt and even went backwards at times so they could deeply psycho-analyze the characters(which I no longer like) and the story devolved into a lame episode of Grey's Anatomy, not a medical suspense, just a suicide/murder mystery with very little to it except low quality soap opera, and the main character spends more time whining about being "out of body" and emotionally disconnected then she does being like a normal functional human. I can't imagine this being part of a series like I've heard it's rumored to be, there's absolutely no basis for more. Also, for Goodreads, this book is 300 pages...not 260!

[Jeff Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read "Blood Run" when it was published in paperback back in the Eighties. Set in a New York Hospital in the middle of winter in heavy snow storm. Evelyn Sutcliffe MD works in the Emergency Room and the fast pace existence was later and terms will be familiar to any who watched the television series "ER". Colleague Dr Shelley Reinish is found dying in the entrance and nobody can save her. What I enjoyed about this thriller is everything from that point is what you could expect Evelyn Sutcliffe to react to as she comes to terms with believe suicide of her friend. It's not until the final quarter of the book takes a more sinister twist as Evelyn finally figures out the puzzle. The most notable thing compared to now is how much the major characters smoked.

[John Maberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read this book recently as a give away from the local library. Lots of cerebral stuff, interpersonal angst, etc., but that didn't hurt the pacing or suspense too much. Could probably have moved along a little more quickly without all of the psychological analysis going on between the people. Still, I liked it because I felt the insights were legitimate and the people thus more real than the current action driven stories with stick figure characters.

[Peggy Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book about ER resident physician Evelyn Sutcliffe....evidently one of a series. The main character seems to be in some sort of fugue state through much of the book. Personally, as a medical professional myself, I would be scared to have this person taking care of me in an emergency. Not going to be seeking out others in the series.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read two of Leah Ruth Robinson's books now. Published inthe late eightys, these are not new. They are medical thrillers with a central female character who is believeable and appealing (though braver than I am), and an underlying mysterious death in the hospital that begins the story.

[Elvira Millar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well-paced mystery taking place in a hospital setting. The world of surgeons and their lives, can be interesting and this book had some insights into that world. a good who-done-it or rather was it really done.

[Page Wench · Rating 1 out of 5]

Struggled through to the end. L-o-n-g stretches of dialogue telling me what happened instead of placing me in the action. Dull characters, especially the protagonist. Main plot okay but nothing special.

[Brett]

Thriller

[Cws]

F Rob

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is written by the same author of "First Cut". I liked this one much better. This is a medical thriller you won't want to put down.

[Eunira · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first by this writer. Not your usual medical thriller, the characters are well defined, but I wouldn't go out of my way to read another in this series.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was mostly about the doctors sex lives rather than the murder. meh.