Do Me No Harm

by Julie Corbin

When her teenage son Robbie's drink is spiked, Olivia Somers tries to put it down to a horrible accident. But someone from her past is after revenge. Someone closer to her family than she could possibly realise. Someone who will stop at nothing until they get the vengeance they crave.

Genres: Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Crime

344 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Julie Corbin was born and grew up in Scotland. She studied at Edinburgh University and has been working for over twenty years as a nurse in various specialities including neurosurgery and school nursing. She began writing seriously when her three sons were teenagers. She lives in East Sussex, England.

Reviews

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.
When Olivia receives a call to say her son is in hospital as a result of alcohol and drug overdose, she cannot believe he has willingly taken them. Olivia Somers, a doctor herself, believes someone must have spiked his drink. The drug is GHB which this person had to stop and look up to find out what it was. Once I read a little I saw how easily someone else could have added this drug to a drink. How did it happen? Olivia is determined to find out. Her ex-husband Phil, a psychiatrist, seems prepared to believe Robbie took the drug willingly.
Then other nasty things start to happen, which convince Olivia, the problem is not Robbie but more to do with her and something that happened 18 years earlier. Someone is after revenge? But who?
I found this an interesting and fast paced read. The closer I got to the end the less chance I was going to be able to put the book down till I finished it. This was despite the fact that at times I queried Olivia’s decisions, especially towards the end. One decision she made there, really didn’t ring true at all. But the trouble is the plot at that point tends to hang on it. For me this weakened the impact. My other problem was the ending which seemed both rushed and over the top. I also had a problem with something I thought the police officer should have picked up on and he didn’t. So, for me the ending let this book down and this brought my rating down a little. Still, overall it was a good read with a few twists and turns throughout.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do Me No Harm
By
Julie Corbin

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of this, the 3rd book by Julie Corbin. I loved both her other books so I was excited to start on this one. Luckily I woke very, very early this morning, so settled with coffee at 4.30 I started.

I was so happy I could read it all in the one sitting as I would have had a very hard time to leave it! It got right under my skin, and I had to know what was going on! The main character, Olivia, is a GP, and single parent of a teenage boy Robbie, and his younger sister Lauren. She is recently divorced from Phil, another doctor, so is a little emotionally raw still. Then one night it starts.

She gets a phone call that Robbie has been rushed to hospital, and it turns out that although he had been drinking a little, he had a very nasty drug in his system which had caused him to hallucinate and eventually collapse knocking his head. The drug doze was such that it could have killed him, and in fact his heart did stop beating at one stage. Olivia is convinced that her son is telling the truth, that he does not take drugs, and so the only explanation is that his drink was spiked! But why? And who?

Olivia struggles to make the police and her ex-husband believe that her son is not into drugs and that a crime has taken place. The events that follow begin to show that the family are being targeted, and so Olivia is right.

While trying to understand what is going on, looking into the past to find a reason, and then to discover who could be behind it all, Olivia becomes close to the policeman, D I O’Reilly, who is investigating the case, but when Olivia begins to think she has worked out what is going on she is reluctant to share the information with him.

The action is fast, the characters real, the brutal revelations from the past hard to live with, but they all bring the situation up to date. The human mistakes and lies which are revealed are both shocking and yet real, and help to paint the picture of the current situation. Then Olivia begins to realise that events are moving too quickly and they have real reason to be terrified.

Apart from the odd cup of coffee, and changing of the CD, I sat and read to the end, as I already, said, I was just so glad it was Sunday and I was in a position to do just that. This book is highly recommended, but please make sure you have plenty of time, because I promise you will not want to put it down.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by Julie Corbin and it certainly won’t be the last. I really enjoyed this book. The story was really interesting. There was not one part of the book I wasn’t interested in, I was hooked throughout the whole story. The characters (except for Phil and Kirsty) were likeable which I haven’t found in a few of the previous books I’ve read. I definitely recommend this book.

[A.J. Waines · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her teenage son Robbie's drink is spiked, Olivia Somers is devastated. She has spent her adult life trying to protect people and keep them safe - not only as a mother, but also in her chosen profession as a doctor. So she tries to put it down to a horrible accident, in spite of the evidence suggesting malicious intent, and simply hopes no-one tries to endanger those she loves again. But someone from the past is after revenge. Someone closer to her family than she could possibly realise. Someone who will stop at nothing until they get the vengeance they crave. And, as she and her family come under increasing threat, the oath that Olivia took when she first became a doctor - to do no harm to others - will be tested to its very limits.

I loved the ‘writing’ in this book – it’s feels like it’s in ‘full-colour’, lots of real-life detail so that you feel like you’re actually there, rather than ‘reading about’ it. That’s lovely in a writer (although there are also times when I want to read the kind of book when I can be more aware of the writing style itself; the poetry, rhythm, imagery, originality etc.)

I sailed through this book, although I didn’t feel the plot itself had me by the throat. It’s a familiar theme; a family drama about the way a mistake in the past creates a problem (revenge) in the present. It didn’t throw up many twists or shocking moments, but nevertheless, it felt real and involving. One issue, however, is that we know the identity of the culprit very early and this leads to a bit of an anti-climax. I also found some aspects of the book very unlikely - the main character goes away to Ireland leaving her two teenage children behind when they are clearly in danger - somewhat implausible given that she’s portrayed as a deeply caring mother. Otherwise, the main character is well-rounded and worth rooting for. I would certainly read more by this author.

[C.L. Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in a second hand bookshop when I was in Cornwall and I'd finished the book I had with me. I was sucked into Olivia's world and, by the end of the book, I was mentally shouting at her for making decisions I felt were stupid and illogical (which, I think, always shows that you're emotionally invested in a book). I loved the last couple of lines of the book - they perfectly summarised the emotional journey Olivia had been on.

[Karen M · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s an interesting read, and ambitious to try and take on pregnancy, miscarriage, guilt , medical errors, alcoholism, adoption , madness, drugs, teenage violence and drunkenness, sadly overlooked teenage girls who don’t fit the mould of society’s expectations , boorish men, controlling men , men who shouldn’t really be psychiatrists and possibly more.
For me the fact that everyone has money , a profession with status and an office means it’s all a little cushioned . It’s difficult to believe the saintly GP mother is really living hand to mouth and once that goes you notice the toe curling romance she embarks on with an equally saintly police officer , how very weird her bff is … and it all starts to crumple a little.

[Leanne Keenoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia is a recently single parent of 2 kids who is a GP.
Her son Robbie gets his drink spiked leading to a hospital admission which is bad enough but then the following week Olivia and her kids come home to find the word 'Murderer' painted on her lounge wall.
Olivia has things in her past that she believes may have something to do with this and sets about finding out putting her life as she knows it in jeopardy.
An easy read with some good plot twists

[Natty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story starts out strong because it's not usual for boys to have their drinks spiked and you really feel for his mother. However, once you find out who done it, it gets a bit taxing. Not to mention that lax romance and the Ireland story interludes that were meant to mean something but just seemed like something the author really wanted to write about even if it made little difference to the story.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s taken me a while to process this book. I was excited to pick it up each bed time and the story was great, but there were some bits that were just not needed.

It was a shame because I could have loved it, some really great characters that developed really well but I’m hung up on the odd bits. And I don’t know WHY they bother me so much!

Great if you like a bit of suspense though

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mother’s love knows no bounds

A page turner. A twist I didn’t see coming!
This book has it all - a thriller which includes family values, love, friendship, medical thread but also how revenge can ruin so many lives.

[Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a decent thriller apart from the fact that after I twigged the twist it seemed to drag a bit. It was also a bit hard to feel sympathy for the main character as I didn’t find them very likeable.

[Carol Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like this author's style. Most enjoyable.

[June Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read would recommend

[Geraldine Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I really enjoyed this novel. The characters are thoroughly convincing and portrayed wonderfully. I was gripped throughout. A well-deserved five stars.

[Debbie Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable. The past rises up for the good doctor Olivia and there is nothing she can do to stop the bad things happening to her family. Brilliant story I definitely recommend.

[Mary Geraghty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read!!

This book was a real thriller. The characters were great, especially ? No that would be a spoiler ,😊 read it and see. Fabulous.

[Emily McGovern · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just didn't have the inclination to continue this one... A good idea but I couldn't get on with the writing...

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts great, then stalls, picks up again, stalls and finishes nicely. Excellent story line, you feel like you know the characters. Can recommend

[Bill Kupersmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do Me No Harm gratified my trust in Julie Corbin. I thought her debut novel Tell Me No Secrets had promise but suffered from weak characters. She really has got better, as writers who stay at it often do, and Olivia, or Liv, or Dr. Somers, the narrator, is a strong and interesting character, devoted to her children, her friends, her charitable work, and her profession as a physician. All are threatened when someone slips a dangerous drug into her seventeen year old son’s drink. It seems someone is trying to get back at her for something in her past, someone who sneaks into her house and paints the word MURDERER on her wall.

Olivia’s life is made more difficult by the constant interference she receives from her ex, the children’s father Phil, who is a wonderfully drawn portrait of a sleaze. I happen to have had two friends who had the misfortune to have ex-husbands like Phil who constantly tried to manipulate their children to hurt their former spouse. When they adopted a tone of caring and concern, you can be sure that they are up to something underhanded and sneaky. I loved the way Phil referred to “our children” and he even has the temerity want his twelve year old daughter to be maid of honour at his marriage to his mistress for whom he dumped her mother Olivia.

Because the story is told in the first person, the reader cannot learn anything that Olivia cannot know or find out. She believes, rightly, that she is being hounded for an error she committed as a junior doctor when overworked and under pressure gave the wrong medicine to a patient who then died in childbirth. Her supervising physician regarded it as a pardonable mistake and Olivia went on to a very successful career and has just received an award for her civic contributions. But some out there hates her.

Unfortunately we cannot get into the mind of that character, whom I shall refer to as “the revenger.” It does not take long for Olivia to discover who the revenger is--we find out exactly half-way through the book, and it is someone Olivia already knows. But the revenger remains an enigma to me. A person of great talent and inventiveness, but reputed to be a bully and gratuitously cruel. I wish we had more of the revenger’s thoughts and motives, even if the author had to resort to some obvious device like finding a diary or confession.

In the final part of the book the mode switches from mystery to thriller, when Olivia and her policeman friend and soon to be lover are trying to rescue her son from being thrown off the Forth Bridge. Like some other readers, I found the ending a trifle rushed. But I’d still give this book a solid four stars for an engaging plot and interesting characters.

[Rea Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do Me No Harm is the first book I have read by Julie Corbin so I wasn't sure what to expect.

A FAMILY HELD TOGETHER BY LIES BUT ABOUT TO BE TORN APART BY A DEVASTATING SECRET . . .

When her teenage son Robbie's drink is spiked, Olivia Somers is devastated. She has spent her adult life trying to protect people and keep them safe - not only as a mother, but also in her chosen profession as a doctor. So she tries to put it down to a horrible accident, in spite of the evidence suggesting malicious intent, and simply hopes no-one tries to endanger those she loves again.

But someone from the past is after revenge.
Someone closer to her family than she could possibly realise.
Someone who will stop at nothing until they get the vengeance they crave.
And, as she and her family come under increasing threat, the oath that Olivia took when she first became a doctor - to do no harm to others - will be tested to its very limits.

I sat and devoured this book in one sitting it was so thrilling and gripping that it just didn't feel safe to put down!

Each of the characters had a great depth to them which is great considering the amount of characters that were involved in this storyline. Olivia is a great character in this book she brought all kinds of emotions from vulnerability to tough and focused woman when trying to discover the truth and we see the lengths she would go to to protect her children and I genuinely felt for Olivia when we found out the secret she was hiding from her past.

I don’t often read mystery/thrillers as I find with so many twists and turns, I often lost track with what’s going on and who are on the good side and who are on the bad side but with this book it wasn't the case, there were twists and turns but everything flowed smoothly so you don’t lose track and it becomes quite clear who is on the dark side!

Some parts were a little predictable but there was such a big storyline that it really didn't affect the likeability of this book. I loved the romance that is slowly blossoming under the dark storyline it helps to lighten this tense read.

A compelling and gripping read that needs to come with muscle relaxants!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do Me No Harm is the second book I have read by Julie Corbin, the first being Tell Me No Secrets. I have rated both books 4 stars, but I enjoyed this one Do Me No Harm more.

I was somewhat disappointed to find that the twist was revealed at exactly half way through the book and I did wonder where the story was then going to go, but I needn't have worried because Julie Corbin kept the story and my interest going. I also wasn't particularly surprised by the twist as it did make sense although I hadn't guessed at who or what it was going to be.

I liked all the characters, although didn't really engage with or feel any empathy for them but I did like how they were all intertwined and that none of them were given any 'airs or graces' nor 'put on a pedestal', they were just a normal family, living a normal life when something one of them had done years before reared its ugly head to throw them all off track and test their love for each other and strength as a family.

I shall be adding Julies other book to my to be read list.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do me no Harm's central character is Olivia Sommers, a newly divorced GP who is on a date when she receives a call that her seventeen year old son has collapsed and in hospital. It appears that Robbie has taken drugs and his father is furious at her for allowing this to happen. Phil Sommers is a psychologist and doesn't believe either her or Robbie when they insist that his drink must have been spiked.

This is a psychological thriller which moves at speed as the police become involved trying to discover who would want to harm the likeable Robbie. The characters are well drawn including eleven year old Lauren, Olivia's daughter. As a reader I had sympathy, and even shed the odd tear, as the narrative continued which marks out Julie Corbin to be a writer of talent.

Although the reason why Robbie was targeted is well signposted, there are still a few twists in the tale to make this worth a read.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Do Me No Harm' by Julie Corbin is another of her 'secrets-come back-to haunt a family' thrillers, though it's not exactly a thriller, more of a suspense/mystery. When deadly things start to happen to her family, Dr Olivia Somers is initially outraged then looks into her past and discovers what might be the trigger for the disturbing events. The story zips along, pulling in the reader. But then, just over half-way through, the perpetrator is revealed. The rest of the story is concerned with how Olivia deals with the situation. I felt the story dragged from then on, particularly as I hated some of the decisions Olivia made, many were extremely unrealistic. Sometimes she's likeable, other times very annoying. The other characters just seemed to be there to play supporting roles to Olivia. I felt the ending was so abrupt, even though it was a happy one; in fact, its final few sentences suggest that a sequel may be written, though I hope not.

[Fiona]

A family held together with lies. About to be torn apart by a secret.

Olivia Somers has spent her life protecting people. It’s her job as a doctor and a mother of two. So when her son Robbie’s drink is spiked, Olivia is devastated. Nevertheless, she tries to put it down to a horrible accident and can only hope that no more danger will come to the people she loves.

But when her house is broken into, and ‘Murderer’ painted on her living room wall, she’s convinced the spiking was no mere accident. Has her son done something unspeakable? Or is someone from her past after revenge? Someone closer to her family than she could possibly realise? No longer able to keep her past at bay, Olivia’s about to find out her doctor’s oath to do no harm will be tested to its very limits.

[Mirren Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little worried when I saw this title as our novel in progress is 'Never Do Harm' and, like 'Do Me No Harm' relates to the medical oath taken by doctors and is set in Edinburgh. But I need not have worried. Corbin's novel is very different in both style, plot and characterisations. It starts with a crisis, and there are several more as the plot unfolds. The reason for them becomes clear once the main character, Olivia Somers, a GP in Edinburgh, remembers an incident from her past. Stopping the trail of destruction proves to be tricky. I liked this book; although at times, aspects of a major character did not quite ring true, it was a good read with a climactic ending. (Elaine: Jones, of Mirren Jones)

[Kerri Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

When her teenage sons drink is spiked, Olivia Somers is devastated, putting it down to a horrible accident she hopes those she loves are never endangered again.
But someone from the past is after revenge.

This is the story of a family held together by lies and at first when I started this book I was pretty hooked and intrigued to find out more. Towards the middle of the book I thought it did slow down quite a bit and although I did enjoy the story, I just prefer something with a little bit more to it.

3 stars from me.

[Liz Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book. One that makes you turn the page. But isn't quite in the same league as say Before I Go To Sleep. There isn't as much mystery nor is it as well written.

However, it takes something very special for a book to be exception, believe me, you will enjoy this book, I just can't hand on heart say it is a must read.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Julie Corbin. In fact, for me this was probably the best so far. The narrator really drew me in and I found myself totally involved and absolutely furious with her at times. Fantastic plot - great fun and very gripping. Loved everything about it. Please write more and more books Julie Corbin!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Julie Corbins third novel but my first time reading one of hers. It was brilliant. Thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in just over a day. You feel every emotion whilst reading this book but mostly excitement because there is always something better on the next page than the one before, brill. CANT WAIT TO READ julies other 2 novels x

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book once it got going. I have to say for the first 4 chapters I was wondering if I'd end up finishing the book as it seemed to be going slow but once you get into the 5/6 chapters it all makes sense and really picks up. Interesting and gripping storyline, nicely written and very believable characters.