It's Nothing Personal

by Kate O'Reilly (Pseudonym), Sherry Gorman

Anesthesiologist, Dr. Jenna Reiner, was blindsided on a January morning by an incident that would forever change her life. A scrub technician at her hospital was stealing narcotics from anesthesiologists, injecting those same narcotics into her veins, and returning the contaminated syringes, knowing they would be used on patients. The scrub tech was infected with hepatitis C, a deadly virus.

Unknowingly, anesthesiologists at St. Augustine Hospital were injecting their patients with hepatitis C laden syringes. When Dr. Jenna Reiner administered anesthesia, she was holding a murder weapon in her hands. Dr. Reiner was about to find out that not only was her hospital at risk, but her entire life was about to be turned upside down. The scrub tech’s addiction evolved into a public health scare, potentially affecting thousands. Unfortunately, on that fateful day, Dr. Reiner and her patient fell victim to an addict.

The ensuing medical malpractice suit filed by Allison Anders, a ruthless attorney, becomes a battle for survival for Jenna and her family. For Dr. Reiner, the lawsuit is personal. Jenna Reiner faces more demons than she thought imaginable as she fights against greed, brutality, accusations, and a corrupt legal system. Will Dr. Reiner prevail? Or will the system win?

Inspired by true events, IT’S NOTHING PERSONAL is a story of endurance and pain beyond imagination.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Medical Thriller, Medical, Suspense, Crime

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2013

Reviews

[Christina (Ensconced in Lit)]

Thanks to the guiltless book blog for hosting author Sherry Gorman and allowing me the chance to win this terrific book!

It's Nothing Personal by Sherry Gorman stars Jenna Reiner, an anesthesiologist who gets placed in an impossible situation. One snowy day, she goes to work as normal, but then finds out that a surgical scrub nurse has possibly stolen some of her medications before the case and then infected her patient (and others) with Hepatitis C. What follows is a terrible turn of events as she gets sued by the patient, and experiences the difficulty and toll of taking a case to trial. She becomes depressed, and her relationships with her loved ones suffer. Can Jenna find the strength to get her self dignity back?

This book was an intense ride, and I read it very quickly from cover to cover. The biggest strength is the verisimilitude-- Sherry Gorman is a physician, and you can tell from the details that she knows what she is talking about. I also really appreciated that she also learned a lot about law and medical malpractice. All of this was laid out in a way that everyone could understand. I didn't expect a lot of the twists and turns, and I was fascinated by how the whole story evolved. For any physician (me included), the thought of being sued is one of the most terrifying. Gorman brings this terror to life in these pages.

A couple of things I personally wasn't as thrilled about-- the opposing lawyers were very obviously evil. I like all characters to be very three dimensional so we can see their motivations. Also, Jenna is a roller coaster of a character-- she has a very good reason to be, but I couldn't decide whether I wanted to shake her or give her a hug. Probably both. And lastly, I know her reservations against getting therapy, but I would hope someone in the medical field would be a little more open-minded. That being said, I know a lot of physicians are the worst patients.

Overall, this is a great medical thriller that is a fast paced read with some thought provoking messages about medical malpractice.

[Denise]

4.0 out of 5 stars - Refreshing medical drama centering on an anesthesiologist who is sued for malpractice after a drug addict with Hepatitis C diverts controlled substances and substitutes contaminated saline that is administered to a patient in her OR.

I enjoyed this book for several reasons. First, the heroine is a believable and sympathetic 30-something female and the focus is on her personality, her life, and what happens to her career, not on her looks! Secondly, I loved that there was no ridiculous romance and that Jenna had a good relationship with her supportive husband and young daughter. Third - the character of Jenna was realistic and portrayed with some depth. Yes, this was a drama so there was lots of description about her mental state in reaction to the lawsuit, but that showed the roller coaster of emotions any person would have in the same situation. There are bonds forged with former strangers and betrayals by those she knew as Jenna tries to navigate the unfamiliar when the lawsuit is filed and as she deals with the relentless legal maneuvers and gamesmanship. Indeed, it is all about the money and nothing about the truth or justice.

The particulars about her work as an anesthesiologist and the medical details about the crime are very interesting and taken from the headlines. The plausibility of the plot is actually scary to anyone who does work in the health care field as there is such ambiguity in standard of care and reasonable precautions with regard to controlled substance security. This could happen in almost any OR despite safeguards!

Everyone affected by Jenna's case is changed. If you enjoy books in the medical fiction genre, skip the thrillers by authors who make their female characters one-dimensional stereotypes and enjoy a story rooted in reality with a likeable protagonist. I recommend it and can't wait for this author's next book.

ARC - comp copy

[Jenn (One of Many, We are Legion)]

I received an ARC through the First Reads program. I was not obligated to review this book. What follows is my own opinion.

The title, "It's Nothing Personal," makes what I am about to write feel very ironic in light of the fact that this work of "fiction," "inspired" by true events, is little more than a heavily embellished, self-serving, mean-spirited, and thinly veiled autobiography about a physician who was sued following a massive hepatitis C outbreak that occurred in a Denver hospital as a result of drug diversion by one of its employees. There is absolutely no way to review this fairly without the author taking personal offense. She has responded to other negative reviews on Amazon, and though she insists its fiction inspired by the reality, this work does nothing but martyrize the lead character ("based on" the author) to the point of canonization. Methinks she doth protest too much.

Example: An Amazon review says thusly: “As it is based on her true story, it is so obvious that the author is attempting to have a cathartic moment, simultaneously diefying herself as the humble, always crying, do no wrong doctor, and verbally slaying the tech who brought her to professional ruin. It was like "Mean Girls" episode gone heinously wrong.” She responds under her pseudonym stating that she fired her former PR agent, who then posted two 1 star reviews back to back. Example 2: She directly references an easily Googled article that ran in a Denver paper and quoted portions of her deposition. She claims the article “slandered” her character. I fail to see how directly quoting one’s own words qualifies as slander (particularly where her explanation of the alleged out of context quote in no way makes her sound better than it did in the article).

I have a feeling she will feel very personally offended by what I am about to write, which only bolsters my opinion that this barely qualifies as fiction.

The lead character, Jenna, is the most self-centered, selfish, judgmental, arrogant, condescending, histrionic, melodramatic, hypocritical lead character whose thoughts I've ever had the displeasure of reading (specific examples provided below). Make no bones about it - Jenna is an asshole. Considering I absolutely love Gillian Flynn books, that's saying something. To make matters worse, the author has not learned cardinal rule #1: show, don’t tell. This book is littered with telling, typically when explaining how I should feel about Jenna or another character. It's like I'm not allowed to think for myself.

This will be very long. And angry. This is less a review and more a treatise on the myriad ways in which I hated this book. I unironically got lost in and enjoyed the Twilight ride and this might actually be the worst book I have ever read, it’s so fucking insulting. Rarely does a page go by without something truly offensive being said. Midway through I started dog-earing all the pages that really pissed me off, or made me roll my eyes. I quickly ceased that venture, because every page had a flap. Due to it's absurd length and ranty nature, I will put the rest of this under spoiler tags (also, spoilers).

A little background is necessary to really understand my ire. Jenna, an anethesiologist, works in a Denver hospital. The hospital hired a scrub tech whose job it was to assist in the OR. Physicians can only access controlled substances using a machine (Accudose) that tracks the users and drugs taken from it. Accountability. Apparently, many docs would prep their drugs well in advance of surgery (Fentanyl, propofol, Versed, etc), hide them in their anesthesia carts, then leave the room until surgery commenced. Jenna hid her syringes in a cart drawer under other medical equipment. Unbeknownst to the hospital and its physicians, the tech, positive for Hepatitis C, a deadly liver disease, had substance abuse issues and would steal these “hidden” syringes, inject their contents, refill the dirty syringe with saline, and put it back in its hiding spot. These syringes would then be used during surgery, inadvertently infecting the patients. As a result, at least 18 people were infected Hep C, all genetically confirmed to be the exact same strain as the tech, who was sentenced IRL to 30 years in prison for these acts.

Naturally, every person infected sued the hospital, the tech, and the anesthesiologists. The author, and her "fictional counterpart," Jenna, were involved in one such suit. This book is about her trials and tribulations resulting from said suit. I will say at the outset that I 100% agree that she is partially responsible for what occurred. I understand that she trusted her staff and considered the OR a “secure” environment, but that does not change the fact she was careless with these narcotics.

This book has one sole purpose: to convince the reader that Jenna is the best, greatest, prettiest, smartest, most ethical, infallible, and most victimized person ever. This was a witch hunt - she did nothing wrong. This lawsuit is the worst, most horrific, life ruining thing to ever happen to a person ever (lest you need reminding, she’s being sued because her patient contracted a deadly, incurable disease; also, she’s not the only person being sued, so ask yourself why she is the only one being targeted for utter ruin).

Now, keep in mind, she was sued first for malpractice, which is simply a fanciful way of expressing she was negligent in her duties. People are negligent in their duties every day. They rear end someone, they fail to salt their sidewalk, repair something, warn someone, the list goes on. It’s not intentional conduct, it just means we were careless. That's why people have insurance - to protect against the financial consequences brought on by their own negligence. Jenna’s interpretation, even after her attorneys explain to her in painstaking detail the meaning of the allegations? “I’m a rotten doctor, sub-par, I suck,” a “terrible person who doesn’t obey the law.” She tells us being sued is one of the most traumatic things to ever happen to a doctor. This was a life ruining, her reputation was at stake! This could destroy her! For eff’s sake, get a hold of yourself, lady! Doctors, be they a litigant or an expert, aren’t exactly strangers to litigation. They know they are in an inherently high risk field. Hence, insurance. For her to act so melodramatically does not jive at all with that reality. She acts like it’s her against the big, bad corporate hospital throwing her under the bus. A real David v Goliath story. An everywoman versus the faceless, evil corporation. That’s funny. Last I checked, your attorneys were retained by the big, bad insurance company to which you pay liability insurance and which will pay your settlement. This is Goliath fighting his twin.

The entire story exists to convince us that she is the victim and is not the least bit culpable for the way in which she stored the narcotics. How was she to know that a criminal would steal them? Yea. That's not how it works. That's like leaving your car running with the keys in the ignition and claiming you bear no responsibility for the fact it was stolen from the parking lot. Or the story about the parents who left the loaded shotgun unlocked and stored in the corner of a room, then were surprised their toddler shot their other kid. That you naively didn't expect it doesn't change the fact that you stored it carelessly. Take some personal responsibility, for Christ’s sake.

This is not the book to read if you want any real world notions of how civil litigation works. The extraordinarily embellished prose reads like she’s hyperventilating all over you. Her attorneys tell us the plaintiff attorneys (PA) are merciless, they don't play fair, this suit is "all about the money," not "truth or justice." First: THEIR PATIENT GOT HEP C DURING ROUTINE SURGERY, I’D SAY THAT WARRANTS COMPENSATION, ASSHOLES Second, attorneys (except hers) are scumbags interested in nothing but money - you’ve seen the vaginal mesh commercials! Surely that’s proof that every attorney is an ambulance chaser! Jenna is just a working gal, certainly not in the field for a paycheck. She’s an every woman, an altruist, just like you. Underwater mortgage, retirement account decimated by the downturn. Doesn’t everyone take regular two week vacations to Maui (three times in 15 months)?

The PA, though, they said “terrible” things about her in the complaint! They accused her of recklessly and carelessly failing to secure her narcotics, thereby allowing the tech to steal them. Jenna? That's pretty precisely what occurred. You’ve already told us it did. How is the PA the bad guy here? Because they wrote it in a formal document? Jenna has a hissy fit in her car about these allegations, despite their truth.

She literally makes every single aspect of the case about her. Deposition in PA office must be to “control” and rattle her. Not because her attorneys agreed to it for convenience sake. She refuses to talk to talk in secret with her attorneys on PA’s “turf,” the lair of the “enemy,” because it might be “bugged” and used against her! Are you fucking kidding me with this shit? Putting aside the legality of it, let’s pretend that can’t get you disbarred. In the ridiculously impossible unlikely event that happened, it’s not like they could use privileged recordings of you and your attorneys discussing the case against you. Ugh.

She has a chapter regarding her deposition. I have no room to discuss how she describes the piranha PA, but I will discuss how Jenna acts persecuted before the woman has ever opened her mouth. See, that woman is “out to ruin her...using shame, degradation, intimidation...” The attorney’s partner is even worse - he is “truly an evil man.” He “gets into peoples faces,” screams, and intimidates by towering over them. Yea, there aren’t court rules in place or anything to prevent that exact behavior. Nope, it’s a free for all. Let’s get her! These attorneys have no regards for rules - they somehow Judge shop and have ex parte communications with one convincing him to take the case so they can garner favorable rulings. This shit just doesn’t happen. Judges are blindly assigned, ffs. It’s ok, though, when he makes an unfavorable ruling, Jenna goes to his house to show him exactly how this ruined her life and made her daughter a jaded, unhappy person. Yea, that’s not inappropriate at all.

But that’s ok, because Jenna won’t fall for the attorneys’ “traps” during her deposition. See, she’s “too nice.” They can’t handle that because they are heartless, cruel, and vindictive. They won’t break her, though, nope. See, she got a “perfect GPA,” in school, did her residency and was belittled by other physicians on a daily basis. She’s a saint for putting up with what she has, a SAINT! No one has ever endured such trials before! She can handle this. We know this because she tells us. A couple more examples of Saint Jenna. From the PA: “She’s truly an enigma. On the outside, she seems unwordly, weak, and vulnerable...irritatingly unshakeable.” The “extremely intelligent” and “talented Judge” to whose house Jenna goes? He recognizes her as a “woman of principle, as those are the only ones that make it this far.”

The day of her deposition, she’s dressed perfectly. We know this because her daughter tells us she looks pretty and is “probably prettier than that mean lawyer woman,” and her attorney tells us her outfit is “perfect.” Because Jenna is perfect. She completely overreacts to the most benign situations: walking to the conference room, she felt like a prisoner marching to an execution. So dramatic, oooh. Standard questions almost every attorney asks a deponent - whether they are under the influence of anything that could affect their testimony - were deeply offensive and meant to rattle her. How DARE they! Just who do they think she is?! Some drug addled LOSER?! But Jenna is smarter than that. She evades these “traps,” causing PA to question her with open disdain at her cleverness.

So what if she gave evasive answers to perfectly valid and relevant questions. So what if she wouldn’t directly answer questions and gave canned, rehearsed responses to even the most basic yes or no questions. So what if she danced and wriggled around, trying to “toy” with PA and get in her “digs.” The PA is “relentless and nasty,” she’s a “cunt!” She’s making this personal! (No, she wasn’t). They are out to get her! They deserve it! Yea, that’s helpful to your defense. The other attorney had every right to be irritated. She wouldn’t answer a damn question, and her responses were slimy. Seasoned attorneys don’t put up with that. That’s why the question was asked 17 times. She tried too hard to weasel out of answering direct questions because she did not like the consequence of answering truthfully. Guilty conscience.

A jury would have hated Jenna. A Judge would in no way have tolerated her behavior during trial. Except, my opinion is apparently wrong, because Jenna tells me she would make an excellent trial witness (it’s actually her attorneys who say this, but really, every character on “her” side is really just Jenna’s mirror - none have any discernable personality whatsoever). Jenna tells me that her testimony was “polite, forthcoming and unshakeable.” She “ran the show,” PA wholly underestimated her. No witness has EVER gotten under that attorney’s skin so much before. God, Jenna, you’re a revelation! You should become an expert witness, you’re so amazing! (Ha! An expert who isn’t even familiar with DEA rules governing her profession?! Right, that’ll fly).

Jenna could not possibly have any percentage of blame for what happened. Forget that she could have waited to get her narcotics ready, she could not have locked up the drugs if she wanted to - the carts they gave her were unlockable! Real story: the carts they used were lockable. In the true story, she testified that she lost her key, lots of people “probably” did. If she was as guilt free as she wants us to believe, why change this aspect of the story? Truth is, she had the means to lock the drugs, but couldn’t be bothered. That’s lazy and careless.

She openly admits to game playing during her deposition, but when it later bites her in the ass in the form of a front page article that wasn’t terribly glowing of her position, she never acknowledges any responsibility for the fallout. Why? Because she is a victim, and a victim only! She is one of the best anesthesiologists around! Drug diversion is urban legend! (Actual testimony, quoted verbatim in the book, and the comment she claims was taken out of context and used to slander her in the article I mentioned like 17 pages ago). The “in-context quote really doesn’t read any better, so I’m not sure what the fuss is about. In both cases, she effectively states she had never heard of such a thing and it didn’t happen. Until, of course, it did. Urban legend indeed. Rather than recognizing her own mouth and evasiveness got her into this mess, she says PA must have written it, calls the reporter corrupt, and has a scene wherein they conspired together to force her into settlement.

Here are some specifics about how everyone else in this world is an asshole, and Jenna is the victim. Page 5 describing the scrub tech she has literally never worked with before and knows nothing about: she tells us she "sees an element of 'white trash'" in the tech, then describes the elements making it so - bleach blonde hair with roots, heavy, smoky eye makeup, an "excess" of tattoos and facial piercings (I'm pretty sure OR staff don’t walk around with facial piercings, and the real perp didn’t have any), and "unrefined" manners." You know, she should be working in a "seedy watering hole," not in health care.

Page 77: first telephone conversation with her attorney, she expressed her stress and jokingly states she could use a "stiff cocktail." She quickly tells us she is joking, however, lest anyone think she’s an alcoholic. What?! Seriously? Who the hell would make that leap? Oh, what about the remark about her (untreated) emotional distress that would make others think she was crazy? Showing such disrespect to fellow doctors, and to demean people with mental health issues so callously? Really? Oh yea, what about when she tells us how funny and irreverent she is when she talks about using Propofol, then calls it “Michael Jackson’s milk.” Oh, you card! Pfffft.

Every expression of how she feels badly for her patient rings utterly false. This is about Jenna and only Jenna. Fuck everyone else. (I should point out that the author’s blog is not terribly kind about her patients - as pointed out in another Amazon review, she is openly disdainful towards her patients...the President...and anyone who is overweight.) Case in point - the actual patient, a 21 year old male former marine, underwent removal of a benign cyst. In the book, he is what can only be deemed a gold-digging sugar baby who went in with her much older, and married, sugar daddy, to obtain "oversized" breasts. She had several piercings, including a clit ring. We are told this to reinforce the notion that she is a skank, a gold digger, and a whore, because apparently having piercings makes you one. Know how we know this? The scrub tech had one too! And as Jenna dutifully explained, the scrub tech was white trash, ergo, so is the patient. At no point did Jenna seem to actually care what happened to the patient. Best example? She tells a therapist she initially felt guilty, but knew from the beginning that her patient was a “lowlife scavenger.”

In case we’ve forgotten what a trashy whore the patient is, when the patient shows up at a deposition, Jenna reminds us she’s “the one with the perky, oversized breasts.” And that she has a clit ring. She probably dresses slutty most of the time, because her conservative clothing that day tells Jenna she was “well prepped” for her attendance. When she chooses not to attend the second half of the dep, it’s because she’s “going shopping with her newly acquired wealth.” You know, the undeserved money she received for being infected with hep C. We hear how when the patient did not respond to the fentanyl injection during surgery (because it was saline), Jenna rightly assumed the patient was tolerant of narcotics. Because she’s a skank, remember, of course she’s probably doing recreational drugs, too. She’s a loser, slut, drug addict with a clit ring. She is a “lowlife,” her attorney a “scumbag,” and she would rather quit her job than pay them one red cent. Look! Facebook photos prove it! In one she’s wearing a skimpy bikini barely covering her “enormous” breasts, a beer in her hand. In another, she was in cutoff shorts and a push up bra posing on the hood of a car.


Unbelievably, I could go on for many more pages about how insulting this book is to one’s intelligence (my original review was literally twice as long as goodreads would allow it to be). It’s so condescending. I get it. Jenna reacted poorly to the situation. She really should have sought professional mental health treatment far before she did, given her level of anxiety. But none of that excuses the way she talks about others, her overall attitude, her refusal to recognize some level of responsibility for the situation, however small. The details with which she chose to take creative license are extremely telling. Far from being nothing personal, this book is little more than a published character assassination of anyone involved in the lawsuit against her.

[Maureen Timerman]

Once I opened the covers on this book, I virtually devoured it. Wow! It contains so many emotions, and the main character Jenna Reiner, is so loveable. We would all want to achieve and be like Jenna. What looks like she has it all...a successful Dr, Wife and Mother. When it all comes tumbling down!
It's Nothing Personal is just as it says, it is greed. Felt so much like real life, and you wanted to reach out and smack one of the characters. Don't know how people live with themselves. Loved what Jenna does to the judge!
Don't want to give much away, as you are going to want to read this for yourself! In all it makes to realize what is really important! It isn't money! Be ready for a roller coaster ride in this one, and I thought I had it figured out, not even close.
I am really looking forward to Kate O'Reilley's next book due out this coming summer, In Good Hands.
Thank you Kate, for this really great read!

I received this book through Pump Your Book Virtual Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review.

[Marsha Biller]

I won this book in a contest on Juniper Grove. I absolutely LOVED this book. I have been closing my parents estate, and it is nerve-wracking. THIS book saved me! I would lay down and read as much as I could for a half hour before bed time. I LOVE how the chapters are short. It was easier for me to read and keep my place.
I am now considering to read her book IN GOOD HANDS. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read stories about believable characters in real life situations. I know if I ever have to go for a surgery, this books story will be lurking in the back of my mind......Great job Kate!

[Donna McBroom-Theriot]

My first chapter review:
It's Nothing Personal is Kate O'Reilley's first book and she's started it with a bang. The writing is intelligent and the characters were well on their way to distinguishing their personalities in the just the first chapter.

The book begins with Dr. Jenna Reiner hurrying along snow covered roads to work, hoping to be on time for the morning's surgery. The author then sets the scene with Dr. Jenna Reiner, the anaesthesiologist, Hillary the scrub tech, and Rebecca, the circulating nurse in the operating room, each setting up their respective stations.

The author's background as an anaesthesiologist, plays to the reader's advantage as she sets the scene for surgery. We watch as Dr. Jenna Reiner gathers the narcotics and supplies from the locked cabinet and places them in her surgical cart, and with a nagging feeling, leaves the OR and Hillary, the scrub tech behind. The chapter ends with Hillary removing the syringes of narcotics and replacing them with syringes of saline solution.

The first chapter left this reader with a feeling of unease, imagining they were being prepped for the surgery that would be taking place in that particular operating room (and highly anticipating the second chapter). If the rest of the book is as well written as the first chapter, then It's Nothing Personal promises pages of nail-biting suspense and drama.

My review of the entire book:
I was captivated after completing the first chapter and went on to read the entire book - as fast as I could! What unfolded and took up the remaining chapters of the book was a bone-chilling fiction documentary (right or wrong - these are my descriptive words) of the author's life. Not only does the author use her anaesthesiology background to give the reader first hand knowledge of the inside workings of an OR, but she goes on to use her lawsuit deposition experience to enlighten the reader to the nerve wracking tactics of barracuda attorneys. The story also shows how friendships and marriage can be tested to the limits, and how even the most loyal of friends may be forced to do things to save themselves.

The author did an amazing job of taking the reader into her life, her being, her emotions, until the words on the pages left this reader exhausted from having stood by Dr. Jenna Reiner's side for two years of her life. It's Nothing Personal (and you will learn that phrase well) takes the reader through the two years of the battle; from the beginning when the surgical tech's abuse of the operating room is discovered, through the agonizing period of waiting to see if the doctor's patients have been infected, and the ensuing malpractice law suit.

After reading the book and knowing that it was based on Kate O'Reilley's real-life experience, my overwhelming curiosity led me to hit the Internet and begin researching. My first stop was the author's website and blog page, and then an in-depth conversation with the author.

In the book, the author speaks of her one true disappointment in the ordeal her family experienced due to the lawsuits. She was not allowed the opportunity to stand up for what she she believed in - justice, and to be the role model for her daughter that she wished to be. She was finally able to accomplish this. The author, Dr. Sherry Gorman, revealed her true identity recently, with the help of Kim Christiansen (9News), in the hopes of helping other physicians.

In closing, I would like to say once again, what a captivating book. It was intelligently written with fully developed characters. The story was intense and suspenseful. It is definitely a book worth reading and I would give it 15 stars if they were available.


Book Quotes:

I would sue everyone involved and take him or her for all that they had. I wouldn't stop until everyone who bore any responsibility suffered miserable. I would seek revenge. At that exact moment, Jenna fully comprehended the degree of trouble she faced if she indeed had an infected patient.

At that moment, Jenna's entire life was dissolving. Everything she had strived to achieve was blowing away, like a pile of dust. Standing in the small room, Jenna felt the air grow thick and heavy. It hurt to breathe. Scorching bile rose up from her stomach, coating the back of her throat. She stared at the letter, but the words bled into one another - a sheet of blurry black waves upon a white background. Jenna needed to flee before anyone could see her. Attempting to escape, her legs buckled beneath her. Unsteady and weak, she pushed herself into motion.

"The judge cleared his throat, never for a second taking his eyes off of Hillary Martin. "Ms. Martin, how do you wish to plea?" "Guilty, Your Honor," she replied, this time slightly louder. "Do you enter this plea on your own free will and not under any coercion or external influence?" "Yes sir." The judge smacked his gavel once. The thud echoed throughout the crowded courtroom, like a gun being fired. "The court rejects your guilty plea."

"Besides your (Jenna) performance in court, your deposition will probably be the most important thing you contribute to your case. To be brutally honest, the purpose of your deposition is singular. It's Anders' chance to get you to hang yourself with your own words. She will try to get you to admit that what you did was wrong. She will attempt to twist our words, trip you up, and make you appear dishonest. She will hammer you with the same questions over and over again for hours in hopes that you will eventually contradict yourself. All while you are being videotaped, audiotaped, and every word you say is transcribed by a court reporter."

"Mommy, please don't cry," Mia begged. "Everything will be okay. Daddy and I promise. Don't we, Daddy?"...Jenna blindly followed her daughter into the bedroom. For Mia's sake, Jenna let her pick out a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. In a reversal of roles, Mia helped Jenna pull her cotton scrub top over her head and tossed it into the hamper...Indulging her daughter was the best thing that had happened to Jenna all day.

Lyle had been secluded in his office for the duration of the deposition. He watched the events unfold from a live video stream supplied by multiple hidden cameras embedded at strategic locations within the conference room. His entire day was spent dissecting the facial expressions, body language, and mannerisms of everyone in the room, particularly those of Dr. Reiner. On more than one occasion Lyle fought the impulse to barge in and attack her. The doctor's soft-spoken nature and composure incensed him.

First appeared at http://mylife-in-stories.blogspot.com

[Linda]

This book will create a wide range of emotions in the reader, especially if they work in health care. Knowing this is based on a real life experience, I found myself haunted by the "This could have been me" feelings. Years ago our operating rooms were considered secure. Anesthesiologists could set up their work area so that every thing, including all the emergency 'rescue' medications were within in an arms length. Precise and organized work areas saved lives, but once the area was 'set up' and ready for the patient's arrival, Anesthesia providers and operating room personnel needed to come in and out of the operating room to attend to other responsibilities, such as interviewing the patient, gather additional equipment and coordinating with other OR staff, etc. Not mentioned in the book is the fact that the table with all the sterile instruments was set up, it was considered vulnerable and a tech or RN was required to stand sentry over the table with sterile instruments to make sure nothing was disturbed. Contaminating a sterile field could kill a patient via an infection. In times before this true incident happened, anesthesia medications were either covered up by a clean surgical towel, and the syringes containing the controlled drugs were often wrapped in a towel and tucked into a drawer out of sight. As the price of drugs on the street rose, everyone was warned to keep watch and secure meds to avoid stealing. But it was a common practice for the tech or RN guarding the sterile instruments to keep watch for the entire OR. It wasn't until around the time of this incident that they were starting to get lock boxes in the OR for controlled substances. Before that time, people either stuck them in their pocket or hid them in a drawer. But for the author of this book, the unthinkable happened. One of the OR staff who should have been trustworthy and was left to guard the OR watched carefully when the anesthesiologist hid her syringes and when the doctor left the room, quickly grabbed the syringe and replaced it with another previously stolen syringe she had emptied into her hepatitis-infected body and refilled with saline. It appeared she left the sterile field and no one knew where she was or why they were waiting so long for her return. Connecting the dots, she was probably in a bathroom shooting up. It wasn't until months later when patients in this hospital were being diagnosed with hepatitis and investigations started to put pieces together that the tech disappearance from the OR was understood. After the news story broke in the paper that there were patients who had contracted hepatitis from a former employee who had been stealing drugs, all the doctors were kept in the dark. The doctors were not initially told which of them had patients who had been infected. As you might expect, the author and her co-workers were horrified at the thought they might have been inadvertently involved in a situation that could have caused a health hazard for their patients. This doctor was devastated that one of her patients might have become a victim of the infected hospital employee. To add to the anesthesiologist's devastation it soon became evident that the doctors would become additional victims of this drug-addicted employee. The anesthesiologist, as well as all the other anesthesiologists who had patients diagnosed with hepatitis after surgery, were in danger of being charged with a crime of reckless endangerment. Many doctors settle quickly just to get the ordeal over with. But this author, determined to prove her actions were the accepted practice and that no laws had been broken decided to fight the lawsuit. The hospital, anxious to absolve themselves of as much guilt as possible and knowing new information might be coming out that would involve many more patients, knew a fast settlement was the only way to protect the hospital from hundreds of further lawsuits. The hospital knew they had to put pressure on the anesthesiologist to settle quickly, and threw the doctor under the bus. As the anesthesiologist describes the range of her emotions, we see her feelings go from the sorrow for her patient's trauma, and the guilt she felt-despite doing only what everyone else had always done to secure medications in the OR, to depression and anger at the lies and manipulations of the prosecuting attorneys. We see the judicial system in action and the need to go after the 'deep pockets' even when those deep pockets might be innocent victims themselves. We see her devastation at being accused, we are chilled by the the lies and attacks that followed for the anesthesiologist. Initially she experienced depression, then anger, then the sober realization that to avoid dragging her family through more misery and humiliation in the press that she would never really be able to continue the fight and absolve herself. Any health care worker will be chilled to the bone to read this haunting story. Those of you who are health care workers have probably heard if there's a law suit, the hospital will protect themselves at all costs. This story will confirm those fears. It is not entirely clear how closely the story in the book follows the authors actual experiences, settlements made between the doctors and the victims were sealed and not available to the public. And as everyone should know, newspapers are never reliable sources of information and can not be believed, but one thing that is certain. One thoughtless, horrible monster of a woman knowing she had hepatitis, continued to reuse syringes over and over as she swapped them with stolen syringes of narcotics. She left dozens and dozens of victims--not only patients infected, but doctors betrayed and careers destroyed. This is a must read for every health care worker.

[Mina De Caro (Mina's Bookshelf)]

Extended review available on Mina's Bookshelf http://minadecaro.blogspot.com/2013/0...

When a newcomer author is able to showcase a promising talent and polished writing skills right from her debut novel, reading becomes a refreshing experience, and even a more invigorating one when that author diligently incorporates in her work a flair for drama and the realism of a memoir. It’s Nothing Personal, medical/legal thriller authored by Sherry Gorman MD and initially published under the pen name of Kate O’Reilley, is a work of fiction but it’s deeply rooted in the author’s knowledge of medical field and personal involvement in an unjust malpractice lawsuit.
The storyline is quite bone chilling – during her employment at St. Augustine Hospital, surgical scrub tech and hepatitis C carrier Hillary Martin has infected a cluster of patients injecting herself with a narcotic drug and replacing the dirty syringes, refilled with saline solution, back on the anesthesiologists’ cart. As a consequence of her heinous acts, some of the doctors have been unknowingly injecting a lethal virus in their patients’ bloodstream. Hillary gets arrested and prosecuted for tampering and diversion of narcotics, but her crime has serious repercussions also on the reputation of the hospital and some of its anesthesiologists, exposing them to law-suits from the infected patients. When Dr. Jenna Reiner gets formally sued, her emotions range from guilt and shame to anger, disbelief, and revulsion. She cannot get rid of the feeling that the hospital administration is covering up information with the intention of using its anesthesiologists as scapegoats. Jenna feels vulnerable and scared, but she is not willing to settle with unfair accusations and exorbitant requests of compensation: the stigma on her reputation as a doctor and her family would simply be too big to bear, even if that means conducting an extenuating legal crusade and facing one of the most aggressive and nasty malpractice attorneys in the state.
I am not able to tell exactly to which extent the novel is an accurate account of true events and in which measure the author added a coat of fictional sheen to the narration, but judging from the way Gorman illustrates tactical aspects of the legal battle, dramatic out-of-court deposition scenes, and traumatic feelings the protagonist experiences throughout her ordeal, the novel seems to be painfully anchored in emotional authenticity and intimate knowledge of legal facts. Only who is acutely aware of the toll a diligent doctor has to pay in order to defend her professional reputation, her personal honor, her family’s well-being against money-hungry lawyers, corrupt institutions, and ruthless media ‘vultures’, can deliver such a powerful and convincing tale. The result is a very absorbing and riveting read. Five stars.

[Michala Tyann]

Reviewed by Michala T

It's Nothing Personal
By Kate O'Reilley


I’ve never been much of a medical drama/thriller kind of person to be honest. I’ve tried my best to get into these books but the genre just…or the writer behind the book has just never been able to grab me and hook me long enough to stick through the entire novel. Until now. OMGosh…First, the cover caught my eye and truthfully, everybody else’s eyes around me. Even my husband who doesn’t care much for reading said he wanted to read this book based on seeing the cover. LOL.


I opened the book, with a little bit of hesitation and doubt because I knew the medical aspects of it might bore me or turn me off. Little did I realize that this book was a loaded gun in my hands! From the moment I turned the first page, it was lock, stock, and barrel for me. I couldn’t put the book down!!!


And it wasn’t just the beautifully poignantly characters such as Jenna Reiner, her lawyers, or her own husband and daughter that made for such a remarkable ride. The storyline is brilliant, becoming ingrained inside you and refusing to let you walk away from it until the very last page.


And I love love love books where I think I know how it’s going to end and the author carries away all likely conclusions and BANG…surprise….you never saw THAT ONE coming! Yep, O’Reilley did it…and exquisitely.


Jenna Reiner, the main character, who has all these pressing issues coming at her thanks to the irrevocable decisions of a scrub tech she barely knew, and was hesitant over in the first place. Now her entire life is in chaos, she’s thrown into some pretty traumatic emotional wreckage and comes very close to losing it completely many times throughout the book. At times, she even does lose it. And the writer made it all so astoundingly real!


I worried about how I would feel reading this book. How I would feel with the medical background, how the boring lawyer stuff and court stuff would tangle my dread and dullness of the story. There was never anything to worry about though. The book carries the reader from the opening to the ending splendidly. The way the corrupt legal system, and the brutal way she is treated, to the choices she makes and why…it all comes down to a story that is one you really can’t afford to miss.


My Verdict: 11/10 (I’ve never before done that!!!)

[Bernard A.]

"It's Nothing Personal," by Kate O'Reilley appears to be an autobiographical novel about a medical doctor faced with a malpractice suit.

Anesthesiologist Dr. Jenna Reiner prepares for a surgical procedure in her usual, accepted manner, following all accepted protocols. What she does not realize is that a drug addict--infected with HVC--working in the OR has taken one of the hypodermics filled with a narcotic and replaces it with one which the addict has used herself, infected with HVC. When Reiner administers the hypodermic, the patient is infected with Hep C.

Reiner is soon lost in the legal world of malpractice, where the only thing that matters is how much money the plaintiff can get out of the medical community. Reiner finds herself battling money hungry lawyers and a hospital that can't throw her under the bus fast enough. Throughout this battle, Reiner vacillates between wanting to fight and wanting to settle just to make it go away for the sake of her family and her own sanity.

O'Reilley's characters are well drawn. Reiner is completely believable, and the reader is won over to her side. Her pain is palpable as she struggles between saving her professional reputation and wanting it all to end. The opposing lawyers and the hospital administrator are stereotypically amoral and, maybe a bit cliche--hence, the four stars.

Still, this is a good read, well worth the reader's time.

[Gigi Frost]

The story is about Jenna Reiner, a doctor who becomes the target of a massive malpractice lawsuit that has not only ruined her unblemished career and reputation, but threatens the very fiber of her existence. Due to the actions of a drug addled, demented hospital worker who decides to infect everyone with Hepatitis C, Jenna finds herself at the center of a media frenzy that has made her a monster overnight.

As her entire existence begins to unravel at an alarming rate, Jenna is faced with a choice. Does she lie down and accept her situation, or does she fight back? She looks to her husband and daughter for emotional grounding. Though she may have been victimized, she chooses not to be a victim.

It's Nothing Personal is a compelling story that will captivate even the toughest critics. I recommend that you set aside some time before jumping into this book, you won't want to put it down.

Get the full review here:
Bookend Chronicles

[Jessica O'Gorek]

I am just not sure how I feel about this book. There were things I liked: Jenna's personal struggle with her circumstances and the whole "bad things happen to good people" sense. I liked Jenna's lawyers and how supportive they were. I am not sure I liked the ending- I know it ended realistically but it was kind of anticlimactic for me. The cover made me think that this would be a medical thriller but it ended up being more like a real life drama. The one thing I did like is how Gorman exposed the nasty world of medical litigation and how doctors can be targeted and have their lives turned upside down just because someone is greedy or vindictive. So all in all this was an interesting read and kept me tilt he end. It didn't let me down I was just expecting something different.

I want to give it a 3.5 but I am going to round it up to a 4 because I'm an author myself and I know how those darn threes can hurt your average!

[LG]

I don't usually read medical dramas, but I definitely was a big fan of ER back in the day. I started reading this novel and could not put it down. You know rationally that bad people exist and that addicts are sick, but you don't expect them to be there while you're having surgery. This story highlights some of the biggest flaws in our "healthcare" system and how we all lose when money is the only priority. I was curious about a technical aspect of the story-- the syringes. I saw a movie based on a true story called "Puncture" that dealt with a similar issue. And single use syringes were designed and finally being used in most Houston facilities. Why this would not be a national imperative, I cannot understand--it could have prevented this woman's nightmare. And what a nightmare. She is more fortunate than most to be able to walk away, intact, and go on to another phase of her life, stronger than before.

[Regina Puckett]

Author Katie O’Reilley knows how to tell an enthralling story. She grabbed my attention on page one and kept it throughout the entire novel.

Dr. Jenna Reiner has the picture-perfect life. She has a good job, nice home and wonderful family. Add a drug addict into the mix and Dr. Reiner’s perfect life is turned upside down.

“It’s Nothing Personal” is a fitting title. Not only is the malpractice suit personal it is vindictive. This tale is filled with emotional turmoil and tough decisions, so how can an unfounded lawsuit be ‘nothing personal’ if it destroys people? You’ll find that answer and more in this riveting story.

[Janice]

The true story is definitely the driving force behind this novel, which reads more like a memoir. So full of detail, its immediately clear that the author's connection to the story is not one of an observer, or even a creator, but as a participant. Her unending devotion to her patients and the guilt she feels at their suffering is real. I found myself heartbroken for the doctor and the patients, incensed at the legal system and furious with the surgical tech who put her own selfish needs above anything else. Definitely an interesting read, and a fascinating case, should you choose to research.

[Dannie Hill]

I will edit this review at a later date, but I would like to tell you I enjoyed this well written story that is based on something that really happened. Kate O'Reilly takes you inside the operating room and explains what really goes on.

It's also a story of what can go wrong when the system breaks down and then looks for a scapegoat. This book was a great read!

[Andrea Beck]

I am not going to give away any spoilers. This book was absolutely brilliant. I adored Jenna and everything about her, she was real and authentic which seems to be lacking with a lot heroines these days.
This has topped as one of my favorite reads!

[guiltlessreader]

Originally posted on my blog Guiltless Reading

I went through a Robin Cook phase of medical thrillers; Coma set me off. I've never had illusions about being a doctor but I find medicine a fascinating subject -- the minute details of our amazing bodies, how medicine affects its processes, and how doctors can make a difference.

It's Nothing Personal is far from Cook's medical conspiracies; it is more a psychological study of a doctor who is sued for malpractice -- how litigation affects one on a personal level, including one's family, and the impacts on one's professional life.


Dr. Jenna Reiner is an anesthesiologist above reproach. She's good at her job and enjoys it. One day, a rogue scrub tech, a narcotics addict, brings mayhem to the hospital by stealing drugs ... and replacing the tainted needles which are in turn used by unsuspecting anesthesiologists on unsuspecting patients. A huge health care ensues, powered along by intense media scrutiny, and Jenna and other doctors are sued by their patients for malpractice.

Jenna fights for her life as she is brought into a complicated web of hospital politics and public relations, and the personal impacts of litigation on the lives of both doctor and patient.

***

This is an excellent book detailing the legalities of medical malpractice suits from the viewpoint of the sued, the doctor. It is interesting to read the flip side of this legal "dance" as many books and media tackle the side of the patient and one naturally puts the patient as the wronged one. I found it surprising that she at one point felt personally responsible for infecting her patient with Hepatitis C!

The plot is simple but it is so frightening realistic. The mental anguish is described in such great detail that I couldn't put it down and I literally felt like I had gone through a wringer when I was done reading. The impacts are far-reaching personally: professionally, malpractice is suicide; but on a personal it was described as a living hell. I felt for Jenna as she strove to keep some sense of normalcy for the sake of her daughter and her husband. But as this dragged on period of time and she slowly grew wearier, weaker, hopeless.

What I loved about Jenna is that she is very much human, stripped to raw emotion, and naked of pretensions -- no superwoman front here. The fact that she found the inner strength and integrity to fight for herself is what I found profoundly moving about her character, and what I felt was core to the story.

As this is semi-autobiographical, and I know that Sherry Gorman had to originally write this using a pen name for fear of the negative exposure, I can't help but wonder how much of it is actually Sherry's experience. You can hear it firsthand from Sherry Gorman in her guest post Down the Rabbit Hole.

Uh-oh: I'm not a huge fan of the cover artwork and font type but I think it captures the spirit of the book very well! And those eyes, I had to cover up the cover because of those eyes!
***

Verdict: An intensely personal story about a doctor sued for malpractice. A detailed psychological look at the personal ramifications of litigation. I recommend this, but make sure you have a free afternoon as you may not be able to put this down so easily!

Read this if:
You enjoy medical thrillers or medical-themed fiction
You're ready for some intense, emotional reading
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle]

I think the moral of the story here is CYA, which means Cover Your Ass. You should CYA whenever possible because you never know when you will be screwed over by someone you love, a friend, a colleague, or your work place. I know I sound jaded, but I learned very early on from one my earlier employers that when it comes down to their business or you, they will happily throw you under the bus and sit and watch as it not only goes over you, but as it backs up and hits you again. If someone else's job is on the line and they have that opportunity to throw someone else to the wolves, they will do so and not think twice about it. Not everyone is that way and there will be the occasional individual who will take personal responsibility for what they have done, but don't ever count on it or expect it.

We are supposed to be a civilized society right? How sad is it that people have trouble doing the right thing? How sad is it that some human beings have blatant disregard for other human beings? It blows my mind how someone with an infectious disease will knowingly infect others and not give a rats ass? It's sickening in ways you can't even imagine. There are only two individuals guilty and that would be the hospital who dropped the ball when hiring this scrub tech and the scrub tech herself. There is no one else who is guilty, well except the cut throat ambulance chasing lawyers for one of the victims. I understand her anger at being infected, but come on there is no other obvious people or establishments who are responsible for this incident. Why would you blame the anesthesiologist? I understand the short term reason which is to get more money, but is it worth it to try and get money out of another party who just happened to be there when it happened. That would be like suing Tyson chicken company because their frozen chicken fell out of the freezer and it broke your foot. It doesn't help when you have scuz ball lawyers whispering in your ear to do things that are seriously immoral.

This book seriously got my hackles up every time I read it. Stupid me chose to read this as I was laying in bed before I went to sleep. Needless to say I had trouble getting to sleep after reading this. I don't have a very high tolerance for injustice so this really had me agitated because I know that this story was based on a true incident and I also went through a similar kind of lawsuit where an individual tried to sue me for $1,000,000 about 10 years ago from a car accident where the woman involved walked away after we bumped stating she was perfectly fine, but came after me later on saying her life was ruined and she was unable to work. She was a snake in the mud too with a bunch of ambulance chasing lawyers who dreamed up fake scenarios to try and get more money. yes I went off on a tangent, but what I'm saying is I understand the situation and this made me as angry as I was when I went through something similar.

The book does not stink, but the whole situation surely does. I know this is a book based off a true incident. My heart goes out to those involved and were negatively affected by the heinous and malicious crime committed by a human being who not only should have known better, but working in the medical field should have felt a responsibility to keep the patients safe.

[iamjenai]

Situation: You badly needed a surgery because there is something wrong in you that needs to be corrected so you entered the operating room (OR), trusted your doctor and the hospital only to find out one illness is gone but somehow in the middle of the surgery process, you acquired a new life-long, deadly disease/infection. What would you do?

In It's Nothing Personal (based on true events), one of Dr. Jenna Reiner's patients got infected by Hepatitis C after the surgery. It was actually a cosmetic surgery, a bust lift. Imagine, the girl only wanted to improve her appearance but she ended up having that life-long/deadly disease. The infection came from a used syringe infected with Hep C by one of the scrub technicians Dr. Reiner trusted. Apparently, this scrub technician is a druggie and she's addicted to Fentanyl. So before every surgery, the scrub technician steals Fentanyl in a syringe and then substitutes one used and infected with Hepatitis C syringe filled with saline in the anesthesia cart. Dr. Reiner wouldn't know about the switch because both Fentanyl and saline look the same.

Okay, let's talk about the trust issues (only one of the many issues discussed in the book). It's a fact, doctors trust staff in the OR, because doctors trust the hospital who hired the OR people. Even I trust those OR people not because I know them personally but because I trust my doctor and the hospital. Even after reading this, I can't decide on the trust issues. It's been three days since I started writing this and yet I still can't finish the review. Oh well, I am about to see my doctor (my OB doctor of 7 years) today for a yearly check-up and maybe I'll ask her something so I can finally stop thinking about this!

Back to the book, the story flowed smoothly. It's like being told by a friend or someone I knew so I just kept on flipping the pages. Every page is interesting at the same time frightening. The protocol for every operation was discussed and I was shocked that the hospital didn't have a clear cut rules on the safekeeping part. I'm not going to say who is at fault, readers of this book can decide for themselves.

There were too many memorable LOL moments in the question and answer portion (deposition). The questions were mosty brutal but Dr. Reiner handled it pretty well, the answers were intellectually funny. I've worked in two law firms for 10 straight years but never had the chance to be in an actual hearing, only read the hearing transcripts and there are some amusing lines from the defendants like this one. The story has too many interesting facts like the first medical thriller (Morton's Fork) I've read the other month. I really liked Dr. Reiner and her husband. His undying love and support to her made me cry at times. The book did not disappoint. I'm sure your money is well-spent on this one.

[Darlene]

This was a good read. When I read the previews for it, I couldn't wait to read it. I like medical mysteries. This one was written from personal experience and gave it so much more meaning to read. I like how the why of the story began-would've liked to of heard a little more about the girl that caused the whole situation of stealing drugs and replacing them with contaminated syringes, but even so, you get the idea of the story and her involvement. I personally think she herself should've been held more accountable for her actions, but to the patients that this happened to, nothing would have become of it because she had nothing to go after. That left the innocent doctors to take the blame and fall for everything. Reading how it affected the doctor herself, you feel for them and what they go through. When you read or hear about things like this, you automatically blame the doctors without knowing everything and never think that something like this could happen. You never get to hear first hand from the accused doctor about how this affects them or their families. I used to work in a hospital and had access to many drugs at anytime because I seen first hand how careless things could be run. But, unlike the person in the book, I never thought of doing anything like that. Anyways, reading about how this blame consumed the doctor, brought her to a level she never thought she would ever go through. I was glad to see that she had support from her husband and daughter, many families would fall apart over something like this. As I was reading the book, I kept hoping she wouldn't give up, to keep fighting to clear her name. I also was beginning to get the feeling that there may have been other reasons why they wanted this to go away like all the others. At first I thought that maybe someone in the hospital hired the girl to purposely infect people, but then realized she was a scapegoat for other cases but it still didn't release her of what she had done. Then when the lawyers approached the presiding judge and basically blackmailed him, I for a moment thought he wouldn't go through with it, but he did and that forced Jenna, the doctor to settle. I was pleased at the end when everyone involved got caught-makes one wonder if the judge actually had a change of heart. I was a little sad that the doctor decided not to continue with medicine after all the training and being so proud of what she had accomplished. But, in the end, all that matters was she is happy and so is her family. Very good read, and looking forward to reading the next book coming out soon. That one looks good too!!!!! Keep up the good work Sherry!!!! You have a new fan.

[Jennifer]

This is a great and suspenseful medical/ legal thriller. The words in this novel flow so well and the emotions are so real that I was not even aware that I was turning the page. It's Nothing Personal gives the reader an inside look at the inner workings of not only what the doctor and main character goes through at her job on a daily basis but it also explains the nightmare of what this poor woman goes through when her worse fear comes true and she is sued for something she has no control over and for something she is not at fault for.

Jenna Reiner is a mother, wife and doctor. Her life is good and she is happy. She has a beautiful and sweet daughter who fills her heart up every time she thinks about her. She has a loving and caring husband who loves her with all of his life. He would follow his wife through Hell and back and when that is what their lives come to he is there for her every step of the way.

Jenna is an anesthesiologist and she worked very hard to be at the top of her class, it was also one of the most stressful times of her life. She lost sleep and stressed over her grades and endured being belittled through her residency and when it was finally over she had the pride that she had made it and she could be the best doctor she knew how to be take care of her patients and be the best doctor she could be.
So when she starts hearing that the hospital she is working at has hired someone who stole drugs from the anesthesiologists and replaced the needles with used ones Jenna is in utter disbelief. She can only pray that she is not one of the doctors that this has happened to. But her prayers are not answered and she is soon to find out that even though she did her best to secure her drugs the hepatitis C carrying scrub tech, Hillary Martin, did indeed find away to steal from her and manage to pass her horrible virus to one of her patients and while doing so she has also turned Jenna's life upside down.

As I read this book and followed Jenna's battle and read what she and her family went through I completely forgot that this is a work of fiction and was drawn in to every word and emotion. There was even one part where Jenna's 11 year old daughter, Mia, sees the toll this is paying on her mother and takes the time to care for her. During this one chapter I was brought to tears; the love and compassion this family has for one another is the true fact that keeps them all going.

This is a wonderful and emotionally powerful novel. I'm very glad I read it.

[Sara]

I was excited to receive this novel as a First Read give away. I thought it was going to be a medical thriller. In fact, it was much better, a page turner which I had a hard time putting down.

It's Nothing Personal is the story of an a anesthesiologist, Jenna Reiner, who becomes the target of a malpractice action. Because of the actions of a drug addicted scrub tech hired by the hospital, Dr. Reiner and other anesthesiologists unknowingly infect a patients with Hepatitis C. The drug addicted scrub nurse is arrested; however, many of the anesthesiologists, including Dr. Reiner, are sued by those infected. All the physicians settle immediately, except for Jenna Reiner, who fights the unfair charges against her. The book concentrates on the emotional, personal, and professional toll of this fight on Jenna Reiner.

The author did an outstanding job of making Jenna Reiner a believable and human character. One of the draws of the novel was learning how she reacted to each new hurdle she encountered. And she was easy to identify with - I found myself worrying about her, cheering her on, and hoping for the best.

The author also presents very corrupt legal professionals representing the infected patients. These pros are characterized as doing anything, legal and extra-legal, to win money for their client and to discredit the doctor. I found this most disturbing; if in fact medical malpractice attorneys do behave in this way - and I am afraid that may be the case - how are doctors able to perform their jobs with that constant worry hanging over their heads?

Thank you GoodReads for introducing me to this new author. I look forward to reading her next novel, In Good Hands, which releases in summer.

[TAMMY CUEVAS]

Unbeknownst to Dr. Jenna Reiner and the rest of the staff at St. Augustine Hospital, one of the surgical technicians has been stealing drugs from the OR. By replacing the used syringes on the tray, she has infected countless patients with Hepatitis C, changing lives forever. One of the lives forever changed is Dr. Reiner's. When she is named as a defendant in a malpractice suit, she is forced to fight for her career and everything she holds dear.



It's Nothing Personal is one of the most gripping novels I have read in some time. Malpractice suits are so commonplace that most no longer consider the effect that a frivolous or misplaced suit can have on the doctor. This tells the story from the doctor's point of view. The grief, humiliation, and anger are all portrayed for the reader. The author wrote the novel after her own experience with a malpractice suit, and it shows. Reading this is as painful as reading her diary.

Be prepared to be angry at the drug-addicted surgical technician. She is not portrayed as having any real redeeming qualities while committing her crime. Her only remorse is when she is caught. Of course, if I were one of her victims, I would be angry at her, so it made sense to me.

Fascinating medical thriller with strong language.

5 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Pump Up Your Book book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[LAWonder10]

WOW! What a tremendously talented writer Sherry Gorman (alias Kate O'Reilley) is!

This was a bittersweet and powerful story of an anesthesiologist who lived through
two years of a nightmare. Through the acts of a selfish, ruthless individual, the
repercussions affected the lives of many innocent people, including Dr. Jenna Reiner.

It is the amazing account of the impact society and some of the evils of power and
money can have in bringing the worst out of individuals.

Without spoiling the struggle of the main character, Jenna, and all she had to repeatedly
endure, I will list some of the key points made in the story.

Drug addiction, hospital security and procedures, medical employees, malpractice
attorneys and lawsuits, mental instability/depression.

I could not hardly bear to put the book down. The only two complaints I have is:
#1. I did not like the books beginning. It left the reader becoming frustrated with
what it referred to which kept the reader distracted until further in the book.
The attention-getting line could have easily been worked in a little further into the
beginning chapters and less distracting.
#2. The profanity and crudeness was very unnecessary, plus, couple of inappropriate
intimate sex scenes added nothing to the story and was put in as if meant for a different
story. It really didn't pertain to the plot. It would have been sufficient to profess the
expletives were used and word the intimate feelings as the author effectively did in the
rest of the story.

Nevertheless, it was a profound story and very well-written.

The book was exchanged for an honest book review which I have honestly given.

[Anna Isabella]

It's nothing personal is about Dr. Jenna who works at St. Augustine hospital. She is an anesthesiologist, and what she thought was going to be a normal day turned out to be the worst day of her life. The doctor who was going to be performing the survey was running late, so Jenna went to go talk to the patient. While Jenna was gone there was still the scrub tech, Hillary Martin, in the OR. She used the needles that Jenna has filled with Fentyal for the patient and injected them into her self. Then she refilled the syringes with saline. She had Hepaitis C and put that infected needle back on the tray. Hillary Martin did this serval times, infecting many patients with Hepatitis C. My favorite part of the book was when Hillary Martin went to the police station and turned herself in. I liked this part of the book so much because you didn't know what was going to happen next. When Hillary was in the room tell the story of what she did the way the author used detail made you feel like you were in the same room as Hillary and the two deceives. Kate O'Reilly even described how Hillary was fiddling with her water bottle. The author made this chapter of the book so interesting and you had no idea what was going to happen next. I would refer this book to anyone who likes high action. You also have to like medicne and be interested or this book will be boring. I say that because the author is actually a doctor so she truly knows how the OR works and depicts it very well. It's Nothing Personal was an intense book that kept you on your toes. If you liked the feeling of being on the edge you will love this book!!!

[Erin]

What happens when routinely doing your job, to the best of your ability, turns into a lawsuit and leaves you wondering how it all happened? Doctor Jenna Reiner, an anesthesiologist, is happy with her life and enjoying her work, when her whole world is turned upside down. She finds one of the staff members has been stealing syringes and returning them contaminated with hepatitis C. Unknowingly, Jenna fears she may have accidentally infected one of her patients. Jenna is caught in a nightmare battle making her question everything she does, hating her job, and all together just wearing down. It effects her work, her family, her appetite, everything. The more she fights, the tougher it gets and there are no sign up it letting up. Jenna feels trapped. Can she follow through with the lawsuit, trying to prove her innocence, or should she settle to be done with the entire ordeal?

This book was suspenseful and really grabs you from the first chapter until the very end. Every chapter brought another obstacle in Jenna's lawsuit. Just when you think everything is getting better and things are on the up, something else happens to make it much worse. Kate O'Reilley really makes the reader feel as though they are right with Jenna throughout the entire lawsuit. I could feel the stress and anger while going through the pages and seeing how Jenna was being worn down and falsely accused throughout the entire process. The book was hard to put down and has you wondering throughout the whole book, how and when will the lawsuit end?

[Dana]

I have a book review for you 9I thought I did this but I didn't see I'm getting old lol anyway this is "Its Nothing Personal" By Sherry Gorman... I Loved this book.. I usually do not read Medical Dramas , way too many Medical words I don't understand. HOWEVER Author Sherry Gorman MD Knows how to put a story together for people like me. Our Heroine, Dr. Jenna Reiner seems to be living the American Dream, a great husband a beautiful daughter and she is a very respected anesthesiologist at a well renowned hospital. All of this changes when ONE very messed up O.R. worker addicted to drugs switches Clean Syringes with Hepatitis infected ones to steal the drugs she needs.ALL HELL breaks loose the hospital and the anesthesiologists are sued and things get really ugly .. at one point I wanted to jump in the book and strangle defense attorney Allison Anders. Her questioning in the Deposition of Dr. Reiner is nothing other than verbal Abuse..You feel every emotion that Jenna is feeling , the fear , frustration mistrust of everyone you trusted.. even yourself, the guilt of thinking "could I have prevented this" The outcome was not what I expected, but fits well with the story ... and the "higher -ups " at the hospital makes you wonder what REALLY goes on... I highly recommend this book and can't wait for her next one I give this book 5 Hawaiian leis (read the book you'll understand) Well done Sherry.. well done!!

[melydia]

Jenna Reiner is an anesthesiologist whose life is turned upside-down when one of her patients contracts Hepatitis C from a contaminated syringe, switched out by an infected scrub nurse stealing drugs. One of the victims decides go sue not only the scrub nurse, but the hospital and Jenna herself; this is mainly the story of her experience being sued. I found the legal portions of the story interesting, but Jenna herself was a little bit tiresome, what with everybody always talking about what a saint she is, and how different she is from those awful other doctors. The ending was at once disappointing and realistic. All the same, it was a change from the usual, since here we have a medical malpractice suit from the doctor's point of view, with the reminder that everyone involved is a well-meaning human being (except maybe the lawyers).

A bit of background I knew going into this: the author of this book went through a very similar situation. I don't know that all the characters acted quite as she portrayed them, but it was an informative survey of the process and, I imagine, a fairly cleansing act for the author herself. I haven't decided if I'm glad I knew that this story was semiautobiographical beforehand or if it would have been better to find out afterward, but it certainly didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. It just added a few extra "I wonder if this is really how it happened" questions from time to time. Certainly a different kind of medical drama.

[Star]

Dr. Jenna Reiner is an anesthesiologist who takes pride in her work and is very good at her job. One morning, she finds out a scrub tech was found to have been replacing needles which had been filled with the narcotics needed for the surgical patients with dirty needles filled with saline. Now everything Dr. Reiner’s worked for is at risk because of a junkie who has Hepatitis C and has possibly infected hundreds of people, if not more. Dr. Reiner is being sued by a former patient and the greedy lawyers and their client will stop at nothing to ruin her, professionally and financially. Will Dr. Reiner be able to hold her own and win or will she be just another doctor ruined by this scandal?

‘It’s Nothing Personal’ is like a “ripped from the headlines” episode of Law & Order. Dr. Reiner is a hardworking doctor, wife, and mother. When she is sued for something which is not her fault, as she was as much a victim as the patient, she wants to fight. I don’t know how I would feel in her position, but the author has brought Dr. Reiner’s anguish and anger to palpable levels. I enjoyed ‘It’s Nothing Personal’, but it was equally terrifying, especially as I work in a similar field. I think other readers will also be quickly drawn into the story and empathize with the characters who bring it to life.