Outcome

by Barbara Ebel

What if, through no fault of your own, you become ill and need an organ transplant? Who’s going to come to your rescue when you’re put under a bad surgeon’s knife?

In this medical fiction novel, a young woman and her Labrador Retriever flee a barrier island as Hurricane Ivan roars towards them. But a policeman is about to make a horrible mistake.

There is despair and hope, loss and recovery, guilt and romance; and a world of characters who spring to life around the central tragedy of the ensuing car crash and it is through Karen's organ donation that a woman with liver disease may be given a second chance.

But what happens when a pilot aborts the transplant team's flight? And what becomes of the hurricane-battered dog who escapes the crushed metal pile into the blowing sand and gusty wind?

And above all, what happens in the operating room during one of the most difficult surgeries performed in medicine?

192 pages, ebook

First published August 3, 2011

About the author

Barbara Ebel is an award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author who sprinkles credible medicine into the background of her medical suspense novels. Since she is a physician and specialized in Anesthesiology, her operating room scenes shine. However, her vivid characters and plots take center stage.

She has penned three medical suspense series, and two separate medical novels. Definitely check out the New Book Release at the bottom.....

“Doctor Barbara’s” Dr. Annabel Tilson series includes six books (which can each stand alone), and is based on a female medical sleuth who promises exciting times on the wards as well as in her personal life. Two books in the series have won awards: Death Grip, the 4th book, won the 2018 NIEA award (National Indie Excellence Award), and Deadly Delusions won the 2017 Kindle Book Awards Semi-Finalist for thrillers.

Her first series, the Dr. Danny Tilson novels, takes place in Tennessee and is based on a neurosurgeon who has his hands full in the O.R. as well as in his personal life due to a female villainess, a favorite character of readers (who have a love-hate relationship with her). Dr. Danny’s third book, Collateral Circulation, was the 2015 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist for Medical Thrillers. Operation Neurosurgeon, the first book in the series, was the top finalist for best-selling medical mystery books in 2012. (Best Selling Books' blog announced on PR Buzz Press Release Wire, Chicago, IL).

Dr. Ebel lives in a natural wildlife corridor in Tennessee with her husband and dogs. She maintains an active, non-clinical role in medicine, and loves to hear from readers.

You may find more information about her and her books at:
http://barbaraebelmd.com
Her twitter handle is: @barbaraebel

In addition to her adult writing, she has illustrated and penned a children's book series called Chester the Chesapeake. The books developed during her philanthropic visits with her therapy dog, Chester. The dog books continue to inspire adults and children alike. (Chester the Chesapeake).

NEW BOOK RELEASE April 2024:

"BLUE, the Deaf Agility Dog," is a heartwarming story about BLUE, who is a deaf, rescued dog owned and trained by the author.

Reviews

[Jan Robbins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outcome

Was a good story just not as suspenseful. I loved Putt Putt. He actually made the story good! Enjoyed reading it

[Annarita Guarnieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outcome is a book that is difficult to place in any given genre, because it touches so many aspects of life and of the human soul. My very first impression is that it reminds me of a book I read, and loved, many years ago, The Human Comedy, by William Saroyan.
The setting is quite different, of course, but the elements of tragedy, and of the ability of the human soul to cope with it are the same.
Here we aren’t facing the World One period, but we have a life-threatening situation all the same, with the hurricane Ivan heading toward Florida, and we see how a place so wonderful that it can be considered a piece of heaven on earth can become a deadly trap in a matter of minutes.
A life is lost, another is in the balance, and in between a small dog, Putt-Putt, fights to understand this sudden subversion of his world and to survive.
And around this central tragedy, which is made of despair and hope, of loss and recovery, a whole universe of characters comes to life. People who otherwise would never have met find their way into each other’s life, and this interaction changes their life forever.
Barbara Ebel proves herself to be not only a skilled physician but also a very skilled author. Her medical insight lends a deeper ring of truth to the parts of the story that unfold between the OR and the ICU of the Good Samaritan Hospital, and her skill as an author is proved by the way she weaves the threads of so many lives throughout the book and to the proper end for each of them. Even for Putt-Putt, who is one of the main characters, never far from the heart of the reader.
Decidedly a good reading, a book hard to put down, fully worth a five star review

[Judith Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!!!

I enjoyed this book first and foremost because her characters were interesting. That each one showed me not only what they said and did but, I also found out what they were thinking at that same time----even the DOG!!! I love good medical novels and I enjoyed Ebel's true to life descriptions of real life in the ER; in surgery, at times; in the ICU's of the various kinds; and the follow-up and care that the average patient receives.
The story line was interesting, as a stage to help people understand what goes on in our hospitals. But, not realistic because usually the donor fAmily Nd the recipients family highly discouraged from meeting.
I would recommend this author to those who have an interest in medicine.

[Joana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whilst this could have been a wonderful story, I was lost in a pile of medical jargon I thought I'd never get out of. I found myself skipping over pages just so I could get to the actual story. I've never used my kindle dictionary so much in one book. Whilst I love expanding my vocabulary, in some instances not even the dictionary could help me. This went from being an interesting novel to an absolute pain in the butt that I had to struggle to read. I believe the author could have done way better by limiting the medical jargon to the places where it was actually needed.

[judy koepsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Locally Revelant

This book was particularly interesting to me as I live in that area. The story seemed to bog down occasionally but despite this I would recommend it. The subjects of hurricanes, medical and pets appealed to me.

[Julie Morales · Rating 4 out of 5]

CONNECTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES

This was a fascinating book. Lives that have no connection, people who would have no reason to meet each other, do meet and their lives are forever connected.
Jennifer is a teacher and diagnosed with Hepatitis C. The disease has done so much damage to her liver that she needs a transplant. She has two children, Amelia and Johnny. They live in Kentucky.
Karen, Rick and their daughter Tanya live in Florida but Tanya is going to college in Indiana, so when hurricane Ivan is headed for their home, she’s not there and Rick is in Peru on business. Karen is tasked with preparing their home for the monstrous storm and evacuating with their dog, Putt Putt. She never makes it off the island.
Johnny and Amelia meet Tanya as they’re waiting for their mother’s transplant to begin.
The rest of the book follows Jennifer’s progress, as well as the relationship developing between Tanya and Johnny. There’s also a huge dislike on the part of one of the surgeons for the anesthesiologist, and they have a few run-ins regarding Jennifer. At the end of the book, though, the surgeon is hoping the anesthesiologist doesn’t hold as much animosity as he himself does, because he finds his life in the other doctor’s hands.
This was just an amazing book that I can’t tell so much more of because I don’t want to spoil it, but if you like medical fiction with a twist, you might like this one. I know I did.

[Tina S Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible book !

When I started this book, it never occurred to me. It was gonna turn out like it did. I don’t cry when I read books, but this one literally had me crying. There was so much going on and everything came together so well in the book very well written. This is an excellent read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I’m excited that I found a new author to follow as well, I can’t wait to read more by Barbara Ebel .

[Janice Homola · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent story telling

The story was excellent and kept this reader interested, but, there are many odd, incorrect and awkward wordings within the book. Still though, it was a good interesting read. I’d love to be able to proofread before publication of these books. I’ve noticed this issue before but was reluctant to mention. But it seems a bit worse with this book. Still worth the read though!

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was about medicine ie: transplants and how hospitals have to respond to the urgency of transplants. Learned a lot and was so true to life, but mostly I liked the interconnections of lives even down to very smart intuitive pets!

[Shawn Nies · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely disappointed.
If I wanted to read a medical textbook, I would have done so. Blase story line. Kept waiting for the story to improve and then it abruptly ended. Not sure I will read anything else by this author, because this book was horribly boring and just short of preachy.

[Mary L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reading

I loved it. I love books that have dogs, especially, well trained and loving as ,Sandi , aka putt-putt. He was loved by many. I cried alot, but also smiled also. A lot of different characters and that is what makes this a great book.

[valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book.

I would recommend this book to anyone, it was very detailed and I loved the characters in this book they seemed so real.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's a nice story, though I never really figured out what the plot of the book was, if the transplant was to be the shining star of the book, then the author achieved her purpose, because the sub-plots were weak and that is unfortunate because there was a lot of potential for some great stories to develop. I wish the rest of the book had been as well developed as the parts when we were in the operating room. The medical lingo was way too in depth, at times I felt like I was reading a manual. Sure it's great that the author, as a medical professional, knows what all those machines, tubes and procedures are called, and can describe them in detail, but do we really need to know as non-medical professionals just trying to read a novel? I didn't, and felt it was distracting.

I have not read anything else from this Author to know if that is typical in all of her books. If someone I knew were on a transplant list and wanted to know everything that was going to happen, this would be the book to recommend. The most glaring issue I have with the book are the grammatical errors and lack of depth when NOT discussing the medical procedures. I found most of the sub-plots to be un-believeable, and lacking depth. The parts from the dog's view were a nice touch, though the rest of the sub plots were just barely touched on, and the characters and their stories just weren't fleshed out enough, or believable enough.
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[Sandy Wolters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story of the ultimate gift

I really enjoyed this book. There were several story lines that came together beautifully. This story is a testament to organ donation and the lives it can touch. From those who have lost a loved one, to those that are given the miracle of life through that devastating loss.

I really liked the characters, except one that shall remain nameless, as well as the intensity of the situations they find themselves in. The technical scenes in this book were written so brilliantly, that I would not be surprised to learn that the author, Dr. Barbara Ebel, was a trained pilot as well as an anesthesiologist. I came to really care about the characters in this book. and feel with them as well as for them. Okay. I'll admit it. I cried.

This book has something for everyone in it, even dog lovers. I'm not going to tell you anything about Whiskey/Putt-Putt/Sandy. I want this very touching part of the book to unfold for you as it did for me.

If you get a chance to pick up a novel, I recommend this book, Outcome, A Novel, by (Dr) Barbara Ebel. You will not be disappointed.

[mountainmama · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Hurricane Ivan barrels toward Florida, a woman trying to evacuate a vulnerable coastal area is involved in a fatal car accident. Through her death, the gift of life is bestowed upon a complete stranger. We follow the story of harvesting her organs, transplanting, and the donor/recipient families’ struggles to cope with the process. A parallel storyline tracks the family pet, PuttPutt, who escaped the crash, but is set adrift in a world turned upside down by the aftermath of the deadly storm.

Dr. Ebel is a master at writing medical dramas. Her background allows detailed views of the complicated course of organ transplantation. A lot of the jargon was over my head, but gave a good sense of the amount of work behind the scenes and the dangers inherent in the procedures. I found it fascinating.

Well-written and fast-paced, the tension will keep you turning pages well into the night. She manages to balance grief and hope, sadness and joy, disaster and recovery. Read it!!

[Melodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outcome is a fictionalized tale of a real event, Hurricane Ivan in 2004.The story follows the cascade of events that begins with the evacuation of the Gulf.Unlikely friendships are forged, lives are lost and lives begin anew as the massive hurricane bears down on Florida.
I really enjoyed this read. Barbara Ebel is an MD turned author, and she makes excellent use of her medical background.The drama of the operating room is one of the things I loved about this story.she balances the medical language with explanations that strike the right balance.
Her characters are every day people caught up in extraordinary events.I was caught up in the story right away and stayed that way through the end.Loved this book!

[Sunny M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story really touched my heart. A woman and her dog are leaving an island to run from a terrible storm. However, a policeman makes a terrible mistake and the woman dies in an accident. But soon they discover someone needs a liver transplant. The family has a tough decision to make and the woman who needs the transplant is a single mother with two teenage children. Will they offer refuge to the single mother to save another life? Only time will tell in this wonderful and heartwarming story with many twist and turns. And what happens to the poor pet dog who wandered aroumd trying to find a new home?

[Bluejay44 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read - I would actually have given this 4.5 stars, but it was much more engrossing than others I have rated as 4 star. Loved the story and was really drawn into the lives of all (bar one) the characters, including that of the dog. Usually I have several books on the go at once, but this got read straight through. The only parts I found hard to read were the detailed medical terms, they distracted my attention, yet I dared not skip them in case I missed some important details.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Barbara Ebel's books. They have adventure, strong characters and are clean to read. Outcome seems to be a stand alone novel from the other novels she has written but no less interesting. A anesthesiologist and his pilot wife are the main characters in this book. How they are both involved in a kidney transplant and the families involved in the incident. Would recommend if you like Barbara's other books.

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh.

That's about all I can say about this book. It was fairly interesting how all the subplots came together but it felt like work. I slogged thru parts and some I skimmed and skipped. Characters were pretty thin and predictable. Overall I was just left with a feeling of "meh" at the end.

[linda m. johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outcome, a Novel

This was a great read, h ok never the ending left you hanging and not knowing what reallyhappnened to the rest.

[Geneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outcome, A Novel tells about an organ donor's children, and the recipient's children. By chance, the children meet, console each other, and accept what happens.

[Shirley Delamar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and Realistic

I lo ed the story and would have given it five star rating had it no been for some of the language used.

[Alison]

kindle medical fiction