She found the first victim...now she might be the next. In South-Western Ontario a crafty, vicious psychopath is at work excising the kidneys of the women he abducts. Doctor Claire Valincourt, recently jilted, finds his first victim and assists with the autopsy. But little does she know the killer has his sights on her, too. Relationship-jaded Detective Gerry Rosko desperately searches for a serial killer who is on a quest of his own—the hunt for a perfect kidney for the terminally ill mother he tends. Will Rosko track him down before Claire becomes his next victim?
Award-winning author Bev Irwin began her writing career at the tender age of eight with the publication of her poem about daffodils. She continued to write poetry for many years while she became a registered nurse, married, had three children, and worked in several hospitals and several areas of nursing. She has always been an avid reader. When an injury gave her the time to delve into writing, she began her first novel, pausing to write several children's books. She loves to attend writing conferences and meet other writers and fans.
Bev likes to add a touch of medical to her romance and mystery novels. She also writes YA, children's and of course, still some poetry. She lives in London Ontario with two cats, and a mischievous puppy. Her three children have flown the coop but her granddaughter Jasmine is a frequent visitor. She prefers spending time anywhere but in the kitchen
Oh wow ! I was so into the zone with this one. A thriller that sent shivers down my spine. When I first started reading it I was cringing, ah yuk, I was so imagining the procedure.. As time went on and I read more, time just slipped me by. I got up early this morning so that I could finish the last few chapters. I was so saying urrgghhh as how could they do this. And when bodies were found, I was finding myself actually `seeing` them. I then realised that was because of the remarkable writing of this author. The description, the surroundings, the people involved, the emotions, forensics etc etc were so interwoven without you noticing that it became a film in my mind. Yes there was romance in the book, but it wasn't what I describe Mills and Boon (not that I'm saying there is anything wrong with Mills and Boon lol) just that instead of happy ever after the reader wasn't insulted by intelligence. You will know what I mean when you purchase it and read it.
Well plotted, medical side was intriguing.
I received this book from the author as an ARC for my honest review.
Without Consent – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
He probed for the next vessel, clamping and cutting in a similar fashion. The cavity brimmed with blood and he couldn’t see. But now, it didn’t matter. He had what he wanted. He lifted his hand. He felt resistance. A Tiny tenuous cord stretched out of the wound. Another vein. Grasping the scalpel, he carved through the connecting tissue and the organ came free. For several seconds he nestled the coveted organ as if holding a newborn robin in the palm of his hand. Its warmth seeped through his latex gloves. Below his hand, blood surged into the gaping wound. He shot a glance at the woman’s face. Mary Jane, her driver’s license said. How plane. He’d call her Gabrielle. Yes, she was more beautiful than a Mary Jane.
Dr. Claire Valincourt, works the ER at Grace Memorial Hospital. In her worse dreams she never expected to find what she found while jogging to work one evening. A foot, sticking out of the bushes. It was pale and white and Claire sound found, it was attached to a body. A dead body that looked as though it might be a patient that had for some reason left the hospital after having surgery. There was definitely an incision going down the woman’s stomach and the incision had been stitched back together. But why was she in the park and not still in her hospital bed. That’s a question that the police will have to answer.
Detective Gerry Rosko got the call that there was a body found in the park. What he never expected to find was that the woman didn’t just have surgery within the hospital but somewhere unknown. He learned after the autopsy that the sloppy job of her surgery had allowed her to bleed out and she was missing a kidney. Pressure on him was to find the killer but that pressure was increased tenfold when another victim was found in yet another park. As with the first victim, this one had bled out and was also missing a kidney.
Without Consent had me looking over my shoulder as I walked my dog at night. The tension this book puts out as Rosko tries to find a serial killer before he strikes again had me just about biting my nails. Then when it looks like he may go after Claire I was really on the edge of my seat. This is a good one for Criminal Minds to pick up. It’s believable and will scare the heck out of you for at least a few days.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review and I must say I'm very glad I did and I will definitely be reading more by this author. Im a huge fan of crime thrillers and this one did not disappoint. It had me gripped from the opening paragraph and kept me intrigued right to the very end. The scenes and settings are well thought out, with plenty of graphic details. There's nothing worse than reading about a murder and having to guess whats going on. It's very fast paced and has just the right amount of medical jargon to keep you interested without overwhelming you. The characters are realistic and without giving too much away, who doesn't love a strong female character who can kick a bit of ass when needed! My one and only negative, and it is a tiny tiny one was the romance aspect. I felt it was a little bit rushed and therefore not quite as realistic as I would have liked. But equally in saying that I do appreciate that this novel hasn't been taken over by the romance as often happens which leads to the main story lacking. It in no way detracts from the story. I will definitely be recommending this book to others.
Medical thrillers are not usually my first reads, but Without Consent was one I couldn’t put down. Right at the beginning it starts out with Doctor Claire Valincourt finding a victim’s body. From there it’s a rollercoaster ride, with just the right amount of medical tech to go with the romantic tension between Claire and Detective Gerry Rosko. The suspense kept me reading long after I should have turned out the lights. However, seeing into the murderer’s mind was very well done without being so graphic it would give nightmares. Best of all was the little twist at the end. Claire is no Sleeping Beauty just waiting for her Prince Charming to come and rescue her. I really like that!
This was the first book that I have read by this very talented author. I was hooked from the very beginning! Medical thrillers are one of my favorite type of books and Without Consent did not disappoint. It was filled with suspense about a killer who removes a kidney from his victims.
Anyone who likes lots of suspense will enjoy this fast paced read because you will not want to put it down! I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Creepy, scary and well written. Books that include serial killers terrify me because it is all too real. Kept me on the edge of my seat and scared me to death. I enjoyed the romance. It was not too heavy handed or unrealistic. I personally don't care for, "they ride off into the sunset" and Bev did not insult us by doing that. They were real people and easy to relate to. The medical aspect was obviously written by someone who knows medicine. I would recommend this book unless you want puppies and roses. This was high action. My first book by this author and I will read more.
I received this book free for my review. This will not be the last book of Ms Irwin's I will read! I had a hard time putting it down. In fact I had to get up in the night to finish it. It will hold you ib its grip until you have finished it. The characters are real and the sroryline will grab you.
*I was given this book by the Author in exchange for an honest review.
Let me begin by telling this author bravo on her writing skills. She is able to weave an image into your mind that places you into the story on every page. It was also wonderful that this was a novel I could relate to - medical/police. I'm a paramedic and encounter some pretty gruesome stuff every day. I was familiar with most of the drugs, procedures, and what the author was depicting, which made me more capable of placing myself inside the book...and I loved that!
With that being said, let me go ahead and get on with the gripes. :( Please procede with caution there are some *SPOILERS* here. The main gripe is that their was virtually almost no change in the murders. I am aware that serial killers will stick to their same MO, choose familiar looking victims, hunt from the same area, etc. But...lets be honest. After the victims kept ending up in the same dully light room with the same procedures being done, the same body dump type location, the same snatch and grab...etc. I really REALLY wanted to put the book down. I'm glad I didn't because the author did slowly climb out of this repetitive slump and hurdle that mountain. I also felt that the characters were very cliche' type. I work with these type of men and women everyday and there are so many different angles that the author could have gone. Instead, the familiar route was chosen of the cop who had the failed relationships, eats doughnuts, coffee, coffee, and my goodness did we talk about coffee. The doctor, who falls for the detective? Cops and nurses. Cops and Medics. Cops and Doctors. That describes about 75% of what relationships cops have. **END SPOILER**
Now, let me step back out of this rant, because as I said before...this writer is good. No, not good...great! I'd be interested to see some of her other works because I believe she is a very talented author. I just feel like she missed hitting the target on this book. It was hard to get through the lulls, the climaxes were suddenly cut off just as they were picking up speed (such as with a chapter end), and it was a story line that I believe most have heard before.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Without Consent by Bev Irwin is a creepy, frightening, terrific murder mystery. It is a bit long, but I seriously didn't notice until I sat down for this review. It is very detailed with several alternating points of view. I had several suspicions, so it was fun to watch this one play out. Definitely a movie waiting to happen. I would read so many more of these.
Without Consent! A medical/police thriller! First of all many thanks to the author for sending me this thriller in return for my honest review! Right in the first pages the story pulls the reader into it ,which went into crime ,cruelty ,horror alike! the author created a perfect pl0t which resulted in very detailed investigation, but the best thing i found was that the author got the gripping tensity back in the story to get the readers full interest back which went troughout the story! A gripping by the throath thriller,psycholocigal high level! Easy comparable with books of michael palmer or robin cook! So fans of these authors ,its a must read!!Agaranteed page turner till the very end! I, ll give it the highest score 5 stars , but actually it should be above this! So again thanks author Bev irwin, I hope the is coming again such a new thriller soon! iam in!!!!