Code Pink

by Marilyn Mets

CODE PINK - Emergency! A child is missing! In 1980s Chicago, third-year medical student Joan Turner begins her specialty rotations. On her first day in pediatrics, a Code Pink bellows from the overhead sound system for one of the babies assigned to her. And that jarring event is just the beginning. Joan becomes embroiled in a search for the culprits of a baby-stealing ring that targets underprivileged women. While navigating her medical training and growth as a physician, and dodging her way through the hospital tunnel system, Joan becomes a target herself. Joan's dog, her roommate, and a budding relationship with an ophthalmology resident provide support while the mist of the hospital crime scene hangs over her head. Comfort also arrives when Joan's mom, historian and avid birder, introduces time-tinted letters from her great-great-great-aunt Eleanor, the first woman trained in medicine in the United States. Aunt Eleanor provides wisdom and clarity during Joan's ordeal by "dream transporting" her to the 1850s and medicine as practiced at that time.

272 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2023

About the author

Dr. Marilyn Mets began writing fiction after retiring from her long career as a pediatric ophthalmologist. Code Pink, her debut novel, draws on decades of experience providing medical and surgical eye care to the children of Chicago. Now an emeritus professor at Northwestern University, she offers readers an insider’s look at the challenges of coming of age in medicine, blending suspense, historical fiction, and her deep understanding of medical education to both entertain and inform.

She lives in Chicago with her husband and their poodle, Lila. Their three children, five grandchildren, and three more dogs are scattered across the United States.

Reviews

[Kristine Wolsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was approached by @pubvendo & gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Joan is a medical student studying in Chicago in Spring of 1980. What follows is a murder mystery of sorts where a baby is abducted from the hospital, resulting in the titular Code Pink. Joan is ensconced from the beginning as the mother of the stolen baby is her patient. When the mother in question turns up dead, Joan is thrust into the middle of not only a murder investigation but also the desperate hunt for a baby stealing ring.

Overall I thought the book was fine. The idea is a good one but for the most part I found it too simple to really enjoy it. I found the characters a bit 1 dimensional; the only character really given any meat is Joan herself & I found most of her interactions with those around her to be fairly forced & wooden. She has 3 main relationships: her roommate Kathy, her mother & her new boyfriend Jay. I’d say her relationship with her mother was the deepest, Kathy was ok but Jay happened so quickly that I found the relationship completely unbelievable.

I thought the language used was fairly amateur & at times repetitive. Her dog Rusty is repeatedly described as “enthusiastic”. Mets describes a colleague in the OR as “hard to recognise in his scrubs” twice in so many pages. I did laugh out loud when Joan proclaims after a breakup on page 2 “I feel like a piece of raw meat lying on a plate naked” 😂 I do also have to mention that there are no less than 7 characters with names beginning with J!

I’m a huge fan of ER & Greys Anatomy & at times I thought Mets had perhaps taken some inspiration from the latter especially but knowing that she was a doctor herself, that might not be the case. I’ve never studied medicine but after watching both these shows over & over again, I felt like Joan had it pretty easy as a medical student, coming & going seemingly as she pleased, starting & finishing shifts at regular times.

There is also an odd, but biggish influence from some old letters belonging to her Aunt Eleanor who, fairly early on, manifests in dream form to teach Joan some medical lessons. I found these a bit ridiculous to be honest as they were never fully explored so it was hard to really care.

I did like the mystery & enjoyed the way the story progressed. I just think if the story had been a bit longer & more details given, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚Code Pink
✍🏻Marilyn Mets
Blurb:
CODE PINK - Emergency! A child is missing! In 1980s Chicago, third-year medical student Joan Turner begins her specialty rotations. On her first day in pediatrics, a Code Pink bellows from the overhead sound system for one of the babies assigned to her. And that jarring event is just the beginning. Joan becomes embroiled in a search for the culprits of a baby-stealing ring that targets underprivileged women. While navigating her medical training and growth as a physician, and dodging her way through the hospital tunnel system, Joan becomes a target herself. Joan's dog, her roommate, and a budding relationship with an ophthalmology resident provide support while the mist of the hospital crime scene hangs over her head. Comfort also arrives when Joan's mom, historian and avid birder, introduces time-tinted letters from her great-great-great-aunt Eleanor, the first woman trained in medicine in the United States. Aunt Eleanor provides wisdom and clarity during Joan's ordeal by "dream transporting" her to the 1850s and medicine as practiced at that time.
My Thoughts:
Dr. Mets has taken us through a very realistic and exciting adventure through the eyes of a third year medical student in Chicago. What follows is a murder mystery of sorts where a baby is abducted from the hospital, resulting in the titular Code Pink. There was quite a bit of history throughout the book that I did enjoy. It really focused on females in the medical field in the 1800s and how they did not get near the same treatment as the men.Those that enjoy history throughout the book that I did enjoy. It really focused on females in the medical field in the 1800s and how they did not get near the same treatment as the men.
Thanks NetGalley, Seal Press, and Author Marilyn Mets for the advanced copy of "Code Pink" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#SealPress
#MarilynMets
#PinkCode
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kyla Talbot · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the overall story of this book. It did take me a little while to get super involved. I felt that you never really got to know the characters on a personal level. I didn’t understand why certain things were added such as the different bird descriptions other than that was one thing the FMC enjoyed doing with her family. There was quite a bit of history throughout the book that I did enjoy. It really focused on females in the medical field in the 1800s and how they did not get near the same treatment as the men. They weren’t allowed to practice as doctors. It followed the FMCs late grandmother through her medical career. You have a little bit of everything with this read. Mystery, some love interests, crime, and some history. Overall I enjoyed my read.

[Emily Harmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐1🌶️ Code Pink

This is a book about Joan a medical student in 1980s in Chicago who experiences several code pinks at the hospital she is studying at. It also follows a murder investigation and journals she finds from her great aunt who was a doctor as well. There is also a little romance between Joan and Jesse who was a resident physician in one of the departments she had during her studies. Overall the book was okay and was a book I would recommend if your wanting something for a nice pallet cleanser or a transition into mystery books.

Thank you Netgalley for ARC opportunity!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

While I can appreciate that this is a first novel, it absolutely reads like one- and a really massively outdated one, at that. I was trying to slog my way through the stilted dialogue and slow pace, but I had to quit when the main character, who is a med student, commented about how wearing a surgical mask reduces oxygen intake. The dumb. It hurts. DNF.