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The Corpse Bloom
When a kidney transplant performed by Boston General Hospital’s preeminent surgeon goes bad, the life of his patient is only the first thing Dr. Brad Baker will lose. Threatened with a malpractice suit, Brad takes a leave of absence to accept a job offer from Carlos Cardoza, the suave director of a remote transplant clinic in Campeche, Mexico.But over the next several months, Brad becomes uneasy about the source of the cadaveric kidneys he transplants into his wealthy patients. By the time Brad learns of the true intentions of his employer, he finds escape nearly impossible from the jungle of incriminating circumstances he’s trapped within. And when a DEA agent intercepts Brad to offer the key to his release, Brad struggles to apply a cure for his problems that may prove more deadly than they are. He’ll need to risk everything—and everyone—he loves to find his way home.
356 pages, Paperback
Published December 16, 2023
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64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 30, 2023
The Corpse Bloom, by Bryan Wiggins with Lee Thibodeau, MD
The opening of the medical thriller, “The Corpse Bloom,” blazes with crisp sentences, staccato pacing, and rich submersion in the medical details of surgery. Unrelenting acceleration builds as Dr. Brad Baker performs another of his renowned, miraculous transplants on a childhood friend. Skilled professionalism among the OR surgical team is as sharp as a scalpel. And then, as the doctor walks away and the team begins to close the body cavity, the patient dies.
It is a devastating professional and personal setback for Baker, “one of the top transplant surgeons in Boston, perhaps the world.” He retreats to the private realm of his backyard greenhouse for solace and to check on his other passion outside the OR: patiently nurturing the growth of a spectacular plant, a towering, exotic corpse flower. In bloom, it emits the foul odor of death to trick carrion-feeding insects to pollinate it.
Dr. Brad Baker is driven by blind ambition to be acknowledged as the best organ transplant surgeon in the world, notably for using organs from cadavers rather than live donors, using a unique technique he has developed. The death of his friend puts that in jeopardy when he is placed on administrative leave while the death is investigated. He flies off to the Yucatan Peninsula to present a paper at a conference hosted by Carlos Cordova, the suave CEO of a glistening new transplant institute. The facility is best reached by helicopter, located as it is deep in the jungle. The goal, Cardova explains, is to serve an elite clientele willing to pay top dollar for the best surgical attention – and in doing so, underwriting health care for the local indigenous population of poor farmers and their families. Cardova makes Baker a golden offer to head the new facility. Frustrated by the slow process of the review of his failed surgery back in Boston, Baker takes the job.
His decision stirs intense pressure in his family – his wife Catherine, CEO of a Boston nonprofit devoted to feeding the poor, and Grace, his teenage daughter on the cusp of deciding where to go to college,
From the beginning, nothing, however, is as it seems. The whole institute mirrors the corpse bloom, with the luring of the critical “pollinators” with free services designed fundamentally to collect bio data for matching organs with the institute’s elite clientele.
Wiggins tightly weaves the conflicting story strands laced with threat and moral dilemma. Dr. Baker feels trapped by his ambition and by his need for money to support his family’s lifestyle. His participation in the scheme, he realizes, places his family at grave risk as the moral morass he finds himself in deepens.
The author resolves the conflict with a climax that satisfies, but a purposeful misdirection weakens the shimmering tension. The denouncement is also satisfying, but it could have been more poignant with fuller dramatization.
Even still, the story is a thrill ride of uncommon allure and power. It directly plays off confluences of major issues of our time, being a study of unbalanced ambitions and the dark consequences that shortchange efforts at redemption.
Review by Frank O Smith
The opening of the medical thriller, “The Corpse Bloom,” blazes with crisp sentences, staccato pacing, and rich submersion in the medical details of surgery. Unrelenting acceleration builds as Dr. Brad Baker performs another of his renowned, miraculous transplants on a childhood friend. Skilled professionalism among the OR surgical team is as sharp as a scalpel. And then, as the doctor walks away and the team begins to close the body cavity, the patient dies.
It is a devastating professional and personal setback for Baker, “one of the top transplant surgeons in Boston, perhaps the world.” He retreats to the private realm of his backyard greenhouse for solace and to check on his other passion outside the OR: patiently nurturing the growth of a spectacular plant, a towering, exotic corpse flower. In bloom, it emits the foul odor of death to trick carrion-feeding insects to pollinate it.
Dr. Brad Baker is driven by blind ambition to be acknowledged as the best organ transplant surgeon in the world, notably for using organs from cadavers rather than live donors, using a unique technique he has developed. The death of his friend puts that in jeopardy when he is placed on administrative leave while the death is investigated. He flies off to the Yucatan Peninsula to present a paper at a conference hosted by Carlos Cordova, the suave CEO of a glistening new transplant institute. The facility is best reached by helicopter, located as it is deep in the jungle. The goal, Cardova explains, is to serve an elite clientele willing to pay top dollar for the best surgical attention – and in doing so, underwriting health care for the local indigenous population of poor farmers and their families. Cardova makes Baker a golden offer to head the new facility. Frustrated by the slow process of the review of his failed surgery back in Boston, Baker takes the job.
His decision stirs intense pressure in his family – his wife Catherine, CEO of a Boston nonprofit devoted to feeding the poor, and Grace, his teenage daughter on the cusp of deciding where to go to college,
From the beginning, nothing, however, is as it seems. The whole institute mirrors the corpse bloom, with the luring of the critical “pollinators” with free services designed fundamentally to collect bio data for matching organs with the institute’s elite clientele.
Wiggins tightly weaves the conflicting story strands laced with threat and moral dilemma. Dr. Baker feels trapped by his ambition and by his need for money to support his family’s lifestyle. His participation in the scheme, he realizes, places his family at grave risk as the moral morass he finds himself in deepens.
The author resolves the conflict with a climax that satisfies, but a purposeful misdirection weakens the shimmering tension. The denouncement is also satisfying, but it could have been more poignant with fuller dramatization.
Even still, the story is a thrill ride of uncommon allure and power. It directly plays off confluences of major issues of our time, being a study of unbalanced ambitions and the dark consequences that shortchange efforts at redemption.
Review by Frank O Smith
December 22, 2023
Well written, I was ensnared from the start. Thoughtful character development with an enticing story.
Had a hard time putting it down. Enjoyed to the end.
Had a hard time putting it down. Enjoyed to the end.
December 9, 2023
I really enjoyed Bryan's latest book. His collaboration with Dr. Thibodeau as well as other authors and medical professionals really helped take this novel to a higher level.
It doesn't take long to find you can't put down this book and while not wanting to give any spoilers, I did feel after reading it, that the main character Brad could have explored more options but when you're reading it, you feel he has no other choices.
My wife agrees that this is Mr. Wiggins best novel yet and we hope to see more (and the movie version of this book!)
I highly recommend this novel. If you're from the Boston area, or coastal Maine, you'll get an extra bit of joy since much of it plays out in your back yard. Check it out!
It doesn't take long to find you can't put down this book and while not wanting to give any spoilers, I did feel after reading it, that the main character Brad could have explored more options but when you're reading it, you feel he has no other choices.
My wife agrees that this is Mr. Wiggins best novel yet and we hope to see more (and the movie version of this book!)
I highly recommend this novel. If you're from the Boston area, or coastal Maine, you'll get an extra bit of joy since much of it plays out in your back yard. Check it out!
August 4, 2024
Picked this up as part of a book club read - it was okay - Brad, the main character, is a renowned surgeon that created / researched a method to utilize cadaveric kidneys for kidney transplants. He experiences some heartbreak through a couple moments early on in the book which leads to his temporary suspension from Boston General while he awaits the results of the legal battle initiated by his friends wife against the hospital (& him). While I tried to connect with the characters, I couldn’t because Brad lied to his wife through the first half of the book BEFORE anything went down. I understood the lying afterward because his life was at stake but it didn’t seem like much of a jump for him since he did it before. He lied about finances and the state of his job then belittled his wife’s knowledge of how to handle finances and anything beyond being a homemaker.
Catherine, Brads wife, consistently tried to talk and reach out to Brad but was repeatedly ignored. She was a little naively written when it came to her saying “I don’t understand how we wouldn’t have money even though we have four houses, cars, medical bills for my elderly mother, our donation to my food pantry job, etc.”
Carlos was more relatable when he discussed NAFTA. He’s right that NAFTA ruined corn 🌽 sales between the US and Mexico on top of destroying livelihoods of so many farmers in Mexico. This leading to the Monsanto monopoly on corn production in the US stripping US farmers of decent pay as well and heavy usage of pesticides and herbicides and chemical fertilizers that runoff into rivers into the ocean collapsing the ecosystems.. no only that but the soil degradation increases co2 emissions ~ soil world wide con sequester gigatons of carbon dioxide.
Plus his thoughts on profiting off of other people’s lives as Brad was living in his four houses on stolen land and the medical business in the US continues to this day to profit off of Henrietta Lacks’ DNA while crapping all over the family.
Obviously there should be a better way to go about getting exact matched kidneys / it shouldn’t be to the highest payer because billionaires who don’t give back should make friends with Orcas.
I would love to have this written by Sulari Gentill as I enjoyed their writing style in The Woman in the Library - the pacing and the flashbacks were well done and the dialogue between characters was believable.
Catherine, Brads wife, consistently tried to talk and reach out to Brad but was repeatedly ignored. She was a little naively written when it came to her saying “I don’t understand how we wouldn’t have money even though we have four houses, cars, medical bills for my elderly mother, our donation to my food pantry job, etc.”
Carlos was more relatable when he discussed NAFTA. He’s right that NAFTA ruined corn 🌽 sales between the US and Mexico on top of destroying livelihoods of so many farmers in Mexico. This leading to the Monsanto monopoly on corn production in the US stripping US farmers of decent pay as well and heavy usage of pesticides and herbicides and chemical fertilizers that runoff into rivers into the ocean collapsing the ecosystems.. no only that but the soil degradation increases co2 emissions ~ soil world wide con sequester gigatons of carbon dioxide.
Plus his thoughts on profiting off of other people’s lives as Brad was living in his four houses on stolen land and the medical business in the US continues to this day to profit off of Henrietta Lacks’ DNA while crapping all over the family.
Obviously there should be a better way to go about getting exact matched kidneys / it shouldn’t be to the highest payer because billionaires who don’t give back should make friends with Orcas.
I would love to have this written by Sulari Gentill as I enjoyed their writing style in The Woman in the Library - the pacing and the flashbacks were well done and the dialogue between characters was believable.
January 23, 2024
SUCH AN INCREDIBLE BOOK! The initial two chapters had me hooked, setting the tone for an exciting page-turner of a story. The exploration of the American vs. Mexican transplant system was fascinating, creating a dark and gripping atmosphere. The tension of Brad’s journey away from his family into the heart of a dangerous facility in Mexico had me staying up late reading more than one night in a row.
But what truly stood out were the beautifully crafted relationship arcs woven into the narrative. The characters' connections and interactions added depth and emotion, making this so much more than just your average thriller. I was totally lost in the world the author created...I hope there's a sequel coming!
I wholeheartedly recommend this book—it's undoubtedly one of the highlights of my reading list from last year. The riveting plot, lovable and hate-able characters, and evocative settings make it a must-read for anyone looking for a book to get totally lost in!
But what truly stood out were the beautifully crafted relationship arcs woven into the narrative. The characters' connections and interactions added depth and emotion, making this so much more than just your average thriller. I was totally lost in the world the author created...I hope there's a sequel coming!
I wholeheartedly recommend this book—it's undoubtedly one of the highlights of my reading list from last year. The riveting plot, lovable and hate-able characters, and evocative settings make it a must-read for anyone looking for a book to get totally lost in!
January 22, 2024
Wow! A realistic yet wildly imaginative medical thriller that takes the form.of a page-turning read with stunning "pow" twists along the way. Convincing ethical back and forth stances between Doc and Carlos, leave you allowing for the possibility of a new side to take. It all unfolds smoothly due to the detailed research and collaborative efforts of the author. The colorful splashes of nature that popped.up here and there in between the cold, white, sterile and very surreal Nueva Vida were refreshing. Coincidentally I had only recently become reacquainted with the corpse bloom and enjoyed its roll here.
I was left convinced Nueva existed but hoped it didn't - left loving and hating Dr. Brad Baker and wondering if the "ending" was really the ending...
I plan to share the book with friends who will.love it as I did - we'll certainly have a lot to talk about!
I was left convinced Nueva existed but hoped it didn't - left loving and hating Dr. Brad Baker and wondering if the "ending" was really the ending...
I plan to share the book with friends who will.love it as I did - we'll certainly have a lot to talk about!
January 3, 2024
Nothing short of fabulous! This page turning medical thriller has great plot development. The author does an excellent job of creating conversational tension between Brad (our protagonist ) and Carlos ( Brad’s boss). At every interaction between the two the reader is on edge as to what Carlos will say next.
What a man will do to both provide for and protect his family is both admirable and heart wrenching.
The reader is constantly rooting for Brad while wondering how many Brads are out there in this world whose seemingly perfect lives have been turned upside down.
This is realistic fiction at its best. What would you have done if you were in Brad’s shoes?
Only you can answer that question by reading The Corpse Bloom!
What a man will do to both provide for and protect his family is both admirable and heart wrenching.
The reader is constantly rooting for Brad while wondering how many Brads are out there in this world whose seemingly perfect lives have been turned upside down.
This is realistic fiction at its best. What would you have done if you were in Brad’s shoes?
Only you can answer that question by reading The Corpse Bloom!
January 9, 2024
A medical thriller from Bryan Wiggins? You’d never know that this is his first. With confident strokes, Wiggins lays out a story line that not only feels authentic from a medical perspective, but also weaves in deeper ponderings on ethics both medical and personal.
We can’t look away as Dr. Brad Baker moves relentlessly from his sterile surgical theater in Boston to the unpredictable jungle of Carlos Cordova’s empire, where lines blur between right and wrong and privilege is examined under a harsh light. There are no pat answers to the questions Brad is forced to consider and answer for himself.
But don’t get me wrong, it’s a thrill ride to the very end! Corpse Bloom is thoroughly researched, masterfully crafted, and well written. Bravo.
We can’t look away as Dr. Brad Baker moves relentlessly from his sterile surgical theater in Boston to the unpredictable jungle of Carlos Cordova’s empire, where lines blur between right and wrong and privilege is examined under a harsh light. There are no pat answers to the questions Brad is forced to consider and answer for himself.
But don’t get me wrong, it’s a thrill ride to the very end! Corpse Bloom is thoroughly researched, masterfully crafted, and well written. Bravo.
June 17, 2024
The Corpse Bloom was well written and fast paced, filled with interesting medical information and unexpected twists and turns in the plot. Exactly what you would want from a medical thriller. The grand finale was especially thrilling and didn't disappoint in the way that many endings do. It was an original, heartbreaking and heart healing way to finish the fascinating story of a super-star surgeon who was committed to his patients and to his family and how fate twisted his trajectory. I highly recommend it!
October 8, 2024
This was a captivating read. The moral dilemma faced by the protagonist was timely and credible and I found myself turning pages to discover each new twist to the plot. While my anxiety and frustration increased at the sometimes heart wrenching decisions that were made, I found the situation believable. Bryan has done a masterful job in bringing to life the idea that his friend Lee Thibodeau, MD, brought to him. I appreciated the careful research that was done regarding the medical aspects of the book and the acknowledged contributions of Bryan’s writing colleagues. I highly recommend!
April 25, 2024
In The Corpse Bloom, the contrast of nature and the unnatural enhances the depth that carries it beyond the typical medical thriller format. In addition, Wiggins offers several moral questions – to what extent will one go for family, who benefits from benevolent acts, and what determines who suffers so that others may flourish. Not only is The Corpse Bloom a captivating tale, it looks to address these issues with a chilling conclusion.
March 12, 2024
Intriguing Medical Thriller!
Bryan Wiggins has written a thoughtful and complex medical thriller having to do with organ donation. Great characterization and plotting. It forces the reader to ask some difficult questions about life, family, and the extent one will go to remain alive. Great read!
Bryan Wiggins has written a thoughtful and complex medical thriller having to do with organ donation. Great characterization and plotting. It forces the reader to ask some difficult questions about life, family, and the extent one will go to remain alive. Great read!
May 1, 2024
This was one of the best medical thrillers I have ever read. It took me only two days because I couldn’t put it down. It’s evident the amount of research and technical planning Brian Wiggins had done to make this such a successful and believable novel. I highly recommend it to anyone. My family, friends and neighbors are all reading it now.
May 20, 2024
A page turner!
The book's credibility stems from the meticulous attention to detail and extensive research undertaken by the author in crafting the narrative. I found myself unable to resist the allure of the book, compelled to resume reading at every opportunity to uncover the unfolding events. Bryan Wiggins' captivating storytelling held me enthralled throughout.
The book's credibility stems from the meticulous attention to detail and extensive research undertaken by the author in crafting the narrative. I found myself unable to resist the allure of the book, compelled to resume reading at every opportunity to uncover the unfolding events. Bryan Wiggins' captivating storytelling held me enthralled throughout.
January 3, 2024
I didn’t Pause to Play Solitaire
I know a book was good, for me, when I keep reading and don’t let myself get distracted by tv or games. I have to say the ending made sense, but I didn’t like it.
I know a book was good, for me, when I keep reading and don’t let myself get distracted by tv or games. I have to say the ending made sense, but I didn’t like it.
January 5, 2024
Great weekend read, with an interesting topic. Was surprised where this book took me.
October 9, 2024
I really enjoyed this tense book. Good characters, and interesting plot, with twists along the way.
November 4, 2024
Great thriller!
November 21, 2024
Awesome read!!!!
April 28, 2024
You will love The Corpse Bloom, a cunning ride from Boston’s Storrow Drive to Yucatan jungles. A world-class surgeon thinks he is sidetracked in Mexico to set up a clinic. Instead, he is trapped in a cruel conspiracy. He will use his surgeon’s brain to thread an elaborate path, the only way home. Brilliant and sequel worthy. Enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews