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Hope Sze Medical Mystery #4
Stockholm Syndrome: Two doctors. One killer. One woman in labour.
Two doctors. One killer. One woman in labour.
A killer infiltrates the obstetrics ward of a Montreal hospital just before Christmas, taking one pregnant woman and one resident doctor hostage at gunpoint.
Dr. Hope Sze struggles to deliver her patient's baby with blood on the floor and death in the air.
And when Dr. Tucker tries to rescue their tiny crew, only to end up hostage material alongside them, Hope’s heart just might break, even before the kidnapper drills a bullet through her skull.
Advance praise
“An introspective thriller.” David Farland, New York Times bestselling author
"Just couldn't put it down. The mix of gun-in-your-face suspense and humor is as close to perfect as one can get." Richard Quarry, author of Midnight Choir
“Dang thing kept me up until 03:30.” Greg Smith, M.D.
Praise for the Hope Sze mystery series
"Narrating in a sprightly style while sharing some of the nitty-gritty of a resident's job, Hope Sze is an utterly likeable character." --Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
A killer infiltrates the obstetrics ward of a Montreal hospital just before Christmas, taking one pregnant woman and one resident doctor hostage at gunpoint.
Dr. Hope Sze struggles to deliver her patient's baby with blood on the floor and death in the air.
And when Dr. Tucker tries to rescue their tiny crew, only to end up hostage material alongside them, Hope’s heart just might break, even before the kidnapper drills a bullet through her skull.
Advance praise
“An introspective thriller.” David Farland, New York Times bestselling author
"Just couldn't put it down. The mix of gun-in-your-face suspense and humor is as close to perfect as one can get." Richard Quarry, author of Midnight Choir
“Dang thing kept me up until 03:30.” Greg Smith, M.D.
Praise for the Hope Sze mystery series
"Narrating in a sprightly style while sharing some of the nitty-gritty of a resident's job, Hope Sze is an utterly likeable character." --Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2015
334 people are currently reading
624 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 16, 2016
Whoa, what a roller coaster of a story!
I wasn't able to read the previous books of this series but because it can be read as a standalone, it was still worth it. The story starts when Dr. Hope Sze, together with Dr. John Tucker, encounter a mad kidnapper who is looking for the mother of his child at the hospital. When the two of them ended up being hostages, that's the time when action takes place.
I loved the fast pacing of this book and the overall thrill that came along with it. It was such a page-turner. In fact, every page offered something that let me feel the adrenaline rush and the anticipation on how the characters are going to solve the dilemma and make it through the day without getting themselves harmed.
I rarely read psychological-action books like this, specifically books that have something to do with violence, but I rather find this book completely immersing and entertaining. Perhaps it's mainly because of the witty heroine. Hope's POV is hilarious and her character is admirable because she's strong-willed and calm despite the chaos that was happening around her. Also, there's a bit of romance in here. I seriously ship Dr. Tucker and Hope! They're a great team together.
The medical stuffs mentioned in this book were also spectacular. The author is sure to be very knowledgeable in this field. As a whole, the entirety of this book is good. If you want some psychological thriller reads with some action going on, then you should pick this book up!
(A free copy was sent by the author in exchange for an honest review.)
Rating:
I wasn't able to read the previous books of this series but because it can be read as a standalone, it was still worth it. The story starts when Dr. Hope Sze, together with Dr. John Tucker, encounter a mad kidnapper who is looking for the mother of his child at the hospital. When the two of them ended up being hostages, that's the time when action takes place.
I loved the fast pacing of this book and the overall thrill that came along with it. It was such a page-turner. In fact, every page offered something that let me feel the adrenaline rush and the anticipation on how the characters are going to solve the dilemma and make it through the day without getting themselves harmed.
I rarely read psychological-action books like this, specifically books that have something to do with violence, but I rather find this book completely immersing and entertaining. Perhaps it's mainly because of the witty heroine. Hope's POV is hilarious and her character is admirable because she's strong-willed and calm despite the chaos that was happening around her. Also, there's a bit of romance in here. I seriously ship Dr. Tucker and Hope! They're a great team together.
The medical stuffs mentioned in this book were also spectacular. The author is sure to be very knowledgeable in this field. As a whole, the entirety of this book is good. If you want some psychological thriller reads with some action going on, then you should pick this book up!
(A free copy was sent by the author in exchange for an honest review.)
Rating:
November 16, 2015
Here's a book that's easy to read, but hard to review.
It's a page-turner, thrilling while sensitive, super-serious while witty, and gutsy while insightful. So why so difficult to review?
In the first place, I want to give my reader information about the story, but I don't want to give anything away. No spoilers.
More than that, however, it makes me feel like an appraiser of fine property confronted with an item for which there is nothing comparable. It's simply unlike anything else I've ever read.
According to the biographical notes, Melissa Yi is a Chinese-Canadian emergency physician at the same time she's an award-winning author. All those adjectives show clearly in her captivating first-person story: Chinese, Canadian, physician, and especially emergency. Suffice it to say that this thriller involves not just one emergency, but too many to count, one on top of the other.
What kind of emergencies? Without giving away any spoilers, let's just say that there's everything from birth to death, love to hate, brilliant feats of intellect to brutal acts of ignorance. And all in the space of an hour or so.
The book ends with a quote from T.S. Eliot:
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
In Stockholm Syndrome, Melissa Yi risks going too far—and succeeds in taking courageous readers where they've never gone before.
It's a page-turner, thrilling while sensitive, super-serious while witty, and gutsy while insightful. So why so difficult to review?
In the first place, I want to give my reader information about the story, but I don't want to give anything away. No spoilers.
More than that, however, it makes me feel like an appraiser of fine property confronted with an item for which there is nothing comparable. It's simply unlike anything else I've ever read.
According to the biographical notes, Melissa Yi is a Chinese-Canadian emergency physician at the same time she's an award-winning author. All those adjectives show clearly in her captivating first-person story: Chinese, Canadian, physician, and especially emergency. Suffice it to say that this thriller involves not just one emergency, but too many to count, one on top of the other.
What kind of emergencies? Without giving away any spoilers, let's just say that there's everything from birth to death, love to hate, brilliant feats of intellect to brutal acts of ignorance. And all in the space of an hour or so.
The book ends with a quote from T.S. Eliot:
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
In Stockholm Syndrome, Melissa Yi risks going too far—and succeeds in taking courageous readers where they've never gone before.
June 17, 2025
Wow. This was just bad. First, I didn't know it was some kind of series until after I read it. But what an unlikable lead character. If she called Tucker "My man" one more time, I was going to have to stop reading. And the whole two guys thing... then it was almost the very end of the book she starts saying she needs to stop detecting. What detecting? She was a doctor, never once mentioned it before. Just a terrible story.
January 15, 2016
A night on call turns into a tense hostage situation for OB resident, Dr Hope Sze, when a man dressed in a burqa pulls out a gun on the hunt for his pregnant girlfriend. Can Hope and friend Tucker stop the bloodshed and talk themselves out of this deadly situation?
This tense and taut short suspense medical thriller is lightened up by the sense of humour Hope injects into the narrative, but everything that can go wrong seems to in this heart-stopping story.
The booze and drug addled antagonist is truly heinous to read and the tension of our two protagonists is palpable as they try to circumvent further shootings whilst keeping themselves safe.
The attention to detail as well as the writing in this thriller is exemplary and I look forward to read more about Dr Hope Sze in future.
This tense and taut short suspense medical thriller is lightened up by the sense of humour Hope injects into the narrative, but everything that can go wrong seems to in this heart-stopping story.
The booze and drug addled antagonist is truly heinous to read and the tension of our two protagonists is palpable as they try to circumvent further shootings whilst keeping themselves safe.
The attention to detail as well as the writing in this thriller is exemplary and I look forward to read more about Dr Hope Sze in future.
June 22, 2025
The title is misleading. I only started reading this because of the title and I wanted to give a new author a chance. I’m sorry to say this was not for me. I knew it was a part of a series so I’m sure there are some nuances I just didn’t get. Besides that though, the dialogue was repetitive. Somebody (not me lol) needs to go through this and count how many times “bitch” “bastard” “my man” were mentioned. The story is told from the perspective of Dr. Hope Sze and although I know the author was probably trying to demonstrate the weird things that go through our minds in life or death situations, this was not presented as interesting. This book had potential but for me it didn’t hit the mark. And really, I’m sorry but don’t title a book something that has absolutely nothing to do with the story! 2 stars. ⭐️ ⭐️
June 20, 2025
As a rule, I like medical suspense. Believable or not, it is usually interesting and intense.
Stockholm Syndrome spends way too much time in the head of the main character, which isn't that interesting of a place to be. The premise is pretty basic (gunman comes into hospital obstetrical wing looking for pregnant girlfriend, holds pregnant woman and 2 doctors hostage). Since the story is first-person, we see everything through Hope's eyes, which means we miss a lot of the action as she spends a significant amount of time unable to see much because of the angle at which she is being held. She's not great at describing what she sees, so the reader is left confused.
In a real hostage situation, I would imagine introspection is typical as each person works through fear, pain, and their own mortality. As a storytelling device it isn't great.
Stockholm Syndrome spends way too much time in the head of the main character, which isn't that interesting of a place to be. The premise is pretty basic (gunman comes into hospital obstetrical wing looking for pregnant girlfriend, holds pregnant woman and 2 doctors hostage). Since the story is first-person, we see everything through Hope's eyes, which means we miss a lot of the action as she spends a significant amount of time unable to see much because of the angle at which she is being held. She's not great at describing what she sees, so the reader is left confused.
In a real hostage situation, I would imagine introspection is typical as each person works through fear, pain, and their own mortality. As a storytelling device it isn't great.
June 20, 2025
Good plot but no surrounding details
I wasn’t aware that this was the fourth book in a series, which left me without a complete sense of the story's beginning or end. As a result, the narrative felt somewhat disjointed, as though I had opened a book to its middle and started reading from there. While the plot was compelling and well-paced, it lacked the broader context and resolution that might have been provided by the earlier and later installments. I’ll need to read the surrounding books to fully appreciate the storyline.
I wasn’t aware that this was the fourth book in a series, which left me without a complete sense of the story's beginning or end. As a result, the narrative felt somewhat disjointed, as though I had opened a book to its middle and started reading from there. While the plot was compelling and well-paced, it lacked the broader context and resolution that might have been provided by the earlier and later installments. I’ll need to read the surrounding books to fully appreciate the storyline.
August 3, 2025
Hope is taken hostage
Hope was working in the delivery room trying ti get her requirement to deliver 59 babies when all goes crazy. A madman comes in with a gun looking for his girlfriend and unborn son. He shoots one nurse then barricades himself in the delivery room with Hope, Tucker, and a woman in labor.
The story is a little strange with Hope being in love with two people. The trauma she experienced as a hostage.
Hope was working in the delivery room trying ti get her requirement to deliver 59 babies when all goes crazy. A madman comes in with a gun looking for his girlfriend and unborn son. He shoots one nurse then barricades himself in the delivery room with Hope, Tucker, and a woman in labor.
The story is a little strange with Hope being in love with two people. The trauma she experienced as a hostage.
August 28, 2025
not for me
I feel this book spends too much time inside Hope's head as she imagines a variety of outcomes and the rest of the time explaining gory procedures and other irrelevancies. I don't see any connection with Stockholm Syndrome either, Hope never bonds with her captor. I didn't realise it is part of a series, but won't be exploring the other books, even to find out who Hope ends up with (which I am sure is just a ploy to capture readers for future books).
I feel this book spends too much time inside Hope's head as she imagines a variety of outcomes and the rest of the time explaining gory procedures and other irrelevancies. I don't see any connection with Stockholm Syndrome either, Hope never bonds with her captor. I didn't realise it is part of a series, but won't be exploring the other books, even to find out who Hope ends up with (which I am sure is just a ploy to capture readers for future books).
April 2, 2023
I enjoy Melissa's novels. Reading Stockholm Syndrome and the "Italian School for Assassins" are incredible books. Being a true-to-life emergency room doctor, the author's level of detail is second to known. If you love a fantastic page-turner with real-time graphic detail, this is your book!
A true must-read.
A true must-read.
July 8, 2025
A helluva ride!
I enjoyed this book! It was discounted, which is why I started on Book 4 of the series, but I think I'll check out the rest, in order. My only caveat to thriller readers is that this is *graphically* medical, and if you don't like detailed descriptions of upclose and personal organs - stay away!
I enjoyed this book! It was discounted, which is why I started on Book 4 of the series, but I think I'll check out the rest, in order. My only caveat to thriller readers is that this is *graphically* medical, and if you don't like detailed descriptions of upclose and personal organs - stay away!
July 12, 2025
The story kept me interested. In the end she resolved the major issue but left the reader hanging on a couple others, no doubt preparing for her next book. There was much more swearing than I usually am willing to overlook. Had it showed up earlier in the book, I probably wouldn’t have finished reading.
June 26, 2025
Stockholm Syndrome
When I started reading this I didn’t realise it was a series so was confused by hints of prior murders.
It was still a good read as a one off.
However there is no obvious ending as it leads into the next one.
When I started reading this I didn’t realise it was a series so was confused by hints of prior murders.
It was still a good read as a one off.
However there is no obvious ending as it leads into the next one.
June 29, 2025
Blah
Almost stopped reading this book several times but did finish it
Found it to be dull and too graphic in parts
Plot not interesting to me, and not much of one to begin with
Characters not realistic
Almost stopped reading this book several times but did finish it
Found it to be dull and too graphic in parts
Plot not interesting to me, and not much of one to begin with
Characters not realistic
June 30, 2025
Mixed opinion. I'm not into the polyamory - even if the other guy has no actual role until the end. I also couldn't understand the behaviour of the cops at the end (I could say more and it probably wouldn't count as a spoiler but I won't). I was just irritated by these elements.
July 18, 2025
I am not 100% sure if I should have started the Dr.Hope sze series on book 5, but nevertheless I did.
I enjoyed this book but it didn’t blow me away. And I felt that the ending was not an ending. I was left wishing for more.
#TeamJohnTucker
I enjoyed this book but it didn’t blow me away. And I felt that the ending was not an ending. I was left wishing for more.
#TeamJohnTucker
August 12, 2025
This could have been a decent book but it was obvious that English was not the author's first language or that AI was used while writing the book. It was very distracting and made it difficult to read.
May 22, 2018
This was more of a thriller than a mystery but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Very good read.
July 31, 2021
Very fast-paced and entertaining but the romantic parts are a bit lame.
dnf
August 6, 2022-maybe I DNF too easily-
seemed like someone’s race was gonna be used as a plot device without giving any real voice to that character. welp
seemed like someone’s race was gonna be used as a plot device without giving any real voice to that character. welp
November 4, 2024
Melissa's writing gets better with each new book! Stockholm Syndrome features the strong and quirky female protagonist, Dr Hope Szi.
June 20, 2025
holy crap
Thrilling from beginning to end…Hoped for a more decisive outcome, but you don’t always get what you want. So here, we are!
Thrilling from beginning to end…Hoped for a more decisive outcome, but you don’t always get what you want. So here, we are!
July 9, 2025
Good fast moving yarn
July 22, 2025
I’m on page 104 and it seems rediculously repetitive. Move on ! I don’t think I can finish it .
July 27, 2025
If You’re Bored
Ugh… It’s only for the fact that I don’t give up on things, is the reason I finished this book.
Ugh… It’s only for the fact that I don’t give up on things, is the reason I finished this book.
August 25, 2025
An interesting storyline poorly written. Would not recommend.
September 1, 2025
Excellent read plot a bit out there but Canadian Authors rule!
June 18, 2025
Setting is not too far from a realistic event.
August 3, 2016
Stockholm Syndrome by Melissa Yi
Whoa! What a thriller. I couldn’t put it down. Melissa Yi pushed the suspense to the brink.
Brilliant character development as the killer on a murderous rampage puts the breaks on in the claustrophobic confines of a hospital examination room where he has confined, at gunpoint, Dr. Hope Sze, Dr. John Tucker and a pregnant woman with a baby desperate to be born. Yi keeps the reader on the edge of the precipice as she plunges us into the depths of the killer’s psychosis. I didn’t even mind learning about birthing procedures and medical protocols – or lack thereof – as Yi reveals the complexities of the character of Dr Hope Sze, the nature of the relationship between the two doctors; their intent to remain committed to meeting the needs of their patient trapped between the horror of a killer and a terrifying labour. The author rolls it all out with clear, clean and compelling writing. As if that isn’t enough, Yi weaves in the ravages of PTS – post-traumatic stress – as it takes hold during the traumatic drama and carries on out the other end. The reader has to take a breath or two here and there and stand back to consider what is happening in the brains of the characters confined in that room and what is sliding across the floor. I am still thinking about it.
Bravo Melissa Yi for giving your readers a tale so taut that the only recourse is to hold on for the next book in the Hope Sze series.
Whoa! What a thriller. I couldn’t put it down. Melissa Yi pushed the suspense to the brink.
Brilliant character development as the killer on a murderous rampage puts the breaks on in the claustrophobic confines of a hospital examination room where he has confined, at gunpoint, Dr. Hope Sze, Dr. John Tucker and a pregnant woman with a baby desperate to be born. Yi keeps the reader on the edge of the precipice as she plunges us into the depths of the killer’s psychosis. I didn’t even mind learning about birthing procedures and medical protocols – or lack thereof – as Yi reveals the complexities of the character of Dr Hope Sze, the nature of the relationship between the two doctors; their intent to remain committed to meeting the needs of their patient trapped between the horror of a killer and a terrifying labour. The author rolls it all out with clear, clean and compelling writing. As if that isn’t enough, Yi weaves in the ravages of PTS – post-traumatic stress – as it takes hold during the traumatic drama and carries on out the other end. The reader has to take a breath or two here and there and stand back to consider what is happening in the brains of the characters confined in that room and what is sliding across the floor. I am still thinking about it.
Bravo Melissa Yi for giving your readers a tale so taut that the only recourse is to hold on for the next book in the Hope Sze series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews