Fatal Care

Joanna Blalock #7

by Leonard Goldberg

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Genres: Thriller, Medical, Mystery

406 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Leonard Goldberg is an American physicist, professor of medicine, and the author of the Joanna Blalock series of medical thrillers.

His novels have been translated into a dozen languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide. Leonard Goldberg is himself a consulting physician affiliated with the UCLA Medical Center, where he holds an appointment as Clinical Professor of Medicine. A sought-after expert witness in medical malpractice trials, he is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and rheumatology, and has published over a hundred scientific studies in peer-reviewed journals.

Leonard Goldberg's writing career began with a clinical interest in blood disorders. While involved in a research project at UCLA, he encountered a most unusual blood type. The patient’s red blood cells were O-Rh null, indicating they were totally deficient in A, B and Rh factors and could be administered to virtually anyone without fear of a transfusion reaction. In essence, the patient was the proverbial "universal" blood donor. This finding spurred the idea for a story in which an individual was born without a tissue type, making that person’s organs transplantable into anyone without worry of rejection. His first novel, Transplant, revolved around a young woman who is discovered to be a universal organ donor and is hounded by a wealthy, powerful man in desperate need of a new kidney. The book quickly went through multiple printings and was optioned by a major Hollywood studio.

Dr. Goldberg is a native of Charleston and a long-time California resident. He currently divides his time between Los Angeles and an island off the coast of South Carolina.

Reviews

[Jacob Peled · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like medical thrillers and DNA mysteries, so it was a perfect book for me.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read another of Goldberg's books featuring Medical Examiner Joanna Blalock last year and picked this one up at a book sale over the winter. Not sure where the two books fall in the series, but I'm going to assume this one comes before the other one I read because nothing besides the characters seemed familiar about 'Fatal Care'. In it, Blalock divides her time between private cases she's asked to handle by the police department and deaths that occur at Memorial, the hospital where she works. In particular, her boss pressures her to get the autopsy complete on a local politician who died at the hospital because if she determines he died of heart disease, his estate will leave a big gift to establish a heart institute at Memorial. Joanna's private cases interest her more though, one being a wealthy man who fell overboard off his yacht and the other being a Russian immigrant murdered while burying human fetuses. Eventually, all 3 cases converge, along with a few other deaths, all related to some shady goings-on at a desert research facility run by BioMed, who also has connections at Memorial.
Overall the book was enjoyable and fast paced. The obvious issue I had was the convenience of all of the deaths. Since some were medical deaths and not murders, it seemed unlikely that all 3 patients who got rare cancer after receiving a BioMed-designed treatment would die within a couple days of each other. Other events just seemed too accelerated to be realistic, but I suppose that's the beauty of thriller fiction, that the author can bend the rules of reality in order to write a good book.

[Gail Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book but kind of scary that it probably true that greed in research and medicine can be so deadly

[Nefty123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of technical stuff but it wasn't overwhelming. I found it interesting. The plot was wonderful and riveting.

[Jan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I was very impressed with the plot and details of the storyline. I would recommend reading.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

JoAnn Blalock #7

[Anne-Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thriller sur fond de manipulation génétique.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, but I figured out the mystery with in the first few chapters.

[Alice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Medical mystery, did not finish the book.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medical thriller. Easy read. Interesting concepts.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay - I'd read more by this author if I didn't have anything else on my shelf... The book moved along, but was predictable.

[Jeane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent fiction novel covering gene modification possibilities - the good, the bad and the ugly. Fast paced crime fiction drama.