Isolation

Angels of Mercy #4

by C.J. Lyons

This New Year’s resolution? Stay alive...

“Harrowing…irresistible.” ~New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs

Click to start reading the exhilarating Angels of Mercy finale! 

With Pittsburgh snarled by a New Year’s Eve blizzard and Angels of Mercy Hospital cut off from the outside world, staff and patients are at the mercy of armed gunmen. Their target is Dr. Gina Freeman, who is holding vigil over her wounded fiancé, Detective Jerry Boyle.

Trapped inside with her are ER charge nurse Nora Halloran and fourth-year medical student Amanda Mason, on the last night of her ICU rotation—if not her life. Stranded outside the hospital walls is ER physician Lydia Fiore, whose past holds the secret the hitmen are willing to kill for.

With patients, staff, and loved ones held as hostages, the power out, and cold-blooded killers in control, who will live to see the New Year?

(previously published as Critical Condition)

Want more Angels of Mercy Medical Suspense? Check out the complete series:
LIFELINES
CATALYST
TRAUMA
ISOLATION
And download the Free Angels short story, TOXICITY, at CJLyons.net

Praise for CJ's Thrillers with Heart:
“CJ Lyons scores a major triumph...Totally absorbing and impossible to put down.” ~Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling author
 
“A heroine you'll never forget and a story that whips by at bullet speed.  It's easy to see why CJ Lyons is a perennial on the bestseller lists."  ~Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author

"A high stakes adventure with dire consequences." ~New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry

"I love how the characters come alive on every page." ~New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver  

"Everything a great thriller should be—action packed, authentic, and intense." ~#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child

"CJ Lyons continues to mesmerize readers…pulse-pounding." ~Fresh Fiction
 
Lyons "is a master within the genre." ~Pittsburgh Magazine
 
“This exhilarating medical thriller gets the blood pumping …This is a terrific thriller and fans of Michael Palmer will enjoy this fine tale.” ~The Mystery Gazette
 
"A powerful and dramatic look into the frenzied world of emergency medicine...Lyons’ characters are dynamic and genuine. Readers need only shut their eyes to imagine this group on the big screen." ~Suspense Magazine
 
"Sure to keep readers enthralled…a suspenseful and engaging tale that comes to an exciting conclusion. Readers won’t want to miss this one." ~Romance Reviews Today
 
"A great fast-paced read….Not to be missed for fans of ER and Grey's Anatomy." ~4 ½ Stars, Book Addict
 
"Lyons delivers a breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller." ~Publishers Weekly
 
"A winner!" ~Romantic Times, Top Pick
 
"Simply superb…riveting drama…a perfect ten." ~Romance Reviews Today
 
"Characters with beating hearts and three dimensions." ~Newsday
 
"A pulse-pounding adrenalin rush!” ~Lisa Gardner
 
"Packed with adrenalin. I can't recall a hospital novel that so thrilled me.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Medical, Suspense

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over forty novels, former pediatric ER doctor CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about in her cutting edge Thrillers with Heart.

Two times winner of the International Thriller Writers coveted Thriller Award, CJ has been called a "master within the genre" (Pittsburgh Magazine) and her work has been praised as "breathtakingly fast-paced" and "riveting" (Publishers Weekly) with "characters with beating hearts and three dimensions" (Newsday).

Learn more about CJ's Thrillers with Heart at www.CJLyons.net

Reviews

[Chad James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Finale of the Angels of Mercy series had me captivated until the last page! CJ Lyons's tells a damn good story, all 4 books in this series are well written, solid plots and outstanding characters. I'm sorry that this is the final book in the series, I was hoping for a few more, but I'm sure that CJ has other books in the works for her fans aplenty! This series is well worth reading for people that love romance, pulse - pounding storytelling, characters that have you rooting for them and there loves, a non stop world of honest human emotions, as only CJ Lyon's can tell!

[Kari Wainwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Year's Eve. People should be out celebrating, dancing, drinking. But a blizzard of epochal proportions has shut down Pittsburgh, including the Angels of Mercy Hospital.

If you like thrillers with ramped-up action and filled with strong female characters, this is a book for you. The last in the Angels of Mercy series, Critical Condition will take you for a thrill ride throught the darkened halls and tunnels of a hospital that has been taken over by a group of bad guys with no consciences, but lots of firepower.

With ever-increasing tension, evocative imagery and well-developed characters, Lyons made me feel every shiver of fear and every wintry blast of cold. (I'm not sure how she did it, but she even brought the storm to life. One night I took a break from reading the book to take my dog out and opened the front door only to be met by an unexpected whiteout of windblown snow. Needless to say, if she has this kind of power, I hope her next book is set in the Caribbean.)

Not content with putting patients, their families and caretakers in danger, Lyons also threatens a waddle of penguins. One would think that penguins would have no trouble surviving blizzard conditions, but she has brought equatorial penguins to town. So, they, too, have to be saved from the bitter weather.

I hadn't read the previous books in this series, so I didn't know the characters and their backstories, but I still wound up caring very much about their survival. And I was impressed with character growth.

Now I have to go order the other Angels books and find out the adventures that led the characters to having to deal with Critical Conditions.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very fun book. It makes me sad I haven't read the entire series, and I will be looking for them! It was a great wrap up for me, as a standalone book I only felt a couple of times that I was missing out on information that had happened prior. I enjoyed the mental break this book gave me as it was just a fun medical mystery, not a lot of brain power required, and yet it did make you think. I found myself laughing at times as well. The characters were well developed and believable, and only a little bit whinny.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I'm a med school student that loves crime and thriller reads...so I'm quite sure that this influenced my opinion about this novel :).

The story had well developed characters, lots of action and suspense, a mix I love in books like these. The setting and events also made a good one to read during those long winter nights...when the snow is slowly falling from the sky and all seems calm.

I think its a great read for anyone!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book and really enjoyed it! I recieved this copy from Goodreads. I have not read the others in the series but now I want to.
This book is full of action and likable characters. It is an easy and fun read. I kept thinking what next? and something was alway next...entertaining with lots of action. Good Read!

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much! It was like watching an extremely in-depth episode of Grey's Anatomy - which is one of my favorite shows. I loved CJ's writing and she kept me intrigued from start to finish. The characters are real and I'm now addicted to this series. Five stars!

[Rwilliams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, realistic medical series

Could not decide whether your hospital point of reference was West Penn Hospital (where I worked as a Renal Metabolic and OB GYN RN for 16 years) or the actual Sisters of Mercy Hospital (where I worked as an OB care coordinator for 6 years). Maybe even the old St. Francis Hospital, which bordered on the cemetery. If Penn Avenue was the focal point, then West Penn is the obvious choice. The medical knowledge and flow of the xare was nicely presented. But,, more importantly,, the relationship between doctors, nurses and students and the rumor mills that they created was well documented. I had to have a good laugh on more than one occasion.I had lived in Pittsburgh for 50 years, on the Northside, Southside, in Garfield, East Liberty, Shadyside, Highland Park, Point Breeze and Wilkinsburg, prior to moving to New Mexico to work for 16 years as a Nurse Practitoner with the National Public Health Service. I retired last year and came back home to Pittsburgh. A lot of the racially charged incidents in your stories focused on those neighborhoods mentioned above, as if attempting to define them as violent. There was plenty of violence in the city. From Polish Hill, Squirrell Hill, Irishtown, Lawrenceville (around the hospital), the Northside,, West End, Shaler, Aliquippa and other white or mixed neighborhoods. Growing up on the Northside, I was the target of racist taunts and violence, often being the only minority student in the white schools, where the Scholars Programs were housed. No one ever paid attention to that. I just urge caution, lest your readers prejudice the city or neighborhoods based on your stories, when much of what you include as background is indeed fact. But only those of us who live here can separate the fact from fiction.

[Richard Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love with CJ Lyons

I've spent the last week binge reading her work. Or, in the case of her Lucy Guardino series, rereading (most of it), and the last four days tearing through the four books of the Angels of Mercy medical romance suspense series, and been thoroughly involved and absorbed.

First, her female protagonists kick ass! Smart, tough, funny, strong women who stand on their own but who all are attached to the men who support and appreciate them.

Second, she knows her material, from guns to hospitals, from fingerprinting to cracking a chest. Never a hint of verbal flim-flammery. It all rings true.

Her characters are vivid and she keeps developing them AND her storylines beyond one book without the frequent "here's the summary of the previous books, all the characters and it's what you will read in the beginning of every book" non sense that frequently than plagued the works of those who write series.

I note that there are a few sets I haven't seen yet. Thank goodness for Kindle Unlimited - and retirement -because I'm about to add the rest of her work to my THE list!

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great finish to a great series. I thought I was less invested in this book because I thought I liked Gina less than the other doctors. I thought she was shallow. I didn't think less of her for her eating disorder but all of her bravado in the operating room disappeared when the going got touch and when her fiancé was hurt helping to save her, she really didn't know what she was going to. But sometimes adversity forces up to step up to the plate and when a car crashes through the ER with Gina's mother behind the wheel having a stroke, she knows she has it covered. When gunmen take over the hospital determined to kill Gina's boss, Gina knows she has to make some permanent decisions. It was fast paced, funny, sad, heart-warming and tissue-wringing. What more can you ask for?

[Diane E]

What a story

New years eve in Pittsburgh has a record blizzard . This story continues with the four women in different places. Lydia gets some answers after a near disaster hits the hospital in the form of gangsters with machine guns . The others are all working from different area, all with the goal of saving patients and people still in the hospital . Quite exciting and scary . I found myself having trouble putting the book down.

[Marilyn capps · Rating 5 out of 5]

t

I am. So happy to tell you if you don't read these 4
I'm order. You are miss out on one of the best and can't wait to follow. The
Most suspense and best group of people. You will love and see how each of their lives go and how they come to through out
All the excitement and suspension.You will cheat your self. Out of. A great read

[Geneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess, I may have read more CJ Lyons books, than any other author. (33) The 4 book series of Angels of Mercy, I read 6 years ago, but just re-read them, and didn't remember any of the contents. Maybe age has something to do with it. CJ is a great writer, enjoyed this series.

[Faye Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Michele Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last book of a great medical mystery/thriller series.
It really enjoyed this series. Kept me on the edge of my seat!

[Rebecca LaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome series

On the edge of your seat ! Great series non-stop thriller couldn't stop reading this book to find out how it ended.

[Carol Poland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transfixed. All things CJ Lyons

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this series for so many reasons - true medical scenarios, real-life (but not sappy) romance, suspense, intrigue. Lyons isn't afraid to kill off any characters and step out of the safe areas of writing. She did a fabulous job of maintaining the level of suspense and excitement throughout the 4 books. I love the way she followed a character in each book, but at the same time did not relegate the other characters to the background. Everyone played a pivotal role in each book and no one's "story" was complete until the very end. Think a high octane ER series in paperback. On another note, I typically have trouble picking up where an author left off with characters in series. I read so many books that characters and events start to blend together and I become frustrated trying to remind myself what happened in the previous books. NOT SO with this series. Perhaps it is because her characters and their actions and experiences are so vivid but the storyline and characters carry over seamlessly into each novel. I am right back into the action on page 1 of each subsequent book. And the cover - I know this seems not as important, but I have LOVED the covers of these books. As a teenager I loved reading different series that featured the "characters" (models) on each book. For some reason it helped me relate immediately to the characters (perhaps I lack the imagination to picture them in my mind!). Anyway, Lyons covers in this series were a great way to introduce and connect with the characters.....just another way the characters came to life before even reading.

Looking forward to reading her new book in March 2011 with Erin Brockovich called Rock Bottom.

Please, CJ, come out with another medical series!!!!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the 4th and final book in Lyons' 'Angels of Mercy' series, and I was sad to see the characters' stories end, though she left open the opportunity to add a 5th book or continue the stories of one or more of the main characters in a new series. For me, the series was like a literary version of Grey's Anatomy, with the main characters seemingly finding trouble at every turn, but still having time to hook up with a handsome fellow or two. Unlike the other 3 books, I didn't feel as if this one focused specifically on one of the main characters over the others, perhaps because Lyons was trying to tie up loose ends with everyone's stories.
It had been a little while since I read the 3rd book in the series, so I'd forgotten some of the plotlines that would carry over to this one such as resident Gina's cop fiance being seriously injured or doctor Lydia's troubled past that keeps catching up to her even after she moved from California to Pittsburgh. Lyons did a good job continuing those stories without giving away too much that happened before, though I definitely recommend reading the books in order so the plots make sense. Overall, I enjoyed the first two books more than these last two, more because the characters were fresh then and I was just learning about them, whereas by book 3, there wasn't a whole lot of new information to learn about the 4 women, and not much time has passed for new plot twists to develop.
That said, it was a nice light series of books to read and they confirmed to me that C.J. Lyons is an author whose books are worth seeking out.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading Critical Condition by CJ Lyons. CJ writes medical mysteries based in a hospital in Pittsburgh. In real life, she is a doctor and has definitely used her experiences of medical procedures to keep her stories real. Critical Condition is her fourth novel and is the conclusion to her Angels of Mercy series, and what a conclusion it was. All four of our lead females were heavily involved, and all had resolution. Some characters were redeemed, and others got their just desserts. This was a fast-moving book, which spanned one day in their lives. I totally enjoyed it, even though there wasn't much medical suspense going on...

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! CJ Lyons is a new author to me. Over the last week. I've read all 4 of this Angel of Mercy series, "Lifelines", "Warning Signs", "Urgent Care" and "Critical Conditions". Set in Pittsburgh's Angels of Mercy Medical Center, the series focuses around 4 strong woman in the medical field. All the behind the scene's action. Love, intrigue, friendship with a heavy dose of suspense. Cj Lyons trained in emergency pediatric medicine, also has been a crisis counselor, a victim advocate, a flight physician for life flight as well as working in numerous trauma centers. She knows her field and takes you right into middle some very detailed and heart pounding action.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to finish off the series.

I found Critical Condition to be not quite as fast paced as some of the others, but that's NOT saying that there wasn't any action, because there was plenty of that, there was also a lot of emotion packed in too.

I've enjoyed each book in the "Angels of Mercy" series. They are well written, entertaining books. Ones that I have a hard time putting down once I start because I get so drawn into the story.

[Amy Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 star medical thriller (top 50% of the genre). One of 4 books in CJ Lyons' Angels of Mercy series featuring female medical professionals in an ER in Pittsburgh, this isn't the strongest one of the bunch but the series as a whole is fabulous. For my full review, see ScienceThrillers.com

[Tiana Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great ending to this series. You really saw all the characters grow and you can actually relate to them. I wish there were more books to come. This book was fast paced and exciting like the others. A thrilling ride!

[Ilene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this series of books: kind of a Grey's Anatomy meets ER but better. :) You really feel the emotions of the characters and enjoy finding out about their lives as they do. A great, quick read.

[Pat Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Four Books Are Excellent!

This series focuses on four different women working within the same hospital. Each character is well-drawn, the medical scenes are very realistic, and the action never stops!
An exceptional series of medical thrillers.

[Tina Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cj Lyons never disappoints.

I love this series just as much as the original series from 2008 (which is the series that got me hooked!) I know that this was just a four book series..hoping we see more of Lydia, Gina, Nora, and Amanda

[Aurora]

I have been looking for more medical novels!

[Martha]

I've just won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. I look forward to reading it.

[Julie]

very good, suspenseful

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 4th and last book of a series and it was disappointing. I don't recommend this book.