Deadly Cure

by Mahi Cheshire

'This is a thrilling story with a compelling hook' ADELE PARKS 'Grabs the reader by the heart from the first pages and ramps up the tension to the last. A stellar, shivers-down-the-spine debut' ERIN KELLY THE HIPPOCRATIC FIRST, DO NO HARM... Dr Rea Dharmasena is devastated when she loses out on her dream research job to her med-school rival and best friend, Dr Julia Stone. To add insult to injury, Julia used Rea's own cutting-edge research to get it. But just as Rea finds it in her to forgive the betrayal, Julia, after a life-changing medical discovery, is found murdered. Now Rea has the dream job she's always wanted. But at what cost? Perfect for fans of The Silent Patient and The Holiday, this is a heart-stopping thriller of betrayal, secrets and ruthless ambition that will leave you breathless. _______________ Authors love DEADLY CURE : 'Ramps up the tension again and again...took me to a place I hadn't seen coming at all. I loved it' Emily Barr 'A taut, sizzling thriller with, at its heart, a friendship gone badly wrong. Addictive and brilliant' Gytha Lodge 'So hard to put down...a total triumph' Catherine Balavage Yardley 'A devour-in-a-weekend read' Lizzie Huxley-Jones 'Twisty, original...it starts with a bang' Amita Parikh READERS ARE LOVING DEADLY CURE : 'Refreshingly original' 'Found myself reaching for every spare second I had in my day' 'Dark, chilling and disturbingly unpredictable'

Genres: Thriller, Mystery

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2001

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Cure is a fast paced medical thriller.

Rea and Julia, best friends and rivals since school. They have both followed the same career path and become Doctors.

When a position comes up in research to find the cure for Cancer they both apply. Julia gets the job and the two friends have quite a public falling out.

Just when Rea is willing to forgive, Julia is found dead. The police are investigating and Rea seems like the number one suspect. Was it jealousy?

Rea takes Julia's place on the research team and uncovers strange goings on at the Medical Facility. Now Rea has the job she has always dreamed of, but at what cost!!

A great read that kept me spell bound throughout this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Headlines:
Holy smokes, the twists
Unreliable narrators
Nothing is as it seems

I want to start off this review with my professional head on and state that the events in this book would never really happen in the UK. Health professionals would not be so lax in their personal values or their ethical accountability, on top of which medical research is tightly legislated and regulated in the UK. However, a thriller can be fantastical, right? And so, I read this by stowing all my professional knowledge and going with the flow.

This thriller was about friendships, twisted ones and genuine ones. There was a threesome of friendships in Julia, Rae and Feng, a shady bunch they were. Out of these three, I loved Feng and I basically didn't like one other character in the book but it was never the intention of the author to make likeable characters, I don't think. I had that 'love to hate' thing going on.

The setting was in the medical world, straddling the medical research world and there were some unrealistic aspects to how this written but I think that artistic licence worked on the whole here. The story depicted a search for cure to cancer that was nicely pitched alongside the personal lives of the three. I liked the fact that I was taken in by some of the characters and totally proved wrong. I had theories, none of which came to fruition, so this one really kept me guessing.

This was a gripping read and definitely one that can whisk you away. Please trust your health professionals at the end the day though please!

Thank you to Harvill Sacker/Viking Books for the review copy.

Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.

[Harmony Kent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too Plodding for a Thriller



Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Vintage for this Advanced Review Copy.

The title, cover, and description all intrigued me, and I was delighted to receive a review copy of this book. Having worked as a nurse in past decades, I looked forward to a good medical thriller. Unfortunately, the read didn’t deliver for me. I found the pacing too slow and the characters flat and like cardboard cutouts. Basically, I couldn’t care less what happened to any of the people populating this novel. As for the plot, I found this too fantastical to believe. And the way the characters responded didn’t resonate. Finally, what happened at the end, and what got uncovered, just made things worse. The writing suffered from a lack of polishing with overuse of words such as “practically”, over and over and over again, and miswritten sentences such as “it got and worse” and “I take a tissue from box on the bedside” etc.

I wanted to like this book. I truly did. But it simply didn’t deliver for me. A few lines stood out for me, but so many more didn’t. I offer a soft 2 stars for this read.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.



5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deadly Cure started well and certainly piqued my interest with the first few chapters. It promised to be a thriller of betrayal, secrets and ruthless ambition and for the most part it was. However towards the last third of the book, I was finding it predictable and the ending for me wasn’t great. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and the author for the chance to review.

[Amita Parikh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadly Cure is a fast-paced, twisty, original thriller that you'll no doubt want to race through!

It features Dr. Rea Dharmasena and Dr. Julia Stone, two MD-PhD grads who have been friends since they were teenagers. As the story unfolds, we discover that despite their long-standing friendship, they're also rivals. Things come to a head when Julia gets a job that Rea wanted, but does so via unethical means. Rea grapples with the moral ethics behind what Julia did, but ultimately gets to a place where she can forgive her — only to find out that Julia is dead.

I absolutely loved this book! It starts with a bang, pulling you in immediately. The twists and turns are unpredictable - it was rare for me to finish a chapter without wanting to start a new one. The character development was also strong, as were the diversity, representation and inclusion aspects. I don't think I've ever read a thriller with a Sri Lankan female protagonist.

It was refreshing to read a novel featuring women in medicine who weren't painted as saints. Rea and Julia have flaws, just like all real people do. I also loved the medical setting - kind of like Grey's Anatomy, but with a killer twist.

Having studied pre-med and worked in scientific research at a hospital, I know how competitive these worlds can be and Cheshire did a great job of world-building for those who may be unfamiliar with these industries.

I admire Cheshire's ability to create characters we can empathize with. I've read too many thrillers and psychological crime novels where I don't care about the protagonist(s). It's hard for me to root for them because they haven't got any redeeming qualities. But Cheshire really lets the reader into the minds of the main characters. We understand the hopes, fears and rationale behind their actions.

All in all a 5/5 book!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia & Rea were best friends. Julia was a great help to Rea is medical school when Rea was struggling. All was going well until their dream job, researching a cure for cancer, comes up & Julia gets the position. Rea does not handle this well & they are estranged. Told from the point of view of both women gives the reader a lot to think about. To start with Rea really got on my nerves but as the book progressed I began to warm towards her. Julia on the other hand was a bit trickier!

Although I found this really hard going to start with ( in fact I left it for a while before coming back to read the rest) I eventually got stuck in & couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw Deadly Cure I was immediately drawn to the idea of a hospital based thriller. Having grown up on a steady diet of ER in my teens the concept of hospital dramas has always captured my imagination!

-

We're introduced to Rea and Julia, long time friends and fierce competitors. Brought together through their own individual tragedies, the two have been perpetually neck in neck when it comes to their professional lives. From Uni to residency they've both been determined to follow the same path and now their dream research role is up for grabs.
Their competition spills over into questionable tactics resulting in Julia getting their dream job and Rea feeling scorned.

The fallout results in a twisted tale of revenge, discovery and jaw dropping revalations.

-

I got invested in this story fast. Told in dual perspective, flipping between Rea and Julia, we see their thought processes, methods and motives from the off, giving nuance to each decision made and allowing us to sympathise with each in turn.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style, I feel the subject matter did jump the shark for me through the second half of the book and, though compelling, it felt unrealistic to the point where it broke the immersion for me completely towards the end even earning an amused eye roll or two.

-

If you're looking for a compelling little mystery to get sucked in to I highly recommend Deadly Cure however if you're looking for something that's rooted in realism it may be an idea to give this one a miss.

-

Thank you very much to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for this advanced copy of Deadly Cure.

[Moa - Moaschapters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a feeling that I would enjoy this book, but it still took me one year to pick it up. I’m glad I finally did it!

This is a thriller / murder mystery taking place in hospital environment. The book is easy to read and a perfect vacay read if you want to relax and just have a good time while you reading

[Denis Wheller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rea Dharmasena and Julia Stone have been friends since their early teens and have had matching careers, first as Medical Doctors and then as researchers completing PhDs. Now they are both applicants for the same research post, working at the London Medical Institute (LMI) under its charismatic Director, Dr Owen Ansah, on a highly secret project to design and trial a treatment for cancer. Julia illicitly obtains information about the project, which she doesn’t share with Rea. This shows that the project is into viral based treatments, which was Rea’s PhD subject but Julia goes along with her idea when Rea suggests that she should give the interview panel a presentation on a different topic. Julia gets the job, of course, the friends fall out and an attempt to patch things up goes drastically wrong. Then Julia is murdered and Rea is the obvious suspect. The plot from here becomes much more complicated, but not in a good way.
My problem starts not with the research idea (I know people who are involved with projects in this area), but with the scientific and medical organisation of the LMI (I have some experience in this). However, this is a mystery story and I can go along with anomalies because the plot needs them and most readers won’t notice. However, there are too many non-scientific holes in the plot; events and actions never seem like they would have happened in any form of reality; none of the characters feels real; there are structural details (physical and operational) which are needed for the plot but which could not happen. Most importantly, the whodunnit aspect is easy to solve (there is a twist but that depends on an operational detail which would not be possible). If you can fly over the holes then it is not a bad read, albeit a bit turgid, but I doubt regular crime/mystery/thriller devotees will be satisfied.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

[Lizzie Huxley-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great fun. Like an end of season Grey’s anatomy arc written by Gillian McAllister. Two completely unreliable narrators in ambitious Julia and determined Rea, and I loved seeing how it all tied together at the end.

When Julia gets the job Rea wants studying cancer-killing viruses that Rea did her PhD on, their friendship starts to fall apart. And Rea’s got terrible headaches — is her old brain injury acting up? But then Julia turns up dead…

It’s a well plotted little thriller that keeps everything juuuuust enough out of reach that you always have questions yet to be answered, and I loved Julia and Rea’s horrible relationship!! Expect interrogations of medical ethics, research priorities and how far we’re really willing to go for something we believe in, alongside high drama and a twisty turny mystery.

A devour-in-a-weekend read that I think thriller fans are going to love.

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rea and Julia, best friends since they were young, both followed the same career path and are now doctors. When a position opens up in research, they both apply, who wouldn’t want to be part of finding the cure to cancer? Julia gets the job which leads to a falling out.

Just when Rea is ready to forgive Julia, Julia is found dead. Who killed her? The police are investigating and it seems Rea is the number one suspect.

This was a great read, I needed to know more, I was hooked! There were twists and shocks, betrayal and anger. I didn’t particularly like Rea or Julia for certain reasons but it was fast paces and I couldn’t stop reading.

This book was very unique, I have not read anything similar to it before.

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadly Cure focuses on two best friends and med-school rivals, Dr Rea Dharmasena and Dr Julia Stone. When Rea loses out on her dream job in research at the London Medical Institute (LMI) to Julia, things become very awkward, especially as she gains an advantage by unethical means. As a result, the friends have quite a public falling out. Rea finally manages to forgive Julia and arrives at her flat to apologise and ask her forgiveness, only to find Julia dead. Being the second choice, Rea ends up with her dream job, after all, working under the charismatic Director, Dr Owen Ansah.

I loved the premise of this fast-paced thriller. Unfortunately, although it started brilliantly and didn’t give up the whole way through, I stayed up far too late reading, and when I reached the point of just three hours before having to get up for work, I forced myself to put it down at 81% to be finished the following day.

There was strong character development, with a diverse range of characters. It was a joy to see two strong female characters in medicine/science who weren’t painted to be saints but real, flawed people. I loved their fierce competitiveness, which isn’t often described, especially between females in a career sense rather than looks. However, they have some great redeeming qualities, making them easy to connect and empathise with.

There are some big ethical questions at the core of the book, Julia has invented a cure for cancer, but should she be using it on a human before testing on the mice? Can she go through with it, and what are the consequences? There are plenty of darker elements as well, is there a basement at the research centre; has it been imagined or purposefully hidden?

The ending was superb, a little unbelievable, and I am sure there are a million ethical and practical considerations that may have suffered for a good story, but this was not what I expected and gave a great ending to a great book!
I enjoyed this well-written debut novel from Mahi Cheshire and will keep an eye out for any future books.

[Elizabeth Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Cure is a fast-paced, original medical thriller full of twists and turns and I raced through it in a couple of days, reluctant to put it down.

Rea and Julia are both doctors. Friends since they were teenagers, there is a also a degree of rivalry as they have followed the same career path. Things come to a head when, competing for the same medical research job, and one Rea has set her heart on, the job goes to Julia - though the manner in which she does so leads to a rift between the two women. Eventually Rea decides to make peace with Julia but arriving at her flat to to try and rebuild their friendship, she finds Julia dead. Rea become a prime suspect in her death whilst at the same time she is offered the opportunity to take Julia’s job - but she soon discovers that things may not be entirely what they seem at the research institute, though Rea may not be an entirely reliable witness.

I enjoyed the characterisation in the novel - both Julia and Rea are flawed, likeable but driven to succeed in their chosen career - and the dual narration allows us to see both sides. Rea’s medical history also adds an element of an unreliable narrator which keeps the reader unsure as to how much of her version to believe. It is a book that keeps you guessing - every time you think you have things figured out, something else happens to change things as it heads to a dramatic conclusion - and one that also makes you think, raising some interesting questions around medical ethics. It may be a little far-fetched but if you like a wild ride, and an original take on the genre, then I can guarantee this will be an addictive read you won’t want to put down.

[Tilly Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to be part of a readalong with @adventureswithwords for this brilliant book, but I’m not sure I’d recommend a readalong of it purely because it’s way too addictive!! The whole point of a readalong is to read a certain amount each day, but you’ll want to read this in a single sitting - that’s how good it is!

When Rea loses out on her dream research job because of her best friend Julia, it creates a rift which can’t be healed and sends Rea off the deep end a bit. So when Julia is found murdered, she becomes a prime suspect - and with a traumatic head injury and the meds she’s taking, there’s plenty of time which Rea can’t remember. But as she takes Julia’s place on the research project, she soon begins to suspect there are strange things going on at the medical facility - but how much is she imagining, and how much is real?

So I’ll be completely honest and say that I may not have picked this up based on the cover alone, so I am SO glad I was invited to be part of the readalong because I would’ve been missing out! This is one of the best page-turning thrillers I’ve read in a while, and it’s actually left me with a bit of a book hangover!

I loved that we start the story seeing both sides, with Julia and Rea both narrating in different ways. You know something terrible is coming so it’s really about trying to work out where it all goes wrong - and who’s involved! Obviously I also love an unreliable narrator so the element of distrust with Rea added a whole new level of intrigue to the story.

And then BAM, a big old plot twist I did not see coming and an ending that left me like 😲😲😲. So basically, my kind of book!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is about 3 long term friends, now all doctors . Both of the women have had problems in the past and are both now involved in cutting edge research in a cure for cancer. Both applied for the same job and Rea had difficulty coming to terms with coming second to her friend for her dream job. Rea ends up doing a low key job within the same clinic, but starts to notice that something is not right with patients who have been receiving a particular drug, supposedly vitamin supplements.
The friendship between the two women disintegrates completely until Feng, Rea's flatmate persuades her to reach out to Julia. Rea arrives at Julia's flat to find her murdered. Rea enters a traumatic rollercoaster where she at first takes over Julia's job, is accused of the murder by the police and realizes that the perfect job may not be all it was cracked up to be. Towards the end, the suspense builds up.
The characters are mostly quite well portrayed and the events mostly fairly believable. I liked the writing on the whole, but was not too keen on the ending. Quite a lot of ethical issues raised regarding medical research which sometimes made for difficult reading.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Rebecca Jamison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me by surprise. I hopped in to read it because I saw that Adventures With Words were doing a readalong over on Instagram. I went in basically blind and I was pleasantly surprised!

Rea Dharmasena and Julia Stone have been best friends since they were young. Both are doctors and going for the same research job. The book draws you in with a traumatic accident in A&E that Rea attends and discovers that it's her best friend and roommate, Feng Tanaka. Rea had recently received a voicemail from him saying that he needed to talk to her about Julia. At this point I am hooked already.

Julia and Rea are both flawed characters in their own ways. Julia is desperate for this research job and will stop at nothing to get it. Rea thinks Julia has stolen her work in order to get it and the two have a falling out. Julia thrives in the job and is convinced she has found a cure for cancer. This is where it gets interesting.

Julia is murdered but who did it? Who has motive? What really happened? I cannot give too much away about the plot because there are just so many twists and turns. The writing is totally gripping.

Rea ends up taking over Julia's job as she is the best person to carry on her research but she discovers a lot more than she intends to. I really enjoyed this one!

[Karen Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a medical-based drama/thriller. The main protagonist Rea, believes that her closest friend Julia has cheated her out of her dream job and they have a major falling-out. Both women are ambitious and stubborn, but have a long history of friendship which Rea cannot ignore. But when Rea visits Julia to offer an olive branch, she finds her dead.
Who killed her, and why? Suspected by the police, and suffering criippling headaches, Rea tries to work out why Julia was killed.
The story starts well, with a good opening tension-builder which draws you in, but I found the ending and reasoning behind it unconvincing. There were too many implausibilities and inconsistencies that made the last major section -the denouement and explanation of what’s going on- feel disjointed and improbable. (I read this section twice to make sure I wasn’t being unjust).
This is still quite a good read-just not, for me, a brilliant one.

[Tamara (CoffeeOnABookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This was such a quick paced suspenseful psychological thriller. When you think you got your head wrapped around everything something else mind-blowing happens. I loved the medical setting and the intense ambition to find a cure for cancer. I was hooked and was flying through this story. I did suspect parts of the end and even though I did love the ending, felt like there was something missing. I did really enjoy it and would definitely recommend!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Short Chapters
Continued suspense
Psychological thrillers

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝘋𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢 𝘋𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘥-𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘋𝘳 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘛𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘺, 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘢'𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘭, 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦-𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥.

𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘙𝘦𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥.
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵?

[Caron McKinlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Rea Dharmasena is devastated when she loses out on her dream research job to her med-school rival and best friend, Dr Julia Stone. But just as Rea finds it in her to forgive the betrayal, Julia, after a life-changing medical discovery, is found murdered. Now Rea has the dream job she's always wanted. But at what cost?

A fast-paced psychological thriller based on themes of betrayal and ruthless ambition. The exploration of the toxic friendship between Rea and Julia is exceptional in its execution.

Set in the medical field, the prose is expertly crafted to create points of perfect tension. And the insight into scientific research is both fascinating and frightening.
Confidently written and an original take on the murder mystery genre that will keep you second-guessing,

Deadly Cure is a captivating read.
Perfect for fans of The Silent Patient and Patricia Cornwell.

[Alison Taylor-Muhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say, that I found the beginning of the book slightly confusing – I felt, for the first few chapters, that the author was incredibly enthusiastic and was trying to give the reader so detail much in order to grasp their attention. As I read on, I found the book settled down and as that happened, it did grab my attention.

I’ll be honest and say I didn’t warm to Julia, Rea, or Owen - each of them is ruthless in their own way. I liked the fact that Feng added an element of genuine concern and friendship. I believe the book is more than a murder mystery - it embraces topics such as loyalty, scruples, and medical ethics. The ending took me by surprise – don’t worry, I shan’t spoil things, suffice to say it wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

A solid four stars from me.

[Mrs Susan J Bociek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite terrifying. Rea and Julia have been friends since school and share a passion for science and medicine; Julia helps Rea after a terrible accident that leaves her fragile and anxious, with a tendency to depend on painkillers. Together with Feng they go through University, all students of med and later when a top research position becomes available, the two girls are in competition for the one job. This story about researchers and those who strive to make breakthroughs in medicine will chill you to the core. Rea comes close to the edge. Is her imagination being fed by painkillers, or is what she sees real? Love and loss weave in to the story of her obsession that could leave her without everything she loves.

[Kerry Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this book.
Rea is waiting to get her dream job but she's pipped at the post by her friend. She stole the job with her own work which upsets Rea but then her friend dies and she gets her dream job but its going to cost her heavily. The truth is never what it seems.

I do love a medical feel story and this was certainly interesting. The plot was a very slow burn but the ending was interesting. I did enjoy the twist though had figured it might be a possibility. The writing is detailed and good. The characters are not particularly likeable except Rea's best friend. He was the best of all of them. i wanted to like Rea but she does some seriously questionable things in the beginning. A good story with a clever plot.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a slow starter. At first, I found the POV of the two women doctor protagonists quite muddled. There really didn't seem to be sufficiently different 'voices' to differentiate the two. And then, suddenly, without me quite realising how it happened, I was hooked. I thought it was going to be just another rather obvious 'whodunnit' but it had multiple layers of additional complexity that I really hadn't expected.

I had identified some of the baddies but the final 'twist' was well hidden and yet everything remarkably fitted together. EXCEPT, and it's a big except, I just didn't buy the 'romance' between two of the characters as being in anyway genuine.

A good solid read - well done! And thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, lies, friendship, betrayal, murder and more! This was a thrilling, original and compelling read, which left me turning the pages as quickly as I could. It was extremely well written, and I enjoyed that the story was set in the medical world (my daughter is an oncology registrar so I found it particularly interesting). I loved the book – until I reached the final 10% where my enthusiasm began to wane. The ending was beyond the realms of believability and unfortunately took the edge off an otherwise brilliant read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Aileen (Ailz) Grist · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when a doctor cuts corners on medical research? Can she cure someone she's close to with the new wonder drug? It must be difficult if the research you're doing seems to be ideal, yet you have to go through stages - petrie dishes and animals before you can start to think of human trials. Yet these checks and balances are there for a purpose - what if the side-effects are worse than the original disease, and not as rare as necessary for a drug.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this book was amazing!! It's not often I find a book where I think about it nonstop throughout the day but this did that for me. I was instantly hooked and just wanted to read and read and read. There are so many twists and turns. SO much happens, there's never a dull moment. I cannot rave enough about how good this book is!

I read this as part of a readalong so my copy was kindly gifted by the publisher. The other participants of the readalong and I were put in a group chat on Instagram so we could discuss the book and it seems like everyone has felt the same. This book is truly gripping and just SO darn good! I'd love to see it as a movie or series. All the stars for Deadly Cure.

[Steve Capel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story based on the friendship between two young female doctors working in the field of medical research whose relationship drastically alters when they both apply for the same post and one of them is successful. Secrets and lies abound in this quite disturbing book. How far should you go to find a cure for cancer? The boundaries are certainly tested by the researchers working at the fictional LMI hospital.
I thought I had the final reveal by around sixty percent of the book but that may have been the intention of the author as although I was on the right track I was still somewhat surprised by the ending..
For me, this is a very satisfactory debut novel.

[Siobhan Devlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an absolutely brilliant debut.
This book kept me gripped from the start.

Both Rea and Julia are very toxic characters making for some great reading; the perfect 'frenemy' duo! Although they're not the type of characters you can particularly warm too, you do sympathise with their history. I definitely appreciate the authors approach to rather emotional topics.

Being a big thriller reader I loved the uniqueness of this book, never once did I get the feeling 'I've read something like this before'.

From about chapter 22 onwards this book made its suspense presence known! There's so many hold your breath moments, I was left reeling from the intense situations. Brilliant.

Overall.
This is a new dark and twisted take on a medical thriller. The lines crossed between ambition and curtsey firmly destroyed. Whatever your thinking while reading you're probably wrong, throughout the pages your subtlety thrown from the scent.. the ending is very unexpected. The hunger for success is very much at the forefront of this, the belief in something bigger than yourself. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a thriller with a difference, busting with betrayal, rivalry and murder.

*AD-PR PRODUCT read as part of a read-along. Was gifted a physical copy. Under no pressure at all to review.

[nickiknackinoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really well written story! There is Julia and Rea. They are two very close friends who want the same job. Julia gets it but uses Rea's research paperwork to get it. Rea is mad at her and when Julia is murdered ,Rea is offered the job. She takes it but how does she look now? Rea feels so guilty for getting the job that was Julia's. It doesn't feel right. There's also the matter of who killed Julia???
This story really got me comfortable.. I really thought I knew where it was going but oh no!!!. It was a brilliant ending and I absolutely loved it!!
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free arc book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #DeadlyCure, #randomhouse, #mahicheshire.

[Lesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite genres when it comes to reading but sadly using the term ‘thriller’ or ‘murder mystery’ for this book just didn’t fit. I found it neither thrilling nor a mystery.

It’s rare to read a book where you actually dislike all the main characters, but I liked none of them in this book.
Not one. It was obvious very early on what was happening. There was one small surprise at the end but that was it.

I haven’t given you a précis of the book as you can get that from the cover.

Sadly, this book was simply not for me, I couldn’t wait for it to end.

My thanks go to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance e.reader copy of this book.