Lethal Injection

by Jerry Leake

Some hospitals bury their mistakes. This one is being paid to.

April 1998. Diane Saunders arrives at Boston County General as a third-year surgical resident and is in an operating room before she's found the restroom. She's good, she's fast, and she has nine hundred miles between her and the only family she has left—a younger sister in a Chicago psychiatric ward whose insurance runs out at the end of the year.

Then, a long-term coma patient dies on Ward C, ninety minutes after an injection Diane watched a first-year nurse administer correctly. The toxicology comes back naming a drug that was never in the room. The nurse is dismissed within a week. The bottle disappears into the pharmacy and is reconciled and destroyed.

Diane starts pulling at it—a lawyer's name that turns up on seven settlements, a margin note in a calendar, a locked drawer—and finds that every thread runs back to the same the head of surgery, the finest spinal surgeon in the vicinity, who sits down with frightened patients and asks them about their gardens.

He knows she's looking. He knows about her sister. And on a dark road north of Boston, a man who is not a police officer taps on her car window and tells her he is.

Lethal Injection is a medical thriller about money and about the arithmetic that gets done on people who cannot speak for themselves.

399 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

When medical resident Diane Saunders witnesses what is conveniently labeled a negligent mistake, she goes to bat for nurse Susan Oakes who has been wrongly blamed for the mistake. As Diane goes back through hospital records, she uncovers a history of long-term comatose patients who have all mysteriously died. It soon become apparent that Diane has made herself a target and it will take all she can do to survive and to uncover the persons behind the conspiracy. It was a very interesting book, but a little slow for my taste. The book should be okay for most readers as it doesn't get too deeply into gorey medical detail or have too many frightening scenes. I would recommend it to readers of medical thrillers who are okay with a slower paced tale.

[Calianne Weegens · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started off okay. It was very action packed in the beginning with all the medical action. It did kind of feel like I was watching a medical drama which I enjoyed. I did kinda feel like the dialogue was flat. Certain instances didn’t make much sense. There is infrequent use of strong language and an inappropriate scene in the last chapter otherwise it’s fairly clean. It felt too long but I did like the action and the mystery. Especially the medical side I really enjoyed. It was very descriptive I just wasn’t really able to connect with the characters. I would recommend trying it.

“He who has saved a life has saved the whole world.”

[Sally Vrooman Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry Leake’s Lethal Injection is an intense and exciting medical thriller that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The story follows Dr. Diane Saunders, a hardworking doctor at Boston County General, who starts to notice strange and suspicious deaths in her hospital. With the help of David Conroy, a surveillance expert, she uncovers a dangerous mystery that questions the safety and trust of the medical system.

The characters are realistic and easy to connect with, and the twists and turns in the plot will leave you guessing until the very end. This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys thrilling mysteries and medical dramas. Lethal Injection is a page-turner you won’t want to put down!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Lethal Injection, although it took me some time to get into it. I can’t quite put my finger on why that is. The characters were written well enough, the plot was there, there were a few things that didn’t make sense, but the over all story was a good read. I couldn’t help but see Grey Sloan Memorial as the story played in my brain. I would like to know more about what happens next, how Diane’s relationships with her family heal and what’s next for her, David and Izzy.
Thank you VRO and the author for a free copy and the opportunity to read and review.

[Tina Fulcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous read, so well written. The story follows Diane and David who are investigating the sudden death of a patient in a coma. Have there been others? Can they prove the killer is guilty? I would gladly read other novels written by this author. Highly recommended. Totally gripped from start to finish.

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader copy of this novel and leave this review voluntarily.

[Sharon Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced thrilled with a great storyline set in the backdrop of a hospital. The plot developed quickly making it a book I didn't want to put down. I loved the hospital setting and the writer’s attention to detail.
The characters were very well written, solid and with plenty of depth and it fully met my expectations from the books synopsis.
Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book from ‘Voracious Readers Only’.

[Nancy Fagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story. There is a lot happening and you have to wonder if they are ever going to catch the bad guy. I would have liked a bit more detail. It did seem to be a bit jumpy sometimes.
I received this book from the author for free through Voracious Readers Only, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't connect with the characters at all but despite that I still really enjoyed the story. It's very medical which I appreciated and the mystery is solved slowly. It starts out with a fascinating medical action and that theme continues throughout the plot. Although I feel it's not character driven the plot made up for it.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a great book. I didn't want to stop reading it. Was a twist in it i didn't see coming. Wrapped up the loose ends at the end. I enjoyed this one!

[Patt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it immensely. Couldn’t put it down. Read it in one day but I do that occasionally with books I’m really enjoying. Ending great but won’t give anything away. Read and enjoy!

[Allison Kineston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off slow but the got more interesting as it continued.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. A little predictable.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane Saunders is a resident at a Boston hospital. She is just started and is getting used to the hours and the exhaustion. She becomes a detective when strange that happen, patients. I found a plot very intriguing and the character development very good. I recommend this book for all who like medical thrillers.