Critical Condition: A Medical Thriller

Dr. Kathleen Sullivan and Dr. Richard Steele have returned (Mutant). Sullivan suffers a severe brain hemorrhage and finds herself totally paralyzed, but completely awake and aware. She is given a questionable treatment by the Chief of Neurosurgery. It is left to Steele to determine what a group of doctors in his hospital are up to. Throw in a fanatical murderer on the loose who is killing doctors, and you have a fast paced thriller. Clement has developed some intriguing characters for this outing. Realistic descriptions of stem cell research add to the mix. The skulking killer was a bit over the top, but needed, I suppose, for the suspense. Overall, a good read with a very exciting conclusion.

I really enjoy Peter Clement's books. It would be really easy to write way over our laymens heads, since he is a doctor, but he seems to always be aware of his reader's limited medical knowledge and writes accordingly. His books are packed with mystery and suspense. His characters are always interesting and believable. Critical Condition delivers like all his others. Dr. Sullivan has a stroke and wakes up to find that while she is totally aware of her surroundings, she is trapped inside a body that will not respond. The only way she is able to communicate is by blinking her eyes to yes & no questions. Her lover, E.R. physician Richard Steele is desperate to find a way to help restore her life to normal. There are doctors at the hospital that have been experimenting with stem cells, and they may be able to help, but at what cost? When things don't go the way these physicians planned, will Dr. Sullivan be capable of making those around her understand there is a plot to kill her? This was an exciting book. It was hard to put down. It was hard not to panic while reading Sullivans reaction to finding herself unable to move, or speak. She can't even breath on her own, and I had trouble breathing just reading about her panic. Clement doesn't waste alot of time mincing words or piling on page after page of "filler". He gets right to the heart of the story, making your heart beat faster in the process. Pick this one up, you won't regret it.

In Peter Clement's "Critical Condition," Dr. Kathleen Sullivan suffers a brain hemorrhage and spends most of the book flat on her back, unable to move or to communicate normally. Her lover, Dr. Richard Steele, Chief of ER, is heartbroken, especially since his first wife died after a battle with cancer. Will Richard once again lose a woman he loves? Even if Kathleen survives, will she ever be able to function normally again?There is a great deal more at stake here, however, than Kathleen's medical problems. There are a number of doctors in New York City Hospital who are engaged in unauthorized research that could revolutionize the treatment of a variety of medical conditions, including heart failure and strokes. When Kathleen, without her consent, becomes a guinea pig in this new research, she cannot easily communicate her terror to Richard or to the police. Complicating matters still further, there is a homicidal maniac on the loose, and he is targeting those very doctors engaged in this new research.Although the plot of "Critical Condition" is extremely convoluted, Clement manages to hold the reader's interest with crisp dialogue and fast-paced action. There is plenty of gore here, as people are dispatched in extremely messy ways. One of Clement's strengths is his talent for explaining arcane scientific concepts, and his information about stem cell research is fascinating. Another plus is Clement's restraint in not making either of his heroes, Kathleen or Richard, super-detectives. Instead they are portrayed as vulnerable people, whose medical knowledge does not protect them from the evil that surrounds them. Finally, Clement wisely shows that there is a moral gray area surrounding controversial scientific research. Do the potential benefits that may result from stem cell research offset the moral questions that such research raises? Does the United States government handcuff its scientists too much with restrictive rules, or are these rules designed to protect us all from dangerous and untested practices? These are valid questions, which are intelligently addressed. Clement gives no pat answers; he allows the reader to make his own judgments concerning these thorny issues.What weaken the book are the stereotypical villains and the melodramatic scenes at the end of the novel when the mastermind is finally revealed. Clement makes one huge error. He kills off so many people that it is fairly easy to figure out who the main villain is by the process of elimination. However, for medical thriller junkies, "Critical Condition" does provide plenty of excitement, action and scientific food for thought.

Peter Clement is a natural, the novel is full of surprises and action, and difficult to put down. Any book that keeps my interest over sleep and meals deserves the highest score. I have become a devout follower. I stongly recommend this book - A must read.

Geneticist Dr. Kathleen Sullivan and ER Chief Dr. Richard Steele are making love when she suddenly collapses in pain from a tremendous headache caused by a massive brain hemorrhage. Kathleen loses almost all movement, as she has become a quadriplegic with several critical bodily reflexes failing. She is reduced to communicating with one wink meaning yes and two winks no. Dr. Tony Hamlin heads up the medical team with assists from Dr. Jim Norris and Dr. Lockman. The staff tries an illegal experimental infusion through Kathleen's neck. Desperate she struggles to inform her beloved Richard that the crack medical team is using her as a guinea pig before they either kill her or leave her with a malfunctioning brain. CRITICAL CONDITION is an exciting medical thriller that never slows down due to the intrepid frantic actions of the lead female protagonist. The story belongs to Kathleen whose efforts to convey information is difficult and frustrating to her and to the receiver of her eye lid transmissions. The support cast augments the plot with strong characterizations though the constant reference to Richard's dismal handling of his deceased wife's cancer adds little to the current dilemma except to make the hero seem unreliable when it counts. In this potent story that is unnecessary as Richard is already laden with handicaps such as doubting his peers, dealing with the couple's teenage children from separate marriages, coping with the lack of complex communications, and handling the overall health of his beloved. Each of these is handled with depth and dexterity as they nurture the forward thrust of Peter Clement's exhilarating thriller.Harriet Klausner