Harvest

The possibility that this could or is happening really gives me the creeps!

Nina Voss is dying and her husband, wealthy financier Victor Voss, will do almost anything to ensure that she receives a heart transplant actually scheduled for Joshua O'Day, a young seventeen year old lad currently on top of the transplant list. In a joint act of compassion, Abby DiMatteo, second year resident and Vivian Chao, chief surgical resident of Bayside General Hospital, jeopardize their careers by obtaining a directed transplant consent to ensure Joshua gets the heart. This end run around the outraged Voss and his bottomless supply of money, the power of the hospital's transplant team and the corporate plans of Bayside's CEO, prompts a brutally swift and relentless legal vendetta from Voss intended to destroy DiMatteo's life and her medical career as a promising surgeon. In the midst of this furor, a second available heart surfaces out of nowhere and the transplant for Voss is completed. But, in the course of investigating the cause of a post-operative infection, DiMatteo discovers that records have been falsified and the source of this second heart is a terrifying and brutal black market in transplant organs. Gerritsen's experience as a doctor is evident in her vivid and moving portrayal of the high pressure boiler-room atmosphere in the surgical intensive care unit at a large city hospital - the unforgiving and demanding long hours; the crushing academic standards of surgical rounds and the intense competition to succeed among the resident staff; the compassionate involvement, caring and humanity that must often be held in check in order to perform as a competent professional; the resounding chaos of a crash "code blue"; and, the gut wrenching, soul-destroying fear of malpractice suits filed at the least provocation. Perennially present issues such as assisted suicide and conflict between certain religious belief systems and the medical profession make effective brief cameo appearances. I believe that Gerritsen did not intend that these sidebars be considered sub-plots, because they took no part in the continuity of the main story line at all. But they certainly enhanced the overall reality of the milieu and served to flesh out details of the pathos, the frustration and the extreme complexity of the environment in which the medical profession is forced to operate today. In her debut outing, Gerritsen has produced a medical thriller that rivals anything produced by her colleagues. Move over, Robin Cook and Michael Palmer! You've got some worthy company! This is a proverbial page turner from start to finish! Paul Weiss

This is my second reading of Tess Gerritsen's first novel, Harvest. I enjoyed it even more the second time around. It all starts with a young woman having a car crash that leaves her brain dead. Her heart matches two people: one is a poor 17 year old boy, the other is the wife of one of the richest men in the country. Who it ends up going to starts this thrilling tale ... Soon Dr. Abby DiMatteo, a resident at Bayside Hospital, is in the middle of a whirlwind controversy involving black market organs, false accusations of murder, career-altering decisions, and she begins questioning the very core of the person she is going to marry. Great mystery, really interesting medical scenes, believable and sympathetic characters. All in all - a great read! I'm in the midst of re-reading all of Gerritsen's novels ... she is a phenomenal writer (and she used to be a doctor, which gives all the medical scenes such accurate detail.) If you like Robin Cook books, you'd like Tess Gerritsen. Next on the nightstand: Life Support.

In "Harvest," Tess Gerritsen writes a moving and suspenseful tale of Abby DiMatteo, and Bayside Memorial Hospital. From within the first few pages, Ms. Gerritsen has you hooked, and you'll be turning pages a mile a minute. The story is basically centered upon the topic of harvesting organs. Dr. Abby DiMatteo, a second year resident at Bayside, is starting to work with the transplant team, and they seem a little weird. She uncovers some things, and learns more of the team's past history. Meanwhile, she is in love with a member of the team, Dr. Mark Hodell. When a needy boy needs a heart, Abby and another doctor think that this boy will get the heart. But it doesn't seem that way now. It appears that the team is doing some business behind the hospital's back, and are getting organs for people not in desperate need of them. This gets Abby thinking, and thus begins one of the best books I've read. "Harvest," is first rate suspense. Former romance author and current doctor Tess Gerritsen weaves a tale full of medical wonders, intrigue, and romance. Whether a fan of a science thriller, mysteries, or just a good book, you're bound to enjoy "Harvest." This is not only one of the best thrillers I've read, it's one of the best books that I've read in mainstream fiction. The is the first novel that I've read by Ms. Gerritsen and it certainly won't be my last. This is a book that should not be missed. Need a great, entertaining read? Then this is for you. Don't miss out on this great novel.Happy Reading!

Firstly, I have to say that Harvest is in my Top Ten List of all-time most favorite reads (and I've been a voracious reader for forty years).........This book has it all.............thrills, chills, great twisted plots, superb character development...........bad guys, good guys....kept me guessing.......and guessing......... Abby Di Matteo was a second year resident at Bayside Hospital in Boston when she was chosen to be part of the cardiac transplant team.... When she discovered that a heart was to be given to a rich man's wife, rather than a young 17 year old boy who was next in line, both Abby and Dr. Chao, took drastic measures....which had immediate repercussions! Finding donor records as being falsified, and knowing that some hearts aren't coming through the correct channels, Abby starts an investigation........ Since I first read Harvest when it came out in hardcover in 1996, the details and characters have stayed with me....this is a book that one can't forget..........it's an "edge of the seat" thriller, which is even scarier knowing that it's so easy for this to happen in real life.............Gerritsen's knowledge of the medical field shines through without all the jargon that we lay people can't understand! No matter where I am, at weddings, wakes, bookstores, beaches, if I see or know someone who reads, I always recommend any Tess Gerritsen book, so long as it includes Harvest!! Better than Cook, Crichton, or Palmer, and they are great authors, I assure you............This book is a MUST read..... Gotta mention, I was lucky enough to meet this beautiful and talented lady, twice at booksignings.........she is such a down-to-earth, friendly, sincere person, I hope each of you gets to meet her someday also!

Tess Gerritsen really did an excellent job with this book. Keeps reader's attention from the first to the last page. The Book virtually takes the reader into the action of the book and you can feel the stress and fear Abby is going through. A well thought plot, with some descriptive scenes. I recomend this book for everyone. It is written in a style that you can't and don't want to stop reading. It completely caputers your attention. It is straight forward, with no unexplained twists and confusing minor plots. It is the BEST book I've ever read