In the Blood

IN THE BLOOD, a new medical thriller by Don Donaldson, takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride. First there is a single female physician who has faced a terminal illness..... Leukemia and lived. Then Donaldson takes you into the world of fertility clinics and egg donation. Immediately, he introduces the unbelievable occurrence of donated eggs being stolen and involves you, his reader, in sharing in the search. The roller coaster ride has just begun! Utilizing cutting edge science, ethical issues and the readers' emotional involvement he takes you on a ride of a lifetime. Each character, either good or evil, is very believable in their creative development and descriptions. Like a roller coaster, the story takes you up to the top with both horrific and vulnerable characters. Then you hold on, often with white knuckles, as you turn each page with that same feeling of rushing down the other side. As a mental health provider, I look for a reading escape that is exciting, fun and has enough of a challenge not to waste my time. Donaldson has done it again with IN THE BLOOD, his previous thriller being DO NO HARM. After two books of this type of entertainment, I have already bought my ticket for the next ride.

"In the Blood" reaffirms Don Donaldson's superb talents as a creative writer and scientist, and as a master of the medical thriller genre. His writing style consistently brings the reader deeply into the adventure at hand and keeps us "running" from chapter to chapter. In this, his second medical thriller (his first being "Do No Harm"), he involves us in scientific achievement gone uncontrolled. He draws a picture of a young physician, Dr. Holly Fisher, eager to begin her new life as a cancer survivor by claiming her commercially-preserved eggs and then having the child she has dreamed of. We feel her dashed spirits when her lover rejects the possibility and then when she discovers that her eggs have been stolen. Her determination to find the thief and, hopefully, the eggs, lead her and her ally (the head of the clinic from which the eggs were taken) into the Wisconsin dairy industry where they are confronted by convincing and realistic dangers. Ironically, it leads Holly into a secret production center where her eggs and others are being used to produce a cancer-curing drug. Donaldson's careful research into the science involved in the central theme gives him the capability of creating a scenario that is both believable and appalling. His heroine investigates the circumstances intelligently, giving the reader the sense that ordinary mortals can problem-solve and search out the answers to the questions that arise as the book progresses to the resolution of the situation. The science is strong but understandable to the non-scientist who wants to enjoy a thrilling ride through a unique experience in the scientific "underworld". Donaldson doesn't disappoint and leaves us looking forward to his next creation. Those of us who have been fans from the time of his forensic adventures with Andy Broussard and Kit Franklyn are happy to see his even greater success with the medical thriller genre.

"In the Blood" by Don Donaldson is a pretty sharp medical thriller. Normally, I don't cross into this territory, but decided to venture here after enjoying Donaldson's "Do No Harm" last year. This followup does not disappoint. The appeal of any medical thriller, I think, is its basis in possibility - could the events described in the book really happen and, if so, how horrible would they be? Donaldson cooks up twin threats that are both likely and awful to contemplate. the first is the threat of contaminated beef and its effect on those who consume it. I don't think I have to remind any reader of the current situation in Europe. As if that wasn't enough, Donaldson ups the ante by imagining a situation in which nonviable human fetuses are being produced in order produce a particular drug, which may have a beneficial effect and save lives. The reader is left contemplating the moral and ethical implications of human experimentation. The initial revulsion gives way to medical possibility. By then, you're sucked in and questioning your own senses. The characters are likeable, and don't jump off the page at you. This is a good thing, as perfect, inhuman characters are a distraction not worthy of a talented craftsman like Donaldson. Holly Fisher, the catalyst who begets the novel by having her viable eggs stolen, is strong-willed, but not tough, making enough mistakes to seem real, but intelligent enough to backtrack and get the job done. "In the Blood" is taut and sharp as a scalpel and I highly recommend it to mystery lovers and fans of medical thrillers alike.

Memphis-based doctor/author Donaldson's latest work gave this reader real shivers. From cloning to mad cow disease, this is an entertaining story about the darkest areas of genetic engineering. The story is populated with distinctive, well-developed characters that make this a real page-turner.

In Jackson, Mississippi, seven years ago, Dr. Holly Fisher learned she suffered from a deadly form of leukemia. Before undergoing experimental treatment involving bone marrow cleansing, Holly leaves eleven of her ovarian eggs at the Fertility Associates Clinic so that if she ever feels cured she can still have children, as the "cure" will otherwise leave her barren.After her latest test, an elated Holly feels safe that she is cured. She asks her lover Dr. Grant Ingram to marry her and begin a family, but he rejects the idea. Hurt, Holly leaves Memphis and drives to Jackson to set in motion the fertilization of one of her eggs. However, she soon learns from Dr. Susan Morrison, head of the clinic, that someone claiming to be an estate lawyer showing Holly's death certificate and will collected her eggs several months ago. The two women join forces and begin making inquiries, not yet realizing the danger they are in if they discover the company is illegally creating fetuses for commercial use.IN THE BLOOD is a taut amateur sleuth-medical thriller that showcases the underbelly of genetic research allowed to go uncontrolled. The suspense never eases up as the two heroines' crusade continue even when the odds seem overwhelmingly against them. In spite of the fine lead charcaters, Don Donaldson's tale belongs to his modern day Dr. Frankenstein plot that cooks up quite a story line. It will leave sub-genre fans comparing his work to the best of Crichton.Harriet Klausner