Life Support

Good medical mystery...one of my favorite genres. It has all the ingredients to keep the pages turning.

I didn't read Tess Gerritsen's books in the order they were published, so I've backtracked a bit. My first introduction to Tess Gerritsen was reading Bloodstream and I thoroughly enjoyed that story. My friend, the one responsible for getting me hooked on Gerritsen told me that Harvest and Life Support were even better than Bloodstream. I wondered if it could be possible and decided to see. The result: I only thought I was hooked on this author before, but after reading both of these other books, I'm definitely an avid fan! Life Support focuses on Dr. Toby Harper, an emergency room doctor who works the night shift at Springer Hospital so she can take care of her elderly mother who suffers from Alzheimer's. Toby's normal, structured life is turned upside down when an elderly patient suffering from confusion is brought into her ER and then he suddenly disappears. Of course a surgeon bent on revenge against Toby uses this as a catalyst in an attempt for her dismissal. Her once boring life has suddenly turned into a battle - a fight to keep her job, a fight to continue taking care of her mother after her longtime home healthcare aide resigns, and a fight to figure out what happened to the disappearing patient. Enter Dr. Carl Wallenburg, doctor from Brant Hill, an upscale retirement housing area. The missing patient just happened to live at Brant Hill and this is more than the coincidence Wallenberg wants everyone to believe when a second patient turns up disoriented and showing signs of seizures. When Toby tries to find a connection between Brant Hill and the patients, she begins to uncover a research program using an experimental hormone protocol that is touted as the Fountain of Youth. The only problem is that this procedure has a big drawback - a few of the patients are dying from it. The plot is wonderfully laid out so that it keeps the reader on the edge of the seat throughout most of the book. Just when you relax another twist takes place and you're back on the edge once again. A few of the subplots are predictable, but that seems to be part of the overall design in drawing in the reader to the point where you don't know which subplot will be predictable and which will be a roller coaster ride. It will have you second-guessing yourself from the beginning to the end. Character development is excellent. The physical descriptions are such that you can close your eyes and actually see the character vividly. The interactions bring emotions to the reader - you can feel the friendship between Dr. Toby Harper and Dr. Robbie Brace; you can feel the attraction between Dr. Toby Harper and Dr. Daniel Dvorak; you can feel the animosity between Dr. Carl Wallenburg and Dr. Toby Harper. The imagery used with these characters and scenes are so enticing, I actually felt as if I was Toby Harper. Are there any negatives to the book? Yes, but you have to look very hard and be very picky about it. So in order to appear unbiased towards this author, I'll list a

Tess Gerritsen has done it again...she has managed to make me lose track of an entire day...and not reget it for a moment.I have read some of her other books, and since I am a student in the medical profession, I like reading them based on her medical background. But thats not the only reason...the woman can plot a book with the best of them and ratchet up the tesnion level like no other.Toby, an ER doctor sees something strange come into the emergency room while on shift, but the patient leaves the hospital, and Toby is blackballed at every turn by those who hold higher positions than she does. The story of this mysterious disease in one steeped in money, wicked doctors, stolen babies and hidden truths. As each layer of the mystery is peeled back further and further, Toby loses those that are most dear to her. Will her fears win the day, or will the quest for truth and accountability be the ultimate victor? When this book reaches its conclusion, you will be left with a breathless feeling of relief, but hungering for more of Ms. Gerritsen's novels. Certainly one of the best I have read in a long while.

I always appreciate a good medical thriller, so I'm not the type to swoon at the first mention of blood.This book, however, had me so frightened that instead of feverishly forging ahead to see what happens next (which I desperately wanted to do), I had to put it down from time to time to regain my equilibrium. When Gerritsen is at the top of her game, as she is in this novel, I think nobody can beat her. Not Robin Cook, not anybody.It's hard to describe the plot without giving away vital information, and I don't intend to be a spoiler. But I can tell you that the action starts hard and fast on the very first page, when a world-renowned surgeon, elderly but revered in his field, attempts a simple appendectomy and winds up killing his young, healthy patient in the most gruesome of ways. Our glimpse into his mind while this is going on is almost scarier than the act itself...and that is the first chapter of the book! It doesn't get calmer from there.It seems that a number of very fit elderly men, in full control of their faculties and all living in a very upscale retirement home, are showing strange mental symptoms, one after the other, and eventually dying horrible deaths. Dr. Toby Harper,who heads the ER rotation at a local hospital, encounters two of these patients, and is at a complete loss to diagnose the problem, let alone solve it. Her dogged determination to get to the bottom of the illness(es) lands her in a conspiracy so sinister that she can't even guess at the true nature of it, except to know that it is putting herself, her dear elderly mother who suffers from Alzheimers, and seemingly her entire medical reputation at stake.A subplot, wherein innocent young runaway girls are captured on the streets and impregnanted with god knows what, forms a counterpoint to the main tale.All I can tell you is that Toby, probably the one innocent in the drama, ends up wanted by the police for murder--and the bad guys, who are diabolical, seem to be getting away scott-free with their intensely fiendish plot.Sound good? Try it. You may not sleep well at night, but it's worth it. Tess Gerritsen is without peer when she truly believes in what she is writing about, and this book proves it. All I can say is, WOW!

This was the first book that I read by Tess Gerritsen. From the very first few pages, I was automatically taken into the fast-paced content. I literally had a hard time putting the book down! The characters were like pieces of a puzzle that Gerritsen created, but didn't put together until the end of the book. I have read quite a few medical thrillers in the past, but none have kept my curiosity going like this book. Gerritsen is a wonderful writer. I feel as though anyone can enjoy this book--although I loved it even more since I am a health care professional. This is truly an enjoyable read. I only hope that Gerritsen will continue to write novels that are as great as this one!!

Tess Gerritsen doesn't fall victim to the sophomore slump with her second medical thriller, Life Support. A peaceful evening in the ER is broken by the arrival of a delirious elderly man. Dr. Toby Harper does her best to treat the patient, but he mysteriously disappears from the hospital when left unattended. Toby searches for her lost patient and tries to determine the cause of his behavior when another patient with similar symptoms dies under her care. Her concern is deepened when the cause of the patient's death is determined to be Creutzfeldt- Jakob, or mad cow disease. Following this disclosure, Toby is beset by personal tragedies as someone is trying to prevent her from discovering the evil truth and unthinkable research responsible for this outbreak. Life Support is a fast-paced medical mystery full of intrigue and suspense. The plot-driven story grabs the reader and never lets go. I couldn't put this book down. Gerritsen effectively uses medical terminology that's not over the average reader's