FATAL COMPLICATIONS

4 stars out of 5

Let me say this right up front: I can take a little, even more than a little, sappy romance; while it's more plentiful here than I'd like, it's tolerable. But getting gobsmacked by an obvious religious slant in a book that's described as a medical thriller made me want to throw my Kindle against the wall. My Spidey senses started to twitch when I learned that one main character almost didn't marry her husband because he wasn't the perfect God-fearing man she really wanted (he was otherwise acceptable, though, so she decided to chance it). My suspicions were right; the theme is dotted throughout the book all the way to the end.

Redemption (pun intended) comes in the last half or so of the book, which is packed with plenty of action on the medical front, reminiscent of my old favorite authors like Robin Cook and Michael Crichton. I loved the lengthy, explicitly detailed descriptions of medical live-or-die procedures - some of which went one way, some another. The ending defies reality (make that outright destroys it), but it was edge-of-seat exciting nonetheless. 

Anesthesiologist Luke Daulton is relatively new on the job at Swatara Regional Hospital near Hershey, Pennsylvania (where I've screamed on the rides at Hersheypark and, of course, consumed way too much of that delicious chocolate). Assisting with a surgery that takes a deadly turn, Luke begins to question not only what went wrong and why, but who - and whether there's some kind of conspiracy afoot. He's got a doctor friend who is in the midst of a love crisis between his wife and drop-dead-gorgeous girlfriend as well as a wife who's close to delivering their firstborn. On that last point, given still too-high rates of unnecessary C-sections in this country it was disappointing that the soon-to-be-mom insisted on a C-section not for medical reasons, but because she can't fathom enduring that much pain and her obstetrician agreed. But then again, that's just me. 

Readers are privileged to get the inside scoop along the way, starting with a portent of things to come in the first few pages. Tension is heightened by watching characters concoct theories and make misjudgments that can (and do) cost them their lives - prompting us to concoct theories and make misjudgments of our own. The pace turns absolutely frantic as the end nears, bringing with it one red hot surprise. The bottom line? If you love medical-tinged drama and don't mind some religious overtones, this certainly isn't a bad choice. That said, it's probably not one you'll want to stash in your purse to read in the doctor's waiting room.

Fatal Complications by John Benedict (Oceanview Publishing, 2015; paperback release, 2021); 290 pp.