I’m joining in again with Throwback Thursday which was created by my good friend Renee at It’s Book Talk. She started this weekly feature as a way to highlight old favorites and read books that have already been published. I have so many older books on my TBR that get ignored in favor of review copies and I figure participating in Throwback Thursday will help me to read at a least one older title a week!

I haven’t read many medical thrillers and I’m not sure exactly why because the few I’ve read I really enjoyed! There’s something terrifying about the plausibility of these types of books, the idea that it really could actually happen that makes for such a compelling read.

While the initial premise for this was a bit far fetched, (crazy grieving husband turns psycho and takes extreme measures to get revenge on his wife’s surgeon) the actual medical advances seem like something that could possibly happen. It all revolves around an auto surgeon which is basically a super advanced robot that can perform an actual operation on its own. There’s also brainwashing and this totally creeped me out and made for such a sinister read.

Parsons is a solid writer and I really liked that he clearly has a medical background, it was evident in the use of procedures and medical terminology, but it was all basic enough that it wasn’t confusing for an average reader like me. The story unfolds through four separate viewpoints; Rita the surgeon, Finney the grieving husband, Sebastian who works for Finney and Spencer another surgeon who is also Rita’s ex. The pacing was fast and very intense, as it reached the end the narratives really started to blend together seamlessly and became exciting and unbelievably tense. This would be great for fans of standard thrillers who are looking for something different!

A suspense filled, heart pounding page turning novel of revenge. Very enjoyable!

Real life board-certified urologist and novelist, Kelly Parsons, returns following his gripping debut, Doing Harm, (2014), with his latest medical (psychological) thriller, UNDER THE KNIFE.

When a good doctor makes a mistake. A patient dies. The grieving husband takes revenge into his own hands with extreme, sinister, and terrifying measures.

Told from four POVs:

Biotechnology tycoon Morgan Finney has nothing to lose; however, since his wife Jenny’s death, his rage had grown and threatened to consume him. Grief crashed over him without warning. He was drowning in it. He would take justice into his own hands. However, he is sure Jenny would not approve.

He had grown rich from being absolutely certain about things. He had not slept in days and was exhausted. Her death was the action, and cosmic disequilibrium the reaction. Jenny had worked with deaf children in college and had delighted in the cochlear implant concept.

Flash forward a year later.

Dr. Rita Wu, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of California, was strapped to an operating-room table. Naked. She had no clue how she has gotten here. Then she starts hearing voices in her head. There is someone talking to her. The voice in her head is Finney?

The voice is telling her what she has to do. What the heck? There is no way she can operate with this voice in her head. She will go mad. A nightmare. There was no stopping the panic. She was terrified. She wished she could reach out to Spencer.

Dr. Spencer Cameron. He has not gotten over Rita. They had been broken up a year ago. He is stalking his ex-girlfriend. He likes to keep tabs on her. He still loves her.

Sebastian is the mystery man. He had taken a job. Finney had provided him with the dossiers and videos of the early test subjects. Those unlucky enough to have been the first to receive the implants. The device.

Rita had removed Jenny's ruptured appendix. There were complications and she died. Finney tells her his wife, Jenny died because of her. She also had been pregnant.

Finney was going to kill her. He would make her suffer. He would rob her of something precious. The way he had been robbed.

Between madness, insanity, and the unspeakable. This cannot be happening. What kind of sick joke?

No way out. The embedding. Complex commands. Demands.
This grieving, unbalance, crazy husband of a former patient had trapped her, in an elaborate and perfectly executed– setup? What did he want from her?

Terrifying and chilling, the author, keeps you on the edge of your seat with his heart-pounding suspense thriller and a race against time. From sinister medical technology, and human experimentation. Corruption. Murder. A psychopath. Guilt. Revenge.

Character-driven with non-stop action and intensity. Loved Rita and Spencer. For fans of medical thrillers, Michael Palmer’s Trauma and the TV series, Pure Genius. If you have not read his first book, Doing Harm, highly recommend. I also listened to the audio version, and Nancy Wu delivered an outstanding performance.

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

JDCMustReadBooks

Intelligent, fast-paced and creepy!

In this new novel by Parsons we're once again submerged in an incredibly detailed, medical thrill-ride that not only demonstrates his ability to write a well crafted, edge-of-your-seat mystery but also highlights his first-hand knowledge of the terminology and lifestyle of being a surgeon.

The writing is well done. The plot is an action-packed tale full of revenge, guilt, moral dilemmas and spine-chilling medical advancements. And the characters, even the villainous one, are intelligent, successful, troubled and developed in such a way you can't help but empathize with them.

Overall, I would have to say that this is a highly entertaining, captivating read that is perfect fans of Robin Cook and Michael Palmer.

Thank you to NetGalley, especially St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well, I wrapped up reading Under The Knife last night. I thought the book was well written; it was fast paced and the story never dragged. The heroine, Dr. Rita Wu is a powerhouse -- successful, intelligent and strong. The medical advances and technology presented throughout seemed very well researched. The robotics aspect was extremely interesting and the mind control plot line was incredibly frightening. I was sold! I was turning pages as fast as I could and in several instances I found myself telling Dr. Wu to watch out! Behind you!

And then came the climax scene..

I will not spoil this portion for you, you need to read the book and decide for yourself. Initially it was super creepy and terrifying and I am reading wide-eyed thinking oh my god they can not do this to her. But the sequence of events that occurred once Spencer came into the room just killed it for me. I felt Dr. Wu's reactions and abilities were not believable AT ALL due to what she had previously endured. And that's where Parsons lost me. It was a huge let down. So 3 stars for me. Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins press for my advanced copy.

What a great, edge of your seat thriller. Creepy! Loved it.

I loved this book! It was suspenseful, well written, and kept me on my toes! This medical thriller is about Morgan Finney and him taking is 'revenge' on Dr. Rita Wu, who "killed" his wife in surgery.. As you learn throughout the book, Finney believes in creating balance in the world, but to an extreme. You caused my wife's death, so now I must kill you in order to restore balance to the universe.

The story is told from the view points of 4 main characters: Morgan Finney, Rita, Spencer, and Sebastian. The author did an amazing job developing the characters. You really felt connected to them all and invested in the story. I have always loved thrillers that are told from multiple perspectives. This gives the story dimension and slowly answers questions you have throughout the book. The author clearly did her homework when it came to this medical thriller. The terminology, the very descriptive surgical scenes, everything!

I highly recommend to anyone that loves medical books or thrillers. I feel like I learned a lot in this book!

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A medical thriller with futuristic overtones. Creepy to think advances in technology might allow others to get into your head and determine your thoughts and actions. Many robotic advances in the medical field have occurred but the human touch is still vital. Doctor Wu was an interesting character. Like so many woman in this field strong and determined but often something gives in their lives. Loved the character of Spencer and Sebastian and Finney was a true villain . Lots of technical and medical jargon but still worth the read. Ending is fast and furious.