A good twisty read. Strong characters and plot line made this a page turner for me. Don't worry if you didn't read the first one- this is a fine standalone.

I live Danielle Girard!
This book was a little slow on the start up but was still a good story.
I have to say I haven’t read a Girard book I haven’t liked.

Absolutely amazing. It’s brilliant to see how she reacts to her own doctors death especially being an ME.

Very gripping, a definite page Turner.

Excise is the second exciting book in the Dr. Schwartzman series written by author Danielle Girard. I definitely will read book three. Hopefully there will be a resolution to the stalking issue. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the advance copy.

This is the second in the Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman series so potential spoilers if you have not read the first book Exhume. This book picks up shortly after the first. Dr. Schwartzman is recovering from her double mastectomy and undergoing chemotherapy which is slowing her down a bit but not stopping her. She's called out on a new case that appears to be her oncology surgeon murdered with a drug used in cancer treatment. Once again she has to wonder if her (now) ex-husband Spencer is involved.

I thought this was a strong, solid second book and I liked it even better than the first with its tighter pacing and some good twists. I look forward to book three.

This is such a well-written book. Throughout, you are given enough detail to really feel that you are not only a part of the story, but that you can actually feel what the characters are experiencing, yet, the author found a way to maintain a sense of unknown, insecurity about what was happening behind the scenes. It created a deep sense of connection and apprehension, as the closer I got to Schwartzmann, the more I feared for her life and those round her.

Girard did an excellent job to really create characters with depth and enough personality to pull me in to the story. I felt there was a great balance between those I loved, those I wanted to get to know and those I hated/didn’t trust. It left me with a sense of the real world, which made the story all the more real.

The author brilliantly made the story one that filled you with fear, apprehension and that feeling that something was just round the corner. I loved this, as it really kept me on my toes, and the connection between the coexisting stories, really kept you wondering just what was going to happen and who was behind all her fears.

The ending. WOW! I am so caught in this story, and after a brilliant ending like this had, I seriously cannot wait to see what happens next. I need to know!

Honestly, I loved this book and feel it is perfect for a lot of suspense, thriller lovers.

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An completely different take on serial killer thrillers, well plotted and written.
Highly recommend if you are a fan of medical and crime thrillers

I have been under the weather lately and I’ve been bemoaning about getting out of bed and dragging my sorry butt to work. After thinking about Danielle Girard’s leading character, medical examiner Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman, from the latest novel in the series, Excise, I feel I have no excuse to complain. Schwarzman starts off Excise recovering from a double mastectomy and enduring the after-effects from her third dose of chemotherapy. On top of that she is constantly looking over her shoulder for anything that might come her way in relation to her psychopathic husband who is now sitting in a South Carolina jail awaiting trial on kidnapping and murder. Between bouts of hurling abdominal contents, she is working on a puzzling murder of a victim that happens to be her surgical oncologist. The paranoid individual that she has become immediately concerns herself on whether this is the work of the abomination known as her husband. Fortunately for Schwartzman it quickly becomes clear that this is the work of a serial killer.

For the more geeky fans of CSI related novels, Girard has introduced an interesting murder weapon to the scene of the crime; Adriamycin, a chemotherapy drug. Adriamycin has the nickname ‘Red Death’ namely because of its color and also because of its numerous serious side effects which includes corrosive properties and its effect on the skin. As you could guess, the scene of the crime is rather gruesome.

I found Excise to be a fun as well as an educational read and highly recommend it to the crime thriller aficionado. This is the second book in the series and even though it could be read without reading the first in the series, Exhume, it would be beneficial to read Exhume before reading Excise to get an understanding of why Schwartzman is paranoid about her husband Spencer.

The second book in this fantastic new series has been a joy to read, albeit a real roller coaster of emotions. Dr Annabel Schwartzman is undergoing treatment for breast cancer and although she is back in work, she is certainly not running at full strength.
When her Doctor is murdered in terrible circumstances, she immediately wonders if this the work of her murderous ex husband Spencer, despite his being behind bars, this certainly hasn't stopped him killing to hurt her before.
The book is very cleverly written, with some brilliant characters. I hope it's not too long before we receive the next instalment.

Slow build up, but well written.

I'm not sure what it was for me, but I just found my mind wandering at times, and to be honest, this happened with Danielle Girard's first in the series, Exhume. It's almost as if the characters are so fully developed that I lose interest in the storyline. Don't get me wrong, you definitely find yourself completely consumed with empathy for Schwartzman and her current situation of having just undergone a double mastectomy and going through chemotherapy. And Hal, his overwhelming need to protect and nurture her in a fatherly or even brotherly way is very endearing.

What it lacks is anticipation. I didn't feel that anticipation of what was going to happen next and this is why I decided to change my rating from 4 stars to 3 stars. Yeah, we know that Spencer still looms about even though he's in prison... for now. The storyline however, the case that Schwartzman and Hal are currently working on, lacked the excitement I like in a good mystery/thriller. The killer is somewhat calculated, and we get to see things from his point of view, which I do like. The problem with the killer is that we're lead to believe early on that his motives for killing are in part for pleasure, but also in part to protect his brother. As the story further develops, the killing for pleasure becomes almost non-existent and this is where it all falls flat. Call me twisted, but there's something about a psychotic killer that makes for a good story. I also think I would have rather preferred the storyline to of had that cat and mouse game with the police. One where the police are getting close and almost catch the killer, but somehow he eludes the police, but only to later be caught. This might have taken the excitement up a notch. Maybe it would have been a bit predictable, or "been there done that"... but then again, the way this story unfolded was also "been there done that".

All that aside, let's keep in the mind that at the center of this all is the real story, the one of Schwartzman and Spencer. While in this one, Spencer is currently in prison, we learn there is a risk he might get out. For those that read the first in the series you know that Schwartzman planted evidence to help tie Spencer to the murders of her Aunt Ava and Ava's best friend Frances Pickney. This evidence is now being called into question... something that Schwartzman feared could happen at some point. What does this all mean for the fate of Schwartzman and Spencer? Well I guess that's something we'll have to wait and see as we're left with a cliffhanger. Which I will likely read the next in the series because I do enjoy the characters, though I do hope for more excitement.

This book grabbed me from the start and kept me hanging. I did figure out who the murderer was, but, did not expect the twist she put at the end of the story. Very well written and left you hanging and wanting more. Will be watching for the sequel to this story

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Danielle Girard, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

EXCISE is the second book in Danielle Girard's Dr. Schwartzman series. This medical thriller picks up right where the first book, EXHUME, left off: Medical examiner Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman is back on the job after a four-week hiatus. She's recovering from her chemotherapy and discovering that working crime scenes isn't as easy as it was before she had her double mastectomy thanks to the awful side effects of cancer treatment. Sadly, her oncologist, dead from ingesting the very drug that helped Annabelle recover from cancer, is the latest victim to end up on her slab, and now, she must act fast, before the culprit kills again. The list of suspects is long, and Annabelle can't help but wondering if Spencer, her imprisoned ex-husband, is somehow involved in the case...

EXCISE is a fast-paced, page turning medical thriller with several story lines to follow; however, Girard's writing is superb, making it easy to follow along and easy to root for our main characters, Annabelle and Hal, the homicide detective investigating the case. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller (especially a medial thriller), with a strong female lead.

Annabelle Schwartzman is a troubled woman. Undergoing Chemotherapy for breast cancer with thoughts of psychopathic estranged husband Spencer always in the back of her mind, she turns to her job as medical examiner in San Francisco to keep her mind and body occupied. Had I read the first book in this series, Exhume, I might have understood the details of the relationship between Schwartzman (she doesn’t like to be called Anna or Bella) and Spencer better but most was eventually explained in this book. A prominent doctor, the oncologist who did her surgery, is murdered in a gruesome way. She wonders if somehow Spencer is reaching out from his jail cell to her. Then there are other murders that are apparently connected but no one knows how or why. There are lots of twists and turns in this book but I had no idea who did it until it was revealed in the book and it was a total surprise. The ending indicates that there will be at least one more book in this series. I enjoyed Ms. Girard’s style of writing and look forward to reading more of her work. I thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Five stars for this book! I loved the first book in the series and this is just as good. I so want to get my hands on Schwartzman's ex-husband Spencer and &%¤(¤% him myself. Besides the breast cancer treatment there is also a new case on Schwartzman's table and she just knows that this has something to do with Spencer. She fears that he finds a way out of jail and that he will come for her. And given everything she did in "Exhume", chances are that Spencer might pull it off and get free. This is a fast paced story and once started, it's hard to put the book down. I can't wait to read more about Annabelle Schwartzman and see where the story takes her and if she find a solution to her Spencer problem. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer!

ARC - I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest!
Annabelle is still going thru chemotherapy, but she won't let it stop her from doing her job.
Her first case is already a puzzle.
A surgeon ingested a toxin, but that is not what killed him.
Dr Todd Posner was not a very liked man.
As Annabelle + Hal trying to find the killer
The list of suspect just keep increasing every day.
People just did not like him.
This is a new author for me, but I do like her storytelling.
The book grabbed me from the beginning.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Having a double mastectomy, undergoing chemotherapy while still working as a medical examiner is how Annabelle Schwartzman perseveres. Her soon to be ex husband is a psychopath that she refuses to let win. While doing her job, worrying about her health and keeping him in the back of her mind is difficult she does it. She's definitely one of my she-roes after reading this book. I felt sorry for her fear but admired her for holding it in & putting her best foot forward.

Her latest case begins with the doctor that performed her mastectomy being killed with the same cancer fighting drugs she's receiving during chemotherapy. Does her ex have something to do with this is always a worry. I hope it doesn't take long for book 3.

I received this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

OMG... what a book!! I loved the first book in this series Exhumed and this one picked right up where that one ended. Anna is in treatment for breast cancer and at the same time she is trying to carry on her role as medical examiner all the while staying safe from her ex husband who is in jail... got all that?? this is a great book, fast paced and a page turner and I can't wait to read more. a big thanks to netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advance copy of this book to read and review

I took a day to finish reading Exhume - Dr. Schwartzman Series Book 1, which was a gift from a friend, because I was able to receive Excise - Dr. Schwartzman Series Book 2 for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I do not want to give away too much but everyone needs to know about medical examiner Dr. Annabelle Schwartzman, patrol officer Ken Macy, homicide inspectors Hal Harris and Hailey Watt. This takes place in San Francisco and South Carolina.
Quick summary: Dr. Schwartzman is haunted by her estranged husband, Spencer Henry McDonald, who had a hidden dark secret, who caused her to lose their unborn child and refuses to grant her a divorce.
This book is different because it not only has so many twist and turns but mainly seeing that the Dr. Schwartzman has to assist in finding out who was the murderer after she underwent a double mastectomy and getting chemotherapy treatments. She ends up back to the cancer ward because the first victim is her oncologist. He was killed by ingesting the chemical that is used to treat her disease.
This series is a must read and I cannot wait for the 3rd and hopefully not the last book of Dr. Schwartzman series.