A tragic event at an alternative medicine site leaves two dead, and others severely injured. This story is about the court case that follows over a year later, through the testimonies and thoughts of the people involved at the time, the story explores what really happened and whether the person in the dock is truly guilty.

The courtroom scenes are detailed and enthralling, seen through multi-points-of-view they illuminate the actions, emotions and motivations of the people at the time of the accident and before. All have secrets, tell lies and many have a motive, but are they guilty? The perception is whilst their lies may be insignificant in abstract, they may form part of a conspiracy against justice and the truth.

The people undergoing treatment are vulnerable and deserve protection. The crime is shocking, as are the revelations that follow. It is not easy reading, but there is nothing gratuitous, everything is a piece in the puzzle or an insight into a character’s personality.

Parenting a child with a disability, maintaining your personal identity, as an immigrant, the role of women in society, abuse, culture clashes, society’s expectations and norms, and alternative medical treatments are themes of this complex, well-researched story. They interweave with a pacy, twisty, sometimes controversial plot. Making this story an addictive mix of courtroom drama, family secrets and psychological thriller.

The ending has a final twist, not unexpected, but still shocking. The sense that the guilt should be shared is paramount and is the perfect end for this thought-provoking novel.

The story is original and complex, the characters are well thought out and believable, The courtroom scenes are realistic, but did I enjoy reading it?

The overriding ethos is dark, and almost lacking in hope, showing the worst side of humanity. Also, there is a level of repetition because events are examined from multi-points- of-view. So, the jury’s still out for me. It’s down to personal preference. If you like a mix of courtroom drama and psychological thriller, you should give this a try.

I received a copy of this book from Hodder and Stoughton via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

An unusual subject for a courtroom drama. I enjoyed the book at the beginning but at about two thirds of the way through I found my interest starting to wane. I felt that the to-ing and fro-ing of the story line between different suspects too drawn out and I did not connect to any of the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book.

Miracle Creek tells the tragic tale of the Miracle Creek Submarine facility. This business, run by Young and Pak Yoo, doesn't offer the type of treatment that most( if any) health insurance plans will cover. Patients who enter the submarine, receive pressurized oxygen, and it is believed to treat infertility and autism. While there are believers, there are those who are equally opposed to this alternative medical treatment, and they are quite vocal about their beliefs.
Then the unthinkable happens,2 people are killed, and a trial will expose secrets, lies, the innocent, and the guilty. Courtroom drama can be well written with engaging characters, or to me, rather long-winded and boring. In this case, everything came together seamlessly and I found myself fully engrossed in the story. So many timely topics are introduced, and I would be lying if I didn't say this was such a sad, but compelling read. I can imagine this being a great choice for a book club, as it was thought-provoking and literally pulled at my heartstrings on more than one occasion. This is Angie Kim's debut novel, and I can't wait to see what comes next.
I received a DRC from Hodder & Stoughton through NetGalley.

Miracle Creek was a riveting debut novel by Angie Kim.  Part coutroom drama, part psychological thriller,  but at all times a character driven story portraying the lengths parents will go to for their children as well as providing insights into the difficulties for Korean families trying to assimilate into American life.   Her story had me guessing from start to end and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (H-BOT) is an alternative treatment said to help damaged cells heal and regrow.  In this novel Miracle Submarine - run by Pak Yoo, his wife Young, and daughter Mary - was one such facility.   The focus of the book was on one specific set of "dive" patients which included three mothers and their special needs children, plus Matt a young Doctor railing against his own infertility.     The scene is set with an explosion at Miracle Submarine in which two people are killed and three others, including Pak, Mary, and Matt, are seriously injured.     Investigators have found the explosion was caused by arson and Elizabeth,  the mother of one of the boys killed in the explosion, has been charged with murder.

The perspective changed often throughout the book with seven different characters sharing their inner thoughts, their recollections and passing commentary on the courtroom proceedings.    At one point the prosecution accused Elizabeth of "deliberate concealment".    Having been inside the minds of seven characters I can assure you there was one heck of a lot of deliberate concealment going on.   It seemed everybody had a secret and their own reasons for not disclosing certain pieces of information that may or may not have been important to the outcome of this case.   As I read, chaos theory was brought to mind time and again.    (Aka the butterfly effect -  the idea that tiny changes in complex systems can cause huge effects).   So many regrets that  if  they'd done even one small thing differently, there may have been  a huge difference in the ultimate outcome.  As one character described it " <i> It was almost as if the fates conspired to manipulate that day’s events </i>"

Finally, in reviewing this book it would be remiss not to comment upon the wonderful way Angie Kim portrayed the struggles of parents with Autistic and other special needs children.   All done willingingly but at great personal cost.   The endless therapies, financial strain, the drain on their time and isolation from former friends and lifestyles all sacrificed in the name of love.       By contrast, Pak and Young with their teenaged daughter Mary had challenges of their own.     Universal themes that I'm sure any parent could relate to.   The big question being where do you draw the line as a parent?

The more I reflect upon this book the more I appreciate it.   My congratulations to Angie Kim, and thanks to Hodder and Stoughton publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

4.5 stars rounded up

I really struggled with this novel. It’s a tough subject but a real worthy examination of parental love, child health,medicine and so much more but I feel detached reading it. Was it the characters or the difficult subject matter? I’m not sure, but it’s still a novel I would recommend given the tough questions it raises.

It’s essentially the story of a Korean family who move to the USA. Problems of integration and language ensue, but its their setting up of a HBOT treatment facility, a chamber where children with disabilities can get oxygen treatment, which is the main setting of the story. There’s an accident, two people die and the resulting fallout examines so much about the type of treatment on offer, the cultural differences of treatment, the view of alternative medicine and disabled children that this novel raises.

There’s a lot to this novel but I struggled with the scenes of child abuse, suicide, sexual assault and the death of children to name but a few.

A great story revolving around the trial of one character.
The plot is fast paced and easy to read, leading you down one blind alley after another in a multitude of twists. Although I was certain I knew which character was guilty there was always a sliver of doubt, just enough to keep things interesting. Without revealing too much, I was surprised and strangely satisfied by the moral dilemmas the variious characters faced and pleased with the way these played out for the main characters.
Each of the characters possessed their own unique set of issues, all leading nicely to their own particular role in the plot.
A very different kind of mystery/thriller, being outside what I usually expect from a book of this kind added immensely to my enjoyment.
A good, well written book with plenty to consider throughout, heading towards an ending which left me quite thoughtful and extremely satisfied.

Pure oxygen can help cure. So Pak, his wife Young and daughter Mary open the Miracle Submarine facility in Miracle Creek. Theyare not prepared for the tragedy that will befall them a year later. Something that was built to help autistic children will end up killing two. Setting in motion the death of another. Two more people will be sent to prison. So many lives lost or changed forever. All it took was a lit cigarette and pure oxygen. Out of tragedy some good can come. The remaining survivors make sure that the dead are remembered. That people are helped where needed. And that justice will prevail.
An interesting read. Great characters. Intriguing detail. Excellent!!

A debut novel from Angie Kim and I will be looking out for future novels.
This is an interesting courtroom drama that uncovers lots of secrets and really keeps you turning the pages wanting to know what happens next.
The book covers relationships, disability, death and much more.
A page turner and very different from other courtroom dramas I’ve read before

A very impressive debut- well written, with interesting characters and realistic dialogue. I became engrossed in the story and invested in the characters from the very beginning right to the end. An intelligent and believable mystery about families, relationships, love, friendship and much more that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone. Angie Kim is definitely an author to watch.
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers Hodder & Stoughton for he ARC.

The Korean owned Miracle Submarine is a hyperbaric chamber used to treat a myriad of issues including autism, cerebral palsy and impotence. When a fire results in the death of two and the life-changing injuries of two more, it sparks a legal case built on lies, omissions and deceit that will keep you on your toes from the first page until the last.

This is a truly stunning debut from Angie Kim and so much more than a courtroom based drama. Miracle Creek deals artfully with the topics of immigration, disability, family and what we are willing to do to protect those we love in a narrative that is just utterly compelling. A huge 5 ⭐️ from me and a perfect, page turning but thoughtful summer read. I’ve already got one fellow holidaymaker to buy it and you should definitely join her!

A huge thank you to hodderbooks for my Netgalley copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

In Miracle Creek a Korean couple run Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment, something which has been used to treat some conditions successfully but is also used to treat ASD although there is no clinical evidence to support its use with people with autism. The book opens with a mother of an autistic child on trial for his murder and that of another woman. She is accused of setting a fire under an oxygen tube with the result of the chamber blowing up, killing two people and injuring several others. As the trial goes on, more evidence comes to light suggesting that she is in fact innocent.

I didn't really warm to this book. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with evidence pointing to first one person and them being explained away in the next chapter. It was a strangely unemotional book given the subject matter and I didn't warm to any of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Angie Kim's literary courtroom drama is a phenomenal debut about the demands and challenges of being a parent of a child on the autistic spectrum or is disabled, about marriage, about being Korean and the transitional pains of being an immigrant in the US, about family, and about how far you will go to protect your child. In the small town of Miracle Creek in Virginia, Pak and Young Yoo run an experimental treatment, the Miracle Submarine, a pressurised oxygen chamber where patients take 'dives', in the desperate hopes of alleviating autism, disability and infertily issues. In 2016, the Miracle Submarine explodes, killing Elizabeth Young's son, Henry and a mother, Kitt, and which resulted in the Yoo's daughter, Mary, spending months in a coma and leaving Pak paralysed. It is now 2017, and the trial of Elizabeth opens, charged with the murders, being prosecuted by Abe Patterly, and reviled by an entire town. As the trial progresses, secrets, lies, tensions and rivalries are exposed as the reader learns of the litany of actions, small and others more significant, all of which play their role in the subsequent horrors of the tragedy.

Kim excels in characterisation, for example with the Yoo family, in providing the details of everyday life of being a Korean immigrant, the sacrifices, the cultural differences, the poverty, the difficulties of trying to fit in, the pain, working long hours, the racism, the bullying, and the cracks that appear between a parent and their beloved child. As most parents will attest, it is not easy bringing up children, it can often result in wanting to tear your hair out, and saying things in the heat of the moment that they do not mean. It is common for parents in a group to engage in competitive exchanges of how their child is doing so much better, actions that often breed resentment, envy and jealousy amongst other parents. We are given painful insights into how this dismal practice is replicated, along with making judgements, amongst parents of children with special needs, parents often pushed to the edge with the greater drain of energy and frustrations, whose entire life and every minute of the day is predicated on meeting the needs and challenges of their child. It is barely surprising that providing such care takes its toll on their mental health and their very human responses to the situation they find themselves in.

There is a dark and oppressive feel to the narrative, the unfolding of the lives of the Yoo family and those who used their 'medical' facility, including a doctor experiencing fertility issues and marital problems, the guilt, repercussions of the explosion, physical and emotional, the struggle to come to terms with what happened. Then there is the guilt of the parent, magnified out of all proportions when it comes to having a autistic or disabled child, with outsiders feeling free to express their opinions, or going even further as with the protesters at the site. The highlight of Kim's superb novel for me is the way in which she delineates how the actions of a diverse range of characters and serendipity all play their part in what happens. A wonderfully thought provoking read with a bleak and unsettling narrative, that drives inexorably to the point where all is revealed. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

This is an extraordinary book. The focus is on the possible or hopeful treatments for children with life changing conditions. The important factor is the parents desperation which leads them into these non evidence based treatments. It also looks at immigration, the need to move to a country where there seems to be more hope and opportunity but the reality is not what was expected.
Thai is a very sad story involving a catastrophic accident and the search for the truth and the guilty party through a complex court case. The ending seems to me to be appropriate and inevitable but there is enormous sadness at how circumstances occurred to reach the end point.
I found it compelling as I read through the unravelling of the facts to reach the final conclusion. There is a big "what if" element to this story as the characters look back at events.
Thoroughly recommended.

Miracle Creek is a deeply moving story that shows, true to form, how so few lives can intertwine in such complex ways with both good and bad consequences.
This is a heart-wrenching story of one Korean immigrant family who wants so deeply to provide a better future for their daughter; the two parents choose very different paths of humanity and accountability to achieve the American Dream.
Mix this in with the loving and dedicated parents of autistic children, sprinkled with hard facts and excellent research, the end result is a devastating yet compassionate look at what could happen when these multi-faceted paths hit head-on. What a breath-taking and emotional book, written in gentle yet bold and realistic prose. Angie Kim, I salute you.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks so much to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for making it available.)

I enjoyed reading this this book and found the story engaging for the first two thirds but by the end it began to feel a little drawn out, however I did like the writing style and on the whole found it an engaging novel.

This is such a complex, heartbreaking story. The whodunit is almost an afterthought.

I don’t always feel moved by stories with multiple POVs but I don’t think there was a single character that I didn’t feel for. Even those we only spent a little with are developed so well that they tug at the heartstrings. Especially the women; the men are a little harder to root for.

There is not a happy story, but it is a good one.

How to describe this book and its effect on me? A courtroom drama, a study of mother love and the demands and sacrifices of bringing up a child with severe autism, a cleverly plotted who-dunnit that twists and turns and defies your every preconception - you think you know and recognise the character and their motivation, but then a switch of pov and you realise you were oh so wrong. Beautiful, descriptive prose that elevates the storyline and complete control over a complex multi-layered plot, delineates the storytelling.
Even the currently obligatory use of the f-word is so perceptively justified:

"there was something so satisfying about saying it, the aggressive percussiveness of the f and k sounds spitting from her mouth"

A challenging, thought-provoking read, highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 starsGreat debut!
June 11, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
I found this to be a most interesting novel. A thrilling drama with elements of psychological thriller, family relationships, courtroom drama and mystery. I highly recommend this book! I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion

Miracle Creek is a compelling thriller, a sort of oblique legal thriller in that we learn the facts from the witnesses and the defendant, not the lawyers. We never see the viewpoint of the prosecutor or the defense attorney. Elizabeth is on trial for murder, killing her developmentally disabled son and the mother of another boy receiving the controversial hyperbaric treatment at Miracle Submarine. Miracle Submarine is owned by Pak and Young, Korean immigrants who live on-site with their daughter Mary. Matt is the main witness at the trial. He is a doctor himself and was taking the treatment for infertility. There were protesters on site and Elizabeth argues that one of them set the fire that caused the explosion of the hyperbaric tank. However, her own careless words about wishing her son were dead are haunting her as are her many forays into questionable medical therapies such as chelation and bleach to treat Henry’s autism.

There are subplots that suggest it may have been someone else. A call, for example, to the insurance company about arson coverage. A possible affair or sexual assault between Mary and Matt. Matt’s wife Janine showing up at the site that day and not telling anybody. If it’s not Elizabeth, who could it be? This is all well done.


Miracle Creek is an interesting story and asks important questions. I understand the desire of parents with autistic children to seek all sorts of treatments to see what may work. I can understand <a href="https://asatonline.org/for-parents/becoming-a-savvy-consumer/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy/">hyperbaric treatment,</a> especially as it’s not painful or debilitating like some of the other alternative therapies like <a href="https://asatonline.org/research-treatment/resources/topical-articles/chelation-treatment-for-children-with-autism/">chelation</a> or <a href="https://asatonline.org/for-parents/learn-more-about-specific-treatments/bleach-therapy/">MMS/bleach therapy. </a>Of course, there can be side effects, but Pak was operating his chamber correctly and <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/complications-of-hyperbaric-oxygen-treatment">within safe guidelines.</a> The anti-HBOT protesters were the folks who discourage people from seeking a cure or treatment because they think children should be accepted just as they are.

I think it’s possible to love children as they are while wishing they could be closer to neurotypical. Not just because caring for a developmentally disabled child is incredibly difficult, but also because their children are likely to be happier if they can communicate and connect with other people.

But then the defense lawyer throws in arguments about <a href="https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/safety-availability-biologics/thimerosal-and-vaccines#bib">Thimerosal and vaccines</a> and suddenly I am disgusted. I don’t want anti-vaccine conspiracies in my books, no matter how interesting they may be otherwise. There once was a fraudulent doctor who faked a research study that was published and is now withdrawn. Said doctor has lost his medical license but that kind of conspiracist lie lives forever on the internet and grifters and cons have made fortunes pushing the anti-vaccine lie and children are dying thanks to them.

Kim could write Nobel-worth literature, but if she spreads anti-vaccine conspiracies, she is abetting <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-return-of-whooping-cough">the evolution of viruses</a> so vaccines lose their efficacy and helping bring about a world pandemic. There’s a measles outbreak in <a href="https://multco.us/measles2019">my community</a> thanks to these anti-vaxxer grifters. That’s inexcusable. I cannot recommend a book that advances anti-vaccine lies.

I received an e-galley of Miracle Creek from the publisher through NetGalley

The book begins with an explosion in a hyperbaric chamber, a so called"Miracle Submarine". It was used in the hope that it would cure a multitude of ailments. A mother of one of the patients and a young boy with Autism were killed in the explosion. Many more were left with life changing injuries. Pak Yoo and his family had emigrated from Korea to Miracle Creek, Virginia. Pak owned the hyperbaric chamber that exploded. What then follows is a courtroom thriller and mystery.

Oh wow! I really do not know where to start reviewing this book. I had to double check a couple of times that this was a debut novel as its so well written. There are no loose ends to the story as they are all woven together seamlessly. There are plenty of twists in this evenly paced read. I found myself second guessing this story, but I had to stop it as I was getting nowhere. There is a fabulous set of characters all with a story to tell. There has been no stone left unturned stage author did a great job not only in writing this book but she must have put the hours in researching as well. I highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder &Stoughton and the author Angie Kim for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.