This is Christina McDonald’s best book yet—and I say that as a massive fan of her first two books! In DO NO HARM, Emma’s son Josh is diagnosed with leukemia, and when her insurance won’t cover the only treatment that stands a chance at keep him alive, she turns to selling forged Oxy prescriptions from the clinic where she works as a doctor. She knows the risks of what she’s doing, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes to save her son—even as the detective tasked with investigating the drug ring she’s now a part of is her very own husband. That right there is one of the most interesting and complex conflicts I’ve ever read in a book. Unlike most thrillers, the suspense driving DO NO HARM is not really a whodunnit; instead, it comes from the twists that shape Emma’s journey, and the fact that her husband inches closer and closer to discovering what she’s done. There is so much tension in this novel that it truly earns the phrase “nail-biter” as a descriptor, but as with all of Christina’s books, there’s a lot of heart here too. The story is refreshingly empathetic to those who have suffered in the opioid epidemic, and Christina shows that the issue itself is complicated and nuanced, with few clear villains and a lot of victims. DO NO HARM is rich thematically, as well. It interrogates the nature of “good” and “bad”; asks what “illegal” really means when lives are on the line, when people are suffering; and it explores how the “good” we think we’re doing can sometimes cause a ripple effect of harm. And of course, this being a Christina McDonald book, I cried my eyes out. If you’re looking for a riveting, powerful, and emotionally impactful thriller, I highly recommend this one.

When Emma met her husband, Nate, it was love at first sight. Now they have a near-perfect life with a five-year-old named Josh and great careers, Emma as a doctor, Nate as a detective. But when Josh is diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia, Emma’s world falls apart. Their only hope for Josh’s survival is a new treatment not covered by their insurance. Emma is willing to risk it all to save their baby boy and starts illegally selling opioid prescriptions to fund the treatment.

Told in alternating perspectives between Emma in the first person and Nate in the third person, Do No Harm tells the harrowing tale of the lengths a mother is willing to go for her child. I loved Emma as a character. You could feel how desperate she was to save her son, and how backed into a corner she felt.

Do No Harm is perfect for fans of Long Bright River. It deals with the harsh realities of the opioid epidemic, albeit from a different angle. I loved how it captured the multifaceted nature of the problem, and how she as a doctor contributed to it.

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is incredibly fast-paced and demands your attention, but it also deals with some tough subjects such as opioid addiction, overdose, and murder. This book shook me to my core but I loved every minute of it! The writing is phenomenal and it is deeply thought-provoking, leaving the reader wondering “what would you do if your child’s life was at risk?”

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own.

This sort of "made for the movies" tale made me yearn for the "good old days" when I could buy a bag of popcorn and a drink, sit in a cushioned seat and lose myself for a couple of hours in a world of twisting plot lines, where expertly crafted characters navigate through a maze of complex and warring human emotions. For now however, there are novels like Do No Harm to provide this ardent theatergoer with a very palatable substitute.

I really enjoyed the ride this book took me on and found myself furiously turning the pages to see whether Emma's sacrifices would save her son’s life and if the bonds of marriage could withstand the strain of a mother's selfless journey into the heart of darkness. As I dove headfirst with Kate into a swirling cauldron of drugs, deceit and death, I summoned all of my empathy in an effort to help mother and son "come up for air" and regain that life which was once full of love and promise.

Do No Harm is out now and I highly recommend it! Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for this advanced reader copy.

Do No Harm is Christina McDonald’s latest novel and if you’re into stories that ask big questions, like how far will a mother go to save her family, then Do No Harm will be a must-read for you. As a mom, I was glued to this book from cover to cover, but I don’t think you need to be a parent to relate to the impossible situation main character, Emma Sweeney, finds herself trapped in.

Emma seems to have it all. She’s a well-respected physician, she’s happily married to the love of her life, and she has a beautiful son named Josh, who she loves with her whole heart. Emma’s seemingly perfect life spins out of control, however, when Josh falls ill and is diagnosed with a rare and often fatal form of leukemia. The only treatment that has thus far shown any signs of success is an experimental one that is only partially covered by insurance and is astronomical in cost. Even on a doctor’s salary, Emma and her husband can’t afford it. There’s no way Emma is just going to sit back and watch her baby die though. She’s willing to risk everything to save him – her job, her marriage, even her own life — so she takes matters into her own hands and starts her own drug ring selling opioids to fund her son’s treatment.

I have to tell you guys that Do No Harm blew me away on so many levels. I was so impressed that McDonald creates in Emma such a complex character that I alternated between wanting her to succeed and save her son and wanting her to be caught and arrested because what she was doing was so morally repugnant. I had tremendous sympathy for Emma because she’s in an impossible situation and I don’t know what I would do if I was in her shoes. I kept asking myself over and over: how far is too far when it comes to saving your kids? Much of the book is told from Emma’s perspective and she is wrestling with that same question and trying to justify it to herself by saying the ends are worth the means. She is especially conflicted since as a doctor, she has taken an oath to do no harm and her actions are clearly violating that oath.

Aside from the moral and ethical issues involved, which added so much depth to the overall story, I was also just fascinated by how adeptly Emma puts together the whole drug ring. Even though I was horrified by what she was doing, I still had to tip my hat to her because she’s a clever lady and she puts together a pretty impressive operation. I was especially impressed by her ability to elude the police, particularly since her own husband is the lead detective investigating opioid-related crimes in the area. Talk about a tense and suspenseful game of cat and mouse when the cop and the criminal live under the same roof!

I don’t want to give away anything else so you’ll just have to pick up a copy of Do No Harm if you want to see how it turns out!

Excellent storyline! This story gripped me from the beginning with the emotional way it pulled on my motherly heartstrings. While the lead character's choices made me angry, I struggled to actually be mad at her for doing what she believed was right for her son. This story challenges the grey area between right and wrong and showcases a mother's unfaltering love.

I loved The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald, and I was excited to read Do No Harm by the same author.. I enjoyed meeting Emma who is a doctor working in a clinic and her husband, Nate, who is a detective on Skanmania’s police force. They have a six-year-old boy, Josh. Nate has an opportunity to become the head of the division when the current Lieutenant retires. He is working with a federal officer in the drug enforcement division to solve a drug ring that is selling oxy laced with fentanyl. Both Emma and Nate are hard workers but have no money and rent a house from Nate’s mother. Emma has student loans but doesn’t any young doctor? Soon after the novel begins,Josh is in the hospital with a high temperature. He is diagnosed with an extremely aggressive leukemia. How will they afford an extremely aggressive treatment? This is where the novel starts falling apart for me. Olivia decides she is going to take prescription pads and forge prescriptions for oxy from different doctors. She calls on her brother’s childhood friend, Gage, for help. This is where the novel starts not making sense to me. Of course, Nate is investigating the ring. There are so many plot twists after this that made my eyes roll. I do think the novel successfully showed the oxy problem in the U.S. The climax and finish of the novel also just was not believable or satisfying for me. I hope McDonald’s next book is more believable like her first book. my thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Reading Between the Wines book review #19/115 for 2021:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 📱: Do No Harm
Author: Christina McDonald
Genre: General Fiction (Adult)
Release Date: Available Now!!! Released on February 16, 2021

Sipping Synopsis: What would you do to keep your son healthy and alive? Emma made the decision to do whatever it takes to provide an awfully expensive T-cell treatment to help him beat leukemia. This meant selling oxycodone to addicts with her police husband living in the same house. Emma’s life begins to unravel when someone dies, and this death may be able to be pinned on her.

Final sipping thoughts: This book was more than I expected. The twists and turns were just dropped like it was any other page in the book. My head was spinning on certain parts. And Emma is a no-nonsense, take it or leave it, strong woman protagonist that thriller books have been waiting for. This is not to say you won’t hate Emma and her decision-making skills. But if you are like me then you will love every minute of hating her!

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @christinamac79 and @GalleryBooks for an advanced copy of @DoNoHarm

#DoNoHarm #ChristinaMcDonald #GalleryBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #AdultFiction #GeneralFictionAdult

Do No Harm was an amazing read, this book kept me turning the pages until the very end. I have read some of this authors books before, but I have to say I believe this one was my favorite. This book takes you to the depths of how far you will go to save your childs life, nothing is off the table. I would certainly recommend this book to everyone.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Night Olivia Fell is one of my all time faves so I look forward to Christina’s new books each year. I don’t have kids, but I still can appreciate how her books have the underlining theme of a parents love for their child, and the measures parents go through to help and protect their children.

In Do No Harm we are introduced to a family who at first seems perfect, but their only son has just been diagnosed with a rare disease, and his Dr mother is faced with the choice of selling opioids to fund this treatment, meanwhile her husband is a lead detective.

I really enjoyed this nail biting book, it was a quick read, and I appreciate the risks that she took through out this one as well. This book really asks the question, how far would you go to save a loved one? Most of us have probably been lucky enough to not have been in a situation like this before, but I think a lot would agree that they would do anything to help their loved ones.

Thanks to @kccpr and @gallerybooks for my finished copy.

Do No Harm is an excellent story about how far a mother will go to save her son and the power of addiction.

Emma’s son is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. His best option for survival is a treatment that her insurance doesn’t cover so she needs to find a way to make money fast. Emma is a doctor and her husband is a police detective. Emma starts selling opiods, but she quickly runs into unexpected hurdles.

Do No Harm is very intense in a good way. There are so many lies and manipulations throughout the book. Do No Harm shows how easy it is to start an addiction and the effects of addiction. Emma will do anything to save her son which makes her no longer worry about right and wrong. Emma reconnects with people from her past in order to sell opiods. Do No Harm is emotional, thrilling, and thought provoking. Not only was Do No Harm an enjoyable read, I also feel like I learned about human nature and addiction. Many of the characters lie and manipulate each other. Emma makes many bad decisions, but everything is to save her son. Do No Harm shows how many people can be effected by one wrong decision.

Thank you Gallery Books, Kathleen Carter Communications, and NetGalley for Do No Harm.

What a wild ride this one was! Do you do the right thing, or the necessary thing? If you know the ends justifies the means, which do you choose?

This is my first Christina McDonald book and it definitely will not be my last. I did not see these twists coming because I was too busy thinking about the moral dilemnas brought up throughout the book. I will definitely be thinking about this one for a long time. It gave me a different perspective on parts of the opioid crisis and what roles people play in that, which I really appreciate a book doing. This book seemed very well researched and I am so glad I was able to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery Publishing and Christina McDonald for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my gosh.. McDonald has become one of my favorite authors. Every novel of hers hits it out the park! Her characters are deep and complex, she’s breaths life into them with her words. This story tells the lengths a mother will go to to protect her child. And damn what a wild ride the reader gets to take. A game of cat and mouse, thought provoking and simply fantastic. I can’t wait to see what McDonald has up her sleeve next .thank you for the advance reading copy.

This story really made me contemplate because sometimes the lines between good and bad are blurred.

At the heart of this story is a mom, who is a doctor, who at a young age lost her parents in an accident and along with her brother was placed into foster homes. Her brother, Ben, did try to fit in. He was the outcast, always getting into trouble, but Emma loved her brother. After all, he was all she had left of her family. Where Ben didn't fit in, Emma desperately tried to fit into her foster family, only to be pushed aside, and be made known, she really wasn't family.

Emma hunkered down and realized her dreams of becoming a doctor. It was in the ER, that she met her future husband, Nate, a detective, sewing up his hand. She refused to go out with him, until again they met at a party. The romance was fast, and Nate asked Emma to marry him, and after learning she was pregnant, Nate, again proposed. They settled into a home owned by Nate's parents. The rent, helping to pay for Nate's fathers' nursing care.

Nate and Emma's world gets turned upside down, when they get a call from Nate's mother that their son, Josh, has been rushed to the ER. Test come back that Josh has an aggressive type of leukemia. The treatment, that Josh needs, is costly, and the insurance doesn't cover the entirety of it.

Both Nate and Emma, each secretly feel it is their job to find a way for Josh to have the life saving treatment. The means of which varies greatly between the both of them.

As a doctor, Emma, is aware of the opioid crisis and saw first hand the devastation it causes. Emma is fully aware of the do no harm that doctors uphold with their patients, but Emma is desperate. This desperation leads her to go back into the past and use a hidden skill, her brother and his friend would call on her for. Emma to cover starts to lie, and one lie leads to another and another.

Nate, is given a job opportunity that could put him in a higher position. The problem, it has to do with Emma's brother, and he may have to use his wife. He and his partner, are to find and stop the opioid dealers, that leading to deaths. Nate has a few of his own secrets, where he feels that he's a let down. He feels that he needs to live up to his father's reputation, who was also a cop. While Nate uncovers facts, he gets more and more suspicious of Emma and starts to feel that she is having an affair. It is during one of Nate's excursions, that he gets evidence shocking him.

There were a lot of cat and mouse chases that Emma was trying to keep one step ahead of Nate. I waffled back and forth, from understanding Emma's need to do something, and the fact that the action was creating a problem for others. The story touches on the costly medical procedures often required to save a life; as well as, treating patients with crippling pain who become desperate for relief when cut off their medications, which are highly addictive. It, also; touches on insurance, that can withhold paying for the majority of the cost of medical care. Emma continued to believe, the ends justified the means, but at the end of the story there was a very high price to justify the means. Excellent story that made me contemplate all the complexities surrounding Emma's decisions.

I requested and received an ARC from NetGalley via Gallery Books and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

Christina McDonald's newest is a tight thriller that explores what happens when a person's personal and professional boundaries, plus legal limitations, are at war. With focus on the opiod epidemic and what the responsibility of physicians is, this story explored some aspects of that that I hadn't really considered before. Emma and Nate, parents to a five year old and a doctor and detective respectively, are living a parent's nightmare when their child is diagnosed with a form of cancer that requires an aggressive and expensive treatment for him to live. It turns out that Nate doesn't know all the details of his wife's past and her connections. This is twisty- and actions have repercussions. This might be McDonald's best yet.

What would you do to save your child? Emma and Nate’s son Josh is diagnosed with leukemia and needs an expensive experimental treatment to save his life. She’s a doctor and he’s a detective, so they are basically good people. She’s still in debt from medical school and his civil servant salary won’t contribute much to the cost of his treatment. How do you find the money?

This book had me hooked from the start. Both lead characters are in noble professions trying to help people, but have secrets from their past. How many bad or selfish acts outweigh all the good someone does? And how minor or major do those acts need to be to sway your opinion?

An edge of your seat thriller that has depth in the opiate crisis and family versus career. I loved all the twists and turns along the way. I never knew what secret would surface next.

If you love a suspenseful plot with developed characters, you should definitely add this to your TBR list.

Hot Diggity Dang!!! I loved it, and I love Christina McDonald!! If you have not read this one, run to your device and get it now!!! It's one I recommend not to miss!!

Warning: You will need to put on your lounge pants and lock yourself away with your favorite beverage because once you start this page-turner, you will not want to be disturbed! Well except maybe by this unforgettable story!!

As a doctor, Emma has been taught to "do no harm," but what if the end justifies the means if it saves your child. When Emma's son is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, she is desperate to save him. Christina McDonald explores the lengths a mother will go to save her child while exploring the harm of one of our darkest realities we face today.

Christina McDonald boldly and bravely explores a topic that can bring out that hot sensitive side to me, and I was a little worried that hot-temper of mine could come blazing out. However, after a couple of Q & A with Christina McDonald and getting insight into her writing, I knew I was in good hands. Good hands I was in!!! While creating an intensely exciting, suspenseful page-turner, she explores the dark reality of selling drugs and the effects of the opioid crisis. She delves into addiction from a few angles while showing us different sides of the crisis, opening up some questions to ask ourselves. She creates strong, convincing characters here by showing us their motivations and the effects their actions have on each other and the crisis. She layers in depths and insight into motherhood that pulled at my momma's heartstrings and I was turning the pages as fast as I could to see if doing harm ever justifies the means to an end.

While Christina McDonald nails it by creating an emotional pull to the story, she weaves in thriller elements of suspense, tension to create that exciting page-turner. There are some things you might need to go with it and not think too hard about. For me, it was a perfect balance of reality and thrills to make it an exciting and entertaining domestic thriller!!!

Congratulations, #HappyPubDay and Bravo
to Christina McDonald on her outstanding new novel "Do No Harm." A big Thank You to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy. The author’s previous two novels were amazing, so I could not wait to dive right into her newest one. Once again I was blown away by another intense, emotionally charged storyline. Christina McDonald does such an incredible job of creating and sharing the complexity of motherhood, the obligations and struggles that can come with being a parent. The author writes enthralling about serious real-life topics that many people have had to face. The storyline posits some really interesting moral questions. How far would you go and What would you do to save someone you loved? This gripping, suspenseful storyline grabbed my attention from the very beginning, kept me guessing with each turn of the page and did not let me go until the shocking end. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers/mysteries, then I highly recommend that you add this fantastic book to your reading list.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Book Synopsis: Emma has a beautiful life that she loves. Married to her wonderful husband, Nate who is a police detective. Emma has a satisfying career as a physician at the local hospital. They are parents to their bright 5 year old son, Josh.

But everything goes awry when their son, Josh is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.

Emma is hell-bent on saving their son, she makes the dangerous decision to sell opioids to fund the life-saving treatment Josh needs. But when people end up dead, a lethal game of cat and mouse ensues. It turns out to be her own husband who is working with the DEA and leading the chase to find out who is selling the opioids that has taken over the town. Now with their son’s life hanging in the balance, Emma gets herself tangled up in the dark, seedy underbelly world of drugs, lies and murder. Can she save their son or will her detective husband catch her first?

I love Ms. McDonald's writing. I loved her previous books. But this one wasn't it for me. Why? Well, I didn't like Emma. I really didn't like Emma! From the beginning. And that was before her very first idea about raising money to save her son was to sell prescription drugs. She couldn't think of a darn single thing to try first? I realize there was a lot to squeeze in to this book, but I wish we'd gotten more time to know Emma as a loving law-abiding person before she flipped into this crazed drug tsar because other than an intense wish that Emma would get caught, I really enjoyed the rest of the book. For the record, I wanted to hug and smoosh poor little Josh, and Nate sounds like his own Superman. Wish we could all have him in our corner! Just Emma. She put a damper on the whole thing for me. But, still, a good book and worth the read. Just be prepared to grit your teeth a little.

Oh my Goodness! I have never been so glad to finish a book in my life. Do No Harm by Christina McDonald was the paramount of nail bitters. This book brought a heavy blanket of doom to my life. Even as I tried to go to sleep last night, I couldn't get the feeling off my chest that something was wrong.

Something was wrong alright! Everything was wrong. The doctor who took a hipocratic oath, married to a police detective gets involved in selling opioid prescriptions to fund the life saving treatment for her son with a rare cancer. How far would you go to save your child? The book raises that question in your mind. Honestly, I couldn't think that far. I was so wrapped up in all the lies and cover up. There were times I had to take a break because my heart was racing, my mind was racing and I simply had to slow it all down.

If you love a good Psychological Thriller, then this book is for you. I loved the first two books by Christina McDonald but, I have to say she has knocked this one out of the park. This was not only a home run it was a grand slam. You'll be hearing the cheers for this novel. Take my word for it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley for a fair and honest review. Thank you!

HOLY MOLY! "A stellar work of psychological suspense that will leave you breathless."

From the author of The Night Olivia Fell and Behind Every Lie comes another brilliantly crafted psychological cat-and-mouse compulsive thriller that will keep you guessing from the first page— (love her prologues) to the explosive, jaw-dropping ending.

EMMA—the good doctor
WIFE to NATE —police detective
MOTHER to JOSH —5yr. old son
SISTER to BEN —an addict
SON — must have costly
medical help in order to live

EMMA — now A DRUG DEALER.
What will she LOSE in the process?

“ Does the END Justify the MEANS?

Set in the small town of Skamania, Emma is a doctor and married to Nate, a detective, and they have an adorable young son, Josh (a fan of Star Wars), who is in kindergarten. They do not have a lot of money due to school loans and rent a home from Nate's mother, but they have a good life.

Emma's life has not been easy. She and her brother became orphans when their parents were killed in a car accident. Her brother has been in trouble, rehab, and prison, and she tried everything to help him. Now he is out of jail.

Emma and Nate receive the worst news. Their son has a rare form of leukemia. To save his life, he must have a treatment that is not covered by their insurance. The cost will be more than $98,000 plus continued care. What will they do? They cannot let their son die. They have no way to attain this kind of money.

Emma decides to write prescriptions from other doctors and calls her ex-boyfriend Gabe to hook her up with a distributor. (her brother's best friend). She was going to have to set up an OxyContin drug ring on her own. She works up a scheme to have her contact sell the drugs to pay for her son's treatment. However, things do not go as planned, and she soon finds herself in the middle of a murder, drug rings, and constant danger.

She risks it all to save her son.

Her husband, Nate, is working on a case that is a little too close for comfort. Her brother Ben is connected to a crime. Soon Emma finds herself dealing with drug rings, creepy warehouses, murder, overdoses, and runs the risk of getting caught. Then she will lose her job, and if her husband discovers her scheme, he will lose his job. They must save Josh. She thinks if she can just get his treatment, she will stop.

We meet everyday people who are hooked on oxy due to their pain management. They can no longer get the scripts from their doctors and turn to the dark side to attain them, which may not be safe.

She thinks if she can just get enough money to save her son and she will stop. However, the danger starts closing in, and she does not know whom to trust. She took an oath to do no harm. Does the end justify the means?

INTENSE! The author is a pro at writing emotionally-charged topics of mothers, their struggles, and saving their children— combined with gripping plots and rich characterization. A terrifying dilemma for two parents who took oaths to serve and proposes the question —how far we would go to protect those we love?

Some criminals are born. Others are formed by circumstances.".

Filled with sharp insights, a gripping tale of marriage, parenting, families, secrets, addiction, greed, and the healthcare and the severe destructive opioid crisis — ripped from today's headlines. You will fall in love with little Josh and his courageous fight with cancer.

Christina McDonald delivers her BEST yet!!!! A multi-layered plot with twists and turns with each turning page keeping you on the edge of your seat. You know something dark and sinister is coming; however, you are unsure how it will play out.

I am a massive fan of the author's work, but trust me, this one is "off the charts great!" If you can only read one thriller this year, DO NO HARM is the one! OMG! Once you start reading, you will NOT be able to put this one down. Compelling, dark, twisty, and a definite must-read!

If you loved "Breaking Bad" (a huge fan), crossing moral lines, DO NO HARM is even better. Movie-worthy. Be prepared to be WOWED!! It will force you to take a serious look at the opioid crisis from the inside out,

Get this one on your pre-order list now. Positioned to be one of the best thrillers of 2021. For fans of Lisa Gardner, Lisa Unger, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Karin Slaughter.

A special thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.

More on my Blog: #JDCMustReadBooks @JudithDCollins

On a side note:

DO NOT HARM is thought-provoking and makes for an ideal book club pick and further discussions. This of course is a work of fiction; however, it resonates and rings true with our today's social and political environment.