Member Reviews
DNF - this was very confusing and hard to follow so I unfortunately didn't get too far with this one.
I was interested to read a book set in Arizona as I lived there but I lost interest at 30%. It didn’t quite suit my taste
While there is a bit of a medical mystery at the heart of the book, what has more focus in the romantic interest of the main character, the doctor Maya. We see the lives of several doctors, but the main two are Maya and Alex. Maya works in the Arizona Public Health Department while seeing patients at the clinic on Thursdays. Alex works at the clinic, which also has a number of resident interns, and it seems that something odd is going on at the clinic.
This is not a fast-paced book, it is more of a day-to-day reveal, with the doctors going about their routine. Maya lives on her family ranch, with an elderly horse, visiting her folks on Sundays a few hours away.
The heat of the place is almost a character of itself, mentioned frequently. Along with other safety concerns that doctors, particularly those in public health try to protect the citizens. Some of Maya’s keen interests in trying to get a helmet law passed.
The book grew on me, although the writing style was one I had to get used to. This is not a particularly long novel, but it almost asks you to sit with it for a while, to embrace the slower pace.
Great book for anyone with an interest into doctor’s lives.
This is a novel that reads along like it could be reality! The story follows the everyday life/adventures of a female family physician that works in the Arizona Public Health Clinic setting in the Phoenix area. She sheds some light on the drug abuse epidemic, fungal diseases of note in the desert environment, motorcycle helmet law legislation efforts, & other health issues that come up in the regular life of a public health clinic......along with the happenings in the personal life of this doctor. So there is some current issues, some romance & even quite a mystery too! The author is actually a retired physician herself, & I think that's evident in the writing. As a nurse who has worked in a small rural health clinic setting, I found much I could relate to. The chapters were short, but each had an important impact to the story. The characters were easy to relate to, & most readers might feel like they could say "yeah, I could see a receptionist, a nurse or Dr. being like that. I could see that clinic set up, floor plan." I would guess that most medically inclined readers would enjoy this, but you wouldn't have to be so inclined either, as any medical terminology is easy/entry level. I will definitely be looking for more from this author!
I received an e-ARC of the book from University of Nevada Press via NetGalley for review purposes, & this is my own fair/honest review.
I enjoyed reading “Where No One Should Live”. The author must have done a lot of research for this book, especially in the medical field. There were a few times that it seemed like there were paragraphs that didn’t feel like they were in the right part of the story. Also it was easy for me to figure out who did it. Overall, an enjoyable book. Thanks to #NetGalley, #Sandra Cavallo Miller and the publisher for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.
I have to admit, I am a total addict for books by this author. I have thoroughly enjoyed every single one and urge you, if you like a medical thriller, to get started on these.
This outing introduces a new character, Dr. Maya Summer, who works at Arizona Public Health, and has a side gig at a local family medicine clinic so she can keep up her clinical skills. She's concerned with all matters affecting the local citizenry, including helmet laws, mosquitos, swimming pool contamination, and other infections issues that might bring loss of life or limb. Although she's currently involved with a cardiologist, she's drawn to one of the physicians at the clinic, Dr. Alex Reddish. So a little mix of medicine and romance never hurt anyone!
I love her character -- she's physically damaged from a long ago accident, but is smart and empathetic to both people and animals. There's a bit of a mystery in this one involving tainted consumables that are making the clinic staff ill -- who is doing it, and why? The gist of the novel, however, is the day-to-day practice of medicine. I enjoyed the patient interactions, the health problems, the public safety issues, the asides about obscure disease, and the interplay between the health care practitioners.
If you enjoy stories about medicine along with interesting characters, a bit of romance, and the lovely, HOT, Arizona setting, you will love this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and University of Nevada Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. I can't wait for another featuring this character.
Where No One Should Live is a fast-moving, compelling mystery that is almost impossible to put down. Miller, a retired family physician, skillfully describes everything necessary to keep the reader engaged: characters, plot, medical mysteries, graphic descriptions of Phoenix, the scorching and challenging place "where no one should live," and she includes plausible and enticing romance as well. A use of past perfect could often have helped the understanding of what happened when. However, there is something always luring the reader into wanting more of this writer's work; the author weaves the plot in a way that invites readers to determinedly and happily read to the end.
A fascinating well-written book with wonderful characters, great setting, and plenty of medical intrigue. This is one of those books that I enjoyed reading so much that I purposely slowed down because I did not want it to end. It's the kind of book that you can get totally immersed in and forget everything else. I'd love to read more from this author!
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.