Author Robert Pobi, in an otherwise impressive and well-written thriller, did several things that, in my opinion, caused Do No Harm to be less impressive than it could have been. The protagonist, Lucas Page, is half tin man and full on obnoxious. He's a cartoon character, which, for all I know, is what Pobi was shooting for. Speaking of comical, having various vehicles implode that are all assigned to federal agent Whitaker seemed a joke.
The reader is given some 32 murders to contemplate, and we are then told that there could be hundreds of persons to factor in solving those murders. Hard to take when you just want a good thriller. Add to that the mathematical complexity that the protagonist indulges, the reader has a bit of a chore. Given Page's intricate solutions throughout the novel, it was disappointing to see how we learn who the grand poobah is behind he murders. Disappointing and not very credible, I am sorry to say.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Dr. Lucas Page is held together with wire, prosthetics, and sarcasm. He has a fake eye, a mechanical hand, an aluminum finger and a few other artificial non-organic pieces - probably better to explore the previous books in the series as to how all that came about. He is not interested in engaging in polite conversation nor is he interested in most people’s opinions. He doesn’t forget things but he does intentionally refuse to remember them. An astrophysicist, with an amazing facility with numbers, he sometimes works for the FBI and that association has caused him irreparable physical damage. He doesn’t have friends, although there are a few people with whom he likes to spend time. What he does have is a family and he is a fierce defender of all of the members. I like Dr. Lucas Page a lot.

In this installment of the Lucas Page crime/thriller series he is faced with the daunting challenge of understanding why Doctors are being killed and who is doing the killing and why. What appears to be random when examined through probabilities and mathematics become something much more. There is a great description of the difference between randomness, probability and patterns - it doesn’t bog down the story just makes for a great “AHA” moment. Pay careful attention because some of the clues are almost hidden obscurities. But this book is much more than examining probabilities and figuring out who are the bad guys and why people are dying. This is also a story about family and how far one man will go to protect those he loves.

The integration of all the main characters was a work of art and you had to question all of them and then none of them and then all of them again. The dialog was challenging as it shifted from laws of probability to cop-speak, to the language of teenagers and children, to everyday conversation - each fit the character and scene perfectly. The descriptions were clear and drew me into each chapter, into the mindset and the action. This is becoming one of my favorite series and I really enjoyed this installment.

Many thanks to the Publisher, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for a copy.

Robert Pobi has written an intense thriller where doctors and physicians are being killed. The only person who can piece it all together is the protagonist of the story Lucas Page. Even though Lucas has suffered severe injuries in the a previous story in the series his mind stays sharp as he can see patterns in the killings that no one else can. Pobi does an excellent job of detailing the murders and goes in depth with knowledge of forensics and police procedures. Fans of Michael Connelly will really enjoy this story. I highly recommend this book and look forward to where the series goes form here. Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read the book in return for an honest review.

Another action packed page turner in the series.I was once again drawn in by the characters the story.This is an action packed series I will continue to recommend.# netgalley #donoharm.

I loved the first two books in the Lucas Page series and Do No Harm continues the author’s streak. This may be my favorite book so far!

Someone is killing NYC physicians. Only Lucas sees the pattern. Only Lucas can find the killer.

You can’t help but be fascinated by the multifaceted character that is Lucas Page. Previous cases have caused him to lose a leg, an arm, and an eye. But nothing can keep Lucas’ computer-like brain from deducing solutions from complex data sets.

I can’t get enough of this compelling character! With a twisty and intelligent plot, Do No Harm is a winner. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

While recovering from his latest impressive set of injuries, Lucas Page is hopeful his days of assisting the FBI in tracking down serial killers is just about over. Lucas is an ex-FBI agent himself and plans on keeping it that way. However, his extraordinary gift in pattern recognition has proved useful in seeing what others miss. He's often called to crime scenes to detect what's eluded officers. Lucas, a polymath, astrophysicist and professor is looking forward to normal life with his five adopted kids and wife Erin who's a respected surgeon. Things are finally peaceful until the couple attends a medical charity bash, and Page begins watching the annual memorial video documenting the high number of doctors who have died in the past year . . . many in so called accidents or by suicide. How is it no one else has noticed that these "random" deaths are missing a key element? Where's the pattern? And just like that, Page is called back in by the FBI to assist in a race against time.

It soon becomes clear that someone is targeting members of the medical community which puts Page's wife Erin in the eye of the killer. Page doubles his efforts and once again is joined by his old partner, Special Agent Alice Whitaker who's also recovering from injuries. They quickly fall back into their pattern of life threatening escapades with dry banter mingled in, offering some comic relief to a fast-paced, drive the wheels off it investigation. Their team is rounded out by ex-military NYPD Detective Johnny Russo who turns a blind eye to Page's decidedly cold and ungiving personality. Together, they forge all speed ahead to catch a killer before anyone else is murdered.

Dark, twisted and complex, No Harm Done is a tense, action-packed ride from cover to cover. I enjoyed more insight into Page's family life with kid time which served to soften the edges of his stoic personality. And as always, I was fascinated by this character's study of patterns where there seemingly is none. Readers get to see the crime scenes through Page's eyes as one thing after another clicks into place emerging as a pattern. Expertly plotted and delivered, No Harm Done is a great addition to the Lucas Page series. This one stands alone, but readers will benefit from grabbing the first two books to get the full introduction to the man and his fellow characters. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries, police procedurals and suspense thrillers.

Lucas Page is back with his abrupt, people hating glory in Do No Harm. A mathematical genius and college professor, Lucas uses his skills to assist the FBI. Thirty something doctors have died in accidental deaths or by suicide in the last couple of years. Lucas is the only one who can see that the statistics lead to all the deaths being murder. In a case that is quickly escalating, Lucas faces down danger and his family comes under attack in a wild ride with a shocking conclusion. Do No Harm is a page turner of a whodunnit that will broadside you with the villain. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Don't miss this clever, action-packed suspense thriller.

Lucas Page is unlike most modern day serial killer hunters. His expertise lies in his ability to assess and analyze patterns that has the FBI asking for his help time and again when they are faced with unique situations. He's married to Erin, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, and they've adopted 5 children and live in Manhattan where he also teaches, writes books, and tries to avoid people as much as he can. Lucas used to work for the FBI but left when he ended up with catastrophic injuries while working a case. He's outfitted with prosthetics and a fake eye that makes his appearance even more formidable than his personality. Because he's a complex package and his mind is always "on", he notices that quite a few colleagues of Erin's have died recently. A lot of them -- and in unusual circumstances that look like accidents and suicide. These coincidences appear random, but Lucas can't help but analyze what seems like murder to him. It takes a bit of convincing, but soon the NYPD and the FBI have joined Lucas in the hunt for a very elusive type of psychopath.

Although this is the 3rd in a series and I have not read the previous two (I will remedy that shortly), I had no difficulty jumping right in to the case. The author gives enough details in backstory to provide a frame of reference for the character that is Lucas Page. I was hooked in the first chapter and could not turn the pages fast enough as I read this in a single sitting last evening. The author dangles clues and red herrings that had me guessing with heart racing tension as it sped to the revelations and conclusion. I really liked all the characters in this book and can't wait to read more about them. It's so wonderful to discover an author who is new to you and to totally enjoy a favorite genre with such a unique and intelligent protagonist. I enjoyed the action and the writing style, all the while imagining this novel on the big screen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur/St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and highly recommend.

It is a charity dinner with connections to be made and an abundance of alcohol. Dr. Lucas Page would rather be elsewhere, but for his wife Erin, a surgeon, he has made an effort to socialize with her fellow doctors. Toward the end of the speeches there is an in memorium segment for members of the medical community lost in the past year. Page has an uncanny ability with numbers and seeing patterns in data. Along with cancer and heart disease there is an abnormally high number of deaths by accident and suicide. Page believes that these may be murder and takes his theory to Brett Kehoe, the agent in charge of Manhattan’s FBI office. If he is right, thirty doctors have been murdered in the last two years. Johnny Russo of the NYPD is the detective assigned to the recent death of a pregnant doctor that was ruled a suicide, but he questions the ruling. When another doctor is murdered a few days later Russo and Page find their investigations overlapping. What they discover is that each of the murders is committed by someone who has no connection to the victim. There is someone working behind the scenes to arrange these murders and Page must discover why they are happening to find who that is.

Dr. Lucas Page is a brilliant astrophysicist but he speaks his mind and is not very tolerant of others. Kehoe is skeptical when Page first approaches him but they have worked together on past cases and he knows better than to dismiss his theory. Agent Whittaker has also worked with Page on previous cases. She is one of the few people who can not only tolerate him, but snaps right back at him. With Russo added to the team they have the additional resources of the NYPD. They will need them because Erin has been added to the list of potential victims. Robert Pobi’s Do No Harm is a tension filled mystery that culminates in a chase scene with a twist that will come as a total surprise. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for my review.

Do No Harm is an action packed, compelling, and quick read. This was a great addition to the series. I highly recommend that people go out and purchase this when it arrives on August 9, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this advanced copy

I love this implausible, fast paced, entertaining, and many more adjectives series featuring Dr. Lucas Page, double amputee (and eye) astrophysicist who solves impossible crimes with the FBI New York Field Office. Oh- and if you haven't read the earlier ones-you'll be fine but then you'll WANT to read the earlier ones. This time out, Lucas finds himself sucked into what turns out to be the murders of 34 physicians, murders that have previously been categorized as suicide, accident, or natural causes. And then someone goes after his wife Erin, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, when she's coming back from shopping with three of their five kids. This scene had me gripping my kindle so no spoilers but know that SA Alice Whittaker uses her impressive driving skills. The attack amps up the pressure and Lucas and Whittaker (never Alice, always Whittaker) find themselves untangling what turns out to be an extremely complex (if, admittedly unlikely) plan. They've got NYPD Detective Russo along with them. Won't spoil this but know that I thought- was prepared for- I knew the villain and I was wrong wrong wrong. I love the characters-Lucas, Erin, Dingo, Whittaker, SAC Brett Kehoe and the other FBI agents, even the vignettes of the murdered doctors. The setting is terrific and the action scenes = wow. Just wow. And it ends with an incredible act of kindness. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You won't want to put this one down.

This is a fast paced detective story that will keep your attention. It is full of twists and turns keep you guessing not only for the whodunit but also for how.Lucas Page is the ex FBI detective who is gifted with an uncanny ability to see patterns. He realizes that doctors and surgeons are being murdered and he sets off to figure out who is behind the murders and why. Although the characterization Lucas Page is in other novels, you do not have to have read any of them to be able to read this book. However, after reading this book you will want to read the other books with his character. #DoNoHarm

This third installment of the Lucas Page series may be my favorite. Even though the author has done a great job of making Dr. Page’s intellect and analysis interesting and not too difficult to follow throughout, this novel becomes the action-packed, less scientific and more kick-ass of the bunch. The recurring cast of characters are well received and even though Lucas Page is a grumpy bastard, you can’t help but root for him. The plot, while simpler than in previous books, is propulsive and easier to decipher while maintaining a few unexpected and I imagined twists. An absolute must read!

*4.5 stars, rounded up. Dr Lucas Page is described as 'a grumpy one-legged, one armed, one-eyed astrophysicist with bad hair.' As you can probably surmise from that quote, there is a lot of humor mixed in with the exciting action and gory murder scenes of this thriller.

Lucas has a phenomenal facility with numbers which has often led him to helping with official investigations. While attending a charity dinner with his wife, Erin, who is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Lucas watches an 'in memoriam' video honoring those NYC doctors who have died in the past year. His keen analytical mind makes the observation that more of them seemed to have died under strange circumstances than is statistically normal and now he's out to figure out why. When his own wife, becomes a target, it gets more personal.

Clever investigative work and exciting action really drive this thriller at a fast pace. Lucas is not well liked but he gets the job done. This is a great new addition to the series.

I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

In Do No Harm, Lucas Page gets roped into another investigation because of a connection to his physician wife. While watching the In Memoriam slide show at the annual hospital reception, this pattern-recognition guru can’t help noticing a disturbing trend in the ostensibly natural deaths of so many doctors. The rest is part investigation, part thriller, as Lucas and colleagues try to get to the bottom of what could be serial murders. Readers with enough old-movie knowledge will probably start to figure things out well before the end, but that doesn’t take away from the immense fun of the fast-paced ride. The author seems determined to do as much physical harm to these characters as possible, but they fight back in creative ways. If this were a movie, the number of vehicles destroyed would be almost a sight gag by the end. ("This time, try to bring it back in one piece, 007.") There’s occasional semi-crotchety commentary about social media and cell-phone-wielding onlookers—not to mention a dramatic attack on a tech symbol; this becomes a little easier to understand in the acknowledgments, when the author mentions not having a cell phone. This novel is part of a series, but it is not necessary to have read the previous installments to enjoy it. The only place where I was hoping for some follow-up was a teaser at the end of last book about precocious pattern-finding by one of the young Page children, but maybe that will figure in a later novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital advance review copy.

Do No Harm Pobi continues the action at a pros thrillers pace. Pobi writes at a break necks pace that any thriller reader will love. Highly recommended.

Do No Harm is the third installment of the Lucas Page Series by Robert Pobi. Page is an astrophysicist that sees things differently than other people. Because of this uniqueness, the FBI calls him in when they need help. This time around, Page goes to them.

Page and,.his wife, Erin go to a gala for the hospitals in NYC. While there, a memorial of all the doctors, who have passed away, is showed. Page realizes the probability of the number of doctors dying is not logical. After a night of crunching numbers he goes to the FBI with the information. As an investigation starts, Erin is soon in the cross hairs. Page will go to any link to keep her safe. The only question is, can he keep her safe and solve the case before it's too late?

Pobi is fast becoming a favorite author of mine (like I need more authors to read 🙂). He kept me glued to my seat. This book was fast paced (✔️), had a serial killer vibe (✔️), dealt with FBI investigation (✔️), and was action packed (✔️). All things I enjoy in a book. I gave it 4⭐, because if you read it closely, Pobi kind of tells who the person is, even though he does threw a couple red herrings in. I thought I knew who it was, than I second guessed myself, then at the end, I was right.

Publishes August 9, 2022. Don't miss it!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read this book early. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Reading 📚😀📚

#netgalley
#stmartinspress
#minotaurbooks

A quick disclaimer: I met Rob Pobi nearly a decade ago at a writing convention, and we’ve stayed in touch ever since then; basically, I consider Rob a friend, so it’s only right I say that at the outset. At the same time, I’ve given bad reviews to friends’ books before (no, I’m not linking them here), and honestly, if Do No Harm were actually bad, I probably just wouldn’t review it. Still, full disclosure and all that.

When I reviewed Under Pressure, the previous entry in Rob Pobi’s Lucas Page series, I commented that “I do wonder how long Pobi wants to keep Lucas Page going; even now, you can feel him straining against the confines of a series, pushing at the status quo to his utmost and writing a book that wants to be its own thing entirely. But that very push is a lot of what makes Under Pressure so good – the sense that what Pobi had was a gripping thriller to write, and just happened to already have a series to fit it in.” That same push-and-pull – Rob’s idiosyncratic style pushing against the nature of a series, all while that very nature necessitates certain elements – makes Do No Harm, the third entry in the series, all the more fascinating. Once again, Pobi delivers a dynamite plot, one that definitely feels unique and unexpected through every twist and turn, but it’s definitely one where some of the series’ requirements hold it back a tiny bit.

The plot here is a fascinating one, and it’s one I don’t want to delve too deeply into, other than to say that Pobi takes a great premise and finds a way to both pay tribute to a classic of suspense while turning it entirely into something all its own. The setup, though, is simple: Lucas Page, suffering through a medical gala dinner, finds himself running the numbers during an “In Memoriam”-style reel – and finding that there’s a quite disproportionate number of doctors dying. Not so many as to be obvious, no, but with Page’s analytical (some would say “cold”) mind running, it stands out. Now, some are accidents; more are suicides than you might think…but beyond being doctors, there’s really not much in common here – but if you ask Page, that’s at least thirty unsolved homicides that no one has even noticed.

That’s the setup for Do No Harm, which finds Page once again pulled into the world of law enforcement, albeit a little more on his own terms than usual. (Given that by this point, Page is much more metal prosthetics than man, you can forgive his reluctance.) That personal interest in solving the case doesn’t make Page any more kind or outgoing; no, he’s still the same blunt, unapologetic, brilliant, antisocial ass that he’s always been – and, as ever, without those cutesy humanizing touches so many authors and stories fall back on. Yes, Page is a good parent, but that’s about it – and it’s certainly a side that pretty much no one else ever sees. Now, do I find Page’s dismissive, grouchy, irritated tone a delight? Yes. Yes I do…but your mileage may vary. Suffice to say, though, three books in, and no one seems to have sanded down any of his rough edges…which is one of Pobi’s victories here: keeping Page as genuinely standoffish as possible, all while helping the reader understand both his attitude and his genuine brilliance.

At the same time, there are definitely a few elements of Do No Harm that don’t work quite as well as others. While there’s a far better plot reason for Page’s family to find themselves in the crosshairs (Page’s wife is a doctor), that doesn’t stop the moment where his family is under attack from starting to feel a little de rigueur here – as with many series, there comes a point where either you have to make clear that these aren’t empty threats or else you turn them into schmuck bait, and this one comes dangerously close to the latter – saved, admittedly, by Pobi’s strong prose and the intensity with which he depicts the sequence. Less successful is the ultimate revelation about one of the villains of the book, which falls back onto “maybe he’s just crazy” in a bit of a disappointing moment – you can’t help but feel that the man who gave us the killer of Bloodman and the nightmarish law enforcement officer of Mannheim Rex could give us a villain with a bit more nuance, especially given the extensive role that character would have had to play.

For all of that, I still had a blast with Do No Harm – especially when compared to another thriller I’ll be reviewing in a few days here, it’s notable just how good Pobi is at bringing characters to life, even in brief scenes or throwaway moments. There are a lot of thrillers with short punchy chapters and cliffhangers aplenty, but not enough of them have the dry wit, the gleefully dark sense of humor, the rich characterization, and the sheer cleverness of Pobi’s books. Do I think we’re maybe one step closer to Rob snapping and blowing up Lucas Page? Yeah, maybe…but for the time being, Pobi has given me another great thriller, and one that has personality – and to quote Jules Winfield, “personality goes a long way.”

The first thing a lot of people want to know with series books is whether you need to read the prior books. The answer with this series is no, you don’t absolutely have to. It helps to know that Lucas Page is a genius at seeing patterns and analyzing them, and that in a previous violent experience with the FBI, he lost an eye, an arm, and a leg. He’s got a major bad attitude, except when it comes to his pediatric surgeon wife Erin, their five (five!) adopted kids, their two dogs, and Page’s fellow amputee Dingo, who lives in the back of their place. And though he’d never admit it, there’s also Agent Whittaker of the FBI.

In the prior two books in the Lucas Page series (which I think you <i>should</i> read, even if you don’t have to), the FBI drags Page very reluctantly back into working on high-profile cases. But this time around, Page himself recognizes a pattern in the recent deaths among medicos that tells him that these are serial-killer murders—and it’s the FBI expressing reluctance.

I’m not going to tell you much of anything about the plot here. The fun of this series is how <i>outlandish</i> the books are, including bizarrely complicated and audacious serial killings, equally brain-cracking Page analytics, violence so outrageously extreme and cartoonish that you can’t help laughing, and characters who feel real no matter how incredible everything swirling around them seems.

I will say one thing about the plot here, which is that Pobi constructed it so that I figured out key elements <i>just</i> before they are revealed. It takes a talented writer to time his reveals like that. I’m so looking forward to the next thrill ride with Lucas Page et al.

Lovely Dr. Jennifer Delmonico is on her run after work across the Brooklyn Bridge releasing the stress of a long arduous shift. Some runners approach her from the other direction and her next conscious thought is falling from the footpath to the traffic flowing below. Her pain is brief. The other runners do not stop to report her fall and death.

Detective Russo later arrives at the scene. He is a “by the books” detective. He believes that all events follow a statistical format. In his jurisdiction, however, there have been 30 dead doctors in 30 days with various causes of death! Who would be killing these doctors and why?

The reduction of medical personnel, all doctors, in so short a period of time points toward someone with a vendetta against doctors. Who would do such a thing and why would they specifically be targeting New York City medical personnel? Solving this case cannot come quickly enough.

This author develops a very believable scenario of revenge and murder against all doctors. Could it be because of malpractice or loss of someone very dear to the perpetrator? This book has many twists and turns as Russo searches for answers! The public and his superiors are clamoring for answers and arrests. The clock is ticking. How many more will die before the perp is caught? 4.5 stars – CE Williams