Great medical thriller. I wish I would have known this was part of a series before I decided to read it though because I felt a little lost sometimes.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

In this medical thriller, Charlotte Bloom is a young, still on probation, FBI agent leading her first case. The situation involves a criminal who is surreptitiously manipulating the list of heart donors and recipients. Potential donors are being killed to provide hearts for people he favors. Charlotte works with Kirk Miner, a consultant to the New York Police Department and her mentor, FBI Director Jack Mulville, to finally prove that their suspicions are correct. The dynamics of the case become very personal for Agent Bloom.

I had a hard time with this book, it seemed to be all over the place. I did finish it. Will read it again upon release to see if I can figure it out.

I loved every minute spent reading this novel and this author has solidified herself as one of my favorites. Her writing style is completely immersive and I often forget I'm reading and not living life as one of the characters (FBI special agent, of course). I especially love her knowledge of the medical field and the way she shares the information so it's easy to understand and flows as part of the story. It adds an extra layer to the plot and increases the sense of urgency. There's a crazy twist or two to the storyline that I never saw coming and the ending was sheer perfection. You don't want to miss this one!

I was gripped from the very first lines of Cristina LePort's CHANGE OF HEART--surprising me since a young medical student is dying and the detailed analysis of her brain death was more brain facts than I want to know, BUT somehow, I cared about her and the detective called in on the case plus the other investigators joining him in uncovering a complex, dangerous business in organ harvesting. I didn't always like the medical details, but I did enjoy the front-row seat in a suspense-filled, wonderfully written story. LePort's characters feel like people I know, encouraging me to cheer them on and worry about them when the criminals were too close. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

I had lots of fun reading this one.. had a lot of potential but the way everything pans out at the end was very convenient and "easy".

This was an intense and interesting medical mystery/thriller with high stakes and interesting characters. The medical details were a nice touch of realism, but at times they were a little too much and detracted instead of added to the story. I'm actually a little torn on this front, on the one hand, the extensive descriptions in the opening really grab your attention, painting a gruesome scene with a bit of a more clinical twist. On the other hand, details like how a smell is produced just felt like unnecessary additions to reach a word count, when a simple description of the smell would have sufficed. That said, I really liked Kirk, and the way he's described as a mix of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson seemed pretty accurate from what I saw. The story is fairly fast-paced, with enough tension you don't want to stop reading, and the twists ensure you can't always be sure what's going to happen next.

FBI Agent Jack Mulville, Special Agent Charlotte Bloom and Detective Kirk Miner work together to solve the murder of a young woman. As the investigation evolves, they discover an organ trafficking ring. It’s a gripping, fast paced thriller full of suspense and intrigue. A must-read for mystery readers.

Ok I am dnf’ing this book at 9% but this is most DEFINITELY a me problem. I have some very strong opinions on organ donation and I found this book very difficult to read for that reason.

I try not to personalize when I read but pressuring a grieving family to donate and not taking into consideration their traumatic and tragic loss (which I have seen happen first hand)…I just can’t keep going with this as it is making me very stabby.

I am sure that this is a great murder mystery and I was so intrigued by the premise but I just can’t get past that preachy non empathetic plot point.

Change Of Heart is book 2 of the Miner & Mulville series.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bancroft Press, Meryl Moss Media Group, and the author for the gifted ARC.

A good medical thriller with lots of action and twists and turns. A young woman commits suicide in her car outside of a hospital. She is brain dead, but her heart is still good. There is someone waiting for a transplant and could use her heart. But did she really commit suicide. There was a note left saying that she wanted to be an organ donor. It is really the victim's signature. Miner is called in to consult and will work with Bloom from the FBI. As they investigate, they find others who were on the list of donors who have committed suicide. Too much of a coincidence. When Miner becomes a target Bloom needs to find the person responsible quickly or another person will lose his life. Bloom is in for some surprises, things she can't tell her boss, or he will take her off the case. She just needs to hang on for a couple more months so she can get her permanent badge. Will it be worth it?

"A Miner & Mulville medical thriller"


In the bustling heart of New York City, Amy, a young medical student, has her life tragically cut short under mysterious circumstances, though her heart continues to beat, holding the promise of life for another. Private Detective Kirk Miner is called to the scene and quickly uncovers a chilling conspiracy involving organ donations and high-stakes crime. As the investigation unfolds, Miner realizes the case is far more complex and dangerous than it initially seemed.

Enter FBI Agent Jack Mulville, who steps in to supervise Special Agent Charlotte Bloom, who is nearing the end of her probation, as they join forces with Miner. Together, they unravel a web of corruption, a labyrinth of manipulation, deceit and desperation. The deeper they dig, the more they realise that Amy's heart is not just a donor's gift, but a coveted prize in a deadly game, controlled by criminals willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

Amidst the ever-increasing danger, Kirk, Jack and Charlotte, together with Doctor Zayne, face moral dilemmas and personal risks, pushing them to their limits as they strive to protect innocent lives and dismantle a powerful criminal network.

…

"Change of Heart" is a multi-faceted, gripping medical thriller which cleverly and authentically intertwines the intricacies of modern medicine with the relentless pursuit of justice, thus making the Miner & Mulville series a unique blend of fact and fiction. This story has it all; medical expertise, murder, mystery, cybercrime, ethics and moral issues, and romance.

When I agreed with Meryl Moss Media Group to review this title, I hadn't realised that it was in fact, book #2 in the series, so it was with no preconceived ideas of whether I would be able to dove-tail into the backstory details, that I began reading. No worries on that score however, so, despite now probably having to revisit old ground with the characters, I shall be adding book #1 to my list and hoping to get hold of a copy very soon.

I was also kicking myself early on for choosing to read any heart operation related storylines right now, as my husband is waiting on a date for open-heart surgery, to replace a damaged heart valve. However, with a plot which combined the storytelling technique of Robin Cook, a master in the genre; together with the hard-hitting, gritty dialogue and narrative reminiscent of the great Tess Gerritsen; I became too engrossed and immersed to give my nagging doubts the light of day. It certainly pays dividends when an author writes about a subject they know like the back of their hand and is also totally versed in wrapping that professional knowledge around a gripping fictional plot, which has multiple jaw-dropping twists and turns along the way, is fast-paced, full of action and presented in neatly defined and good length chapters.

The characters are well defined, developed and totally relatable in the roles they have been assigned. I'm not sure how well the personality of trainee FBI agent Charlotte Bloom resonated with me, as whilst I could sympathise with the personal and professional dilemmas she faced, I do believe that she was too keen to put herself first and the mission second, at the expense of Kirk and Jack, even going so far as to put their lives in danger.

Jack Mulville clearly has a soft spot for his young protégé, who is more like a daughter to him and is prepared to give her much more free rein then he might anyone else, a situation which Charlotte doesn't totally recognise, but which she is clearly willing to take advantage of in this instance. Jack gets rather side-lined by Charlotte and her manipulation of the truth, especially when Kirk becomes complicit in the subterfuge, which didn't sit well with me.

Doctor Zayne is also besotted by Charlotte, and whilst he reluctantly allows himself to become embroiled in the operation to uncover the dangerous criminal boss who is manipulating the donor register for his own personal reasons and bring him down, his medical training won't allow him to overlook completely the dire risk to her own health Charlotte is taking.

Kirk Miner is your typical ex-police officer turned Private Investigator. Being a cop had taken a terrible toll on his family life and, unwilling for his relationship to go the way as that of so many of his colleagues, his change of job was meant to bring a stability to his career, which would by default make his home life happier. So far however, his wife Aurora had seen only minimal improvements and this time Kirk had unwittingly put her life in danger as well as his own, so I shall be keen to follow this particular aspect of the series and see how things pan out for the couple.

This book is all about the storyline and characters, so location was never really a strong factor, with the action predominantly taking place in and around medical facilities, which could have been located almost anywhere in the USA. However, such was the descriptive power of the writing, that each new scene was brought to life as if I were there and part of the action - often not a good place for me, as I suffer terribly with 'white-coat syndrome' and will generally avoid doctors and medical institutions at all cost.

You probably won't be surprised that this was a 5* read for me all the way!

I am normally a huge fan of medical thrillers but this one just didn't thrill me. It didn't even get my heart rate up. It was a slow burn for the entire book. The premise sounded good - a conspiracy involving organ donations & people getting murdered for their organs. But the execution was off. It never really got exciting. It was just an average murder mystery with no suspense to it whatsoever. I am rounding this up from a 2.5 to a 3.

A gripping medical thriller that pushes the boundaries of ethics, HIPPA and relationships.
A PI who quit the police force to stay safe for his wife and son, only to be drawn into a medical hacking scheme. An FBI cyber crime Probie who excels at hacking, perhaps even better than the bad guys. These are the characters that draw you into this book. These characters and the “chain donation” which is the “heart” of who is next to get a viable heart. Written by a doctor the book resonates with solid medical information and the possibility of medical suicide. I received an arc from Netgalley and Bancroft Press. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Implausible but nicely paced and will fill the bill for fans of this sort of medical conspiracy thriller. There's lot of medical information and the characters are good. The cover, however, is a bit much. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This story begins with Kirk being called to a scene where a supposedly suicide took place. The event took place in front of a hospital with a note identifying the victim as wanting to donate her organs. After Kirk looked the scene over, he determined that the victim was murdered and the note was probably. Kirk was told by John, his friend and police capt., that the FBI was taking the case over and Kirk was to be the police liaison.

The FBI agent that Kirk was to work with was named Bloom and she was with the cypher division. As the investigation proceeded, it was learned that there was a Donor list and several of the people on the list as donors had also committed suicide and near a medical facility so their organs could be utilized. They discovered by reviewing the list that there was mystery patient as well as donor that plays a major role.

To discover what exactly Kirk and Bloom learned, who was killing the donors and how everything worked out in the end, then you must read this book.

This will definitely keep you reading not wanting to put it down. Don't miss out, get this book, you won't be sorry.

I enjoyed the premis and the blend of medical hospital work and crime detective work. However it became too unbelievable for me and I couldn’t retain the plot interest. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was more of a detective story than I was expecting, which is normally not my favorite, but I really enjoyed this. There was the mystery and a dash of romance and family drama that I enjoyed. Three stars.

An intriguing mystery and romance. A few exciting, nail-biting moments. Clever concept about the chain of hearts. It kept my interest. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

“Change of Heart” by Cristina LePort, MD is an interesting and well researched medical mystery about the very important societal issue of organ donation. In this thriller a “medical detective” is called in to consult with the FBI on the mysterious chain of suicides happening right in front of medical facilities. Somehow the donors know exactly where to shoot themselves so they don’t damage their hearts. There is a chain donor base that designates donors, except somehow unexpected incidents keep preventing the assigned recipient from receiving the heart that was designated for them. Someone is illegally controlling the data base and patient information and it seems whoever is doing it wants a heart to go to a particular patient!
It is clear that the author has a deep medical background and we benefit from her knowledge. I am giving the book 4 stars even though the story was somewhat predictable and a bit slow going. The topics of organ trafficking, advances in medicine and medical ethics alone kept me reading until the last page.

Thank you NetGalley and Bancroft Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really well-thought-out book. Great characters to become attached to. The story revolves around who is going to get heart transplants. There are some very good surprises in store for the reader. Nice combination of medical and mystery. I highly recommend this reading.