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Do no harm : a novel  Cover Image Book Book

Do no harm : a novel / Christina McDonald.

McDonald, Christina (author.).

Summary:

"Emma loves her life. She’s the mother of a precocious kindergartener, married to her soulmate—a loyal and loving police detective—and has a rewarding career as a doctor at the local hospital. But everything comes crashing down when her son, Josh, is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Determined to save him, Emma makes the risky decision to sell opioids to fund the life-saving treatment he needs. But when somebody ends up dead, a lethal game of cat and mouse ensues, her own husband leading the chase. With her son’s life hanging in the balance, Emma is dragged into the dark world of drugs, lies, and murder. Will the truth catch up to her before she can save Josh?" -- goodreads.com

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781982142612 (softcover)
  • Physical Description: 350 pages ; 21 cm
  • Edition: First Gallery Books trade paperback edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Gallery Books, 2021.

Content descriptions

General Note:
Includes reader's guide.
Subject: Black market > Fiction.
Murder > Fiction
Critically ill children > Fiction.
Mothers and sons > Fiction
Women drug dealers > Fiction.
Genre: Thrillers (Fiction)
Domestic fiction.

Available copies

  • 6 of 8 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
  • 0 of 0 copies available at Terrace Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 8 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Holdable? Status Due Date

  • Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2020 November #1
    McDonald's third domestic thriller (after Behind Every Lie, 2020) delivers a jaw-dropping plot. Emma Sweeney has a rewarding career as a doctor and has built a terrific life with her police-officer husband and their delightfully daffy kindergartener son. What could possibly happen to turn her, in her husband's words, into "a drug dealer hiding behind a white coat"? When her son receives a leukemia diagnosis, she decides to issue fake prescriptions for opioids to fund the obscenely priced life-saving treatment he needs. This brings her back into contact with her ex-con brother and her dangerous former high-school boyfriend, and the suspense, along with the body count, ratchets up with their every encounter. McDonald offers a painful look at two hot-button topics: the desperate opioid crisis, and a system that allows the cost of cancer pharmaceuticals to extend far beyond the reach of so many. Is what Emma does an unforgivable betrayal of her medical oath, her husband, and herself? It will be up to the reader to decide if the ends justify the means. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.
  • Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2020 December #3

    In this so-so domestic thriller from McDonald (Behind Every Lie), happily married physician Emma Sweeney and her police detective husband, Nate, dote on their precocious five-year-old son, Josh. Then Josh is diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, and their insurance won't cover his costly treatment. After they're turned down for loans, Emma believes the only way to raise the cash is to sell opioids to addicts and forged prescription orders to drug dealers. Meanwhile, Nate, who knows nothing of Emma's scheme, volunteers to work with the DEA to find the source of opioids invading their town of Skamania, Wash., in the hope of a promotion. The weak plot spins on Emma's rationalization that in trying to save Josh she's also helping those who truly are in pain, but whose medication has been cut back because of government crackdowns. Emma's plan soon goes awry as the bodies pile up while her inexperience puts herself and her loved ones in danger. This well-meaning effort to highlight the opioid crisis spins out of control with clichés, shallow characters, and a preachy narrative. McDonald has done better. Agent: Carly Watters, P.S. Literary (Canada). (Feb.)

    Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly.

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