Harvest by Tess Gerritsen

Abby DiMatteo is a second year resident at Bayside hospital honing her skills as a surgeon, hoping to one day be able to save patients like her younger brother who died in a terrible accident.  It is a challenging and exhausting time for Abby as she works long shifts and competes for the infrequent praise of the General.  Being a surgeon allows Abby to make a real difference in people's lives and when she discovers that a young boy has missed out on the chance at a transplant heart because the wife of wealthy man Victor Voss has suddenly jumped to the top of the queue Abby doesn't hesitate to help chief resident Vivian Chao redirect the heart to the young boy.  It seems to work out okay though because the next day a donour heart appears and Voss's wife gets the surgery she needs.  It should be case closed but Voss is on a mission to get Abby removed from the hospital and somersetting doesn't add up about the heart.

When Abby tries to follow up on the mysterious donour heart she finds that the situation is even more mysterious than she thought because there appear to be no records of the hearts origin, and the hospital where the surgery was supposed to have occurred has no record of the surgery.  Suddenly Abby is under a microscope and facing a vindictive campaign from Victor Voss - he may be hiding behind law suits from former patients families but Abby knows it is him.  Abby soon finds that nothing is certain as she goes from golden girl with a bright future in the transplant surgery team to social pariah and professional leper as everyone takes a huge step backwards to distance themselves from her meteoric fall.  Determined to clear her name Abby knows she is fighting an uphill battle - she just doesn't know how big that battle will truly be.

Sometimes it is a nice change of pace to leave the latest bestsellers behind and pick up a book you have read before, pick up an older book, or even better pick up an older book that you have read before and really enjoyed.  Harvest is one of the earlier medical thrillers written by Tess Gerritsen and it was a real treat to pick up the book and read it again because it is a book that really gets under your skin because it could so easily be happening somewhere right now - and considering all the urban legends about waking up in a bathtub with one of your kidneys missing there must be some basis to the organ theft! One of the things that appealed most about Harvest is the perfect blend of juicy hospital drama and part gripping thriller - both sides are perfectly balanced to make an intense read that keeps you on the edge of seat in a state of dis/belief about what is happening.

Harvest has a lot in common with the earlier Rizzoli and Isles books but definitely has a strong medical bent - being more medical drama with crime thrown in than a crime novel with medical stuff thrown in.  If you have not yet tried vintage Tess Gerritsen then I suggest you try Harvest - it is bound to appeal.


If you like this book then try:

• The surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
• The apprentice by Tess Gerritsen
• The edge of normal by Carla Norton
• Now you see her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
• Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarrantano
• Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
• The postcard killers by James Patterson and Liza Marklund
• Private Oz by James Patterson and Michael White
• The survivors club by Lisa Gardner
• Darkly dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
• Kill switch by Neal Baer & Jonathan Greene

Reviewed by Brilla