Black market -- Fiction. |
Murder -- Fiction. |
Critically ill children -- Fiction. |
Mothers and sons -- Fiction. |
Women drug dealers -- Fiction. |
Thrillers (Fiction) |
Domestic fiction. |
Available:*
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Summary
Summary
Named a Best Book of 2021 by Real Simple
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell comes an unforgettable and heart-wrenching novel about the lengths one woman will go to save her son.
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?
A timely and moving exploration of a town gripped by the opioid epidemic, and featuring Christina McDonald's signature "complex, emotionally intense" ( Publishers Weekly ) prose, Do No Harm examines whether the ends ever justify the means...even for a desperate mother.
Author Notes
Christina McDonald is the USA TODAY bestselling author of Do No Harm , Behind Every Lie , and The Night Olivia Fell , which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she now lives in London, England, with her husband, two sons, and their dog, Tango.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
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.)
Booklist Review
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.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Prologue PROLOGUE THE KNIFE BURROWED INTO my side with a moist thwump . I looked down, confused. The blade was buried so deep that the hand holding it was pressed almost flat against my stomach. My pulse hammered against the steel. And then I felt the fire. My mouth dropped open. The blood was rushing out of me too fast, I knew, soaking my shirt, turning it from white to red in seconds. It was too late. Too late to save myself. I looked into those familiar eyes, mouthed a single word. You. The knife slid out of me, a sickening, wet sound. Blood pooled at the bottom of my throat. And then I fell, an abrupt, uninterrupted drop. I blinked, my brain softening, dulling. Images clicked by, one by one. Polished black shoes. The blur of snow as it tumbled past the open door. The two-by-fours standing against the wall. My body felt like it was composed of nothing but air. I had failed. Excerpted from Do No Harm by Christina McDonald All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.