Review: Move Over Medical Thriller Author Tess Gerritson
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 3, 2012
Every so often I pick a novel expecting an entertaining read for the day and find myself lost in an intriguing tale. EMBRYO by author J.A. Schneider is one of those stories, and yesterday was one of those days.The writing is superb, the action tense, the characters fully developed, and the research for EMBRYO flawless. There is not one wasted word or phrase (that I could find) in the entire novel. Every action is economical and straightforward. Every scene flows logically into the next making for a fast-paced read. Each scene builds to a crescendo, then moves on with only a minimal, and no unnecessary, sequel.EMBRYO does not require suspended disbelief. The reader is kept involved in the action at all times without the use of hyperbole. The story's theme of genetic engineering, what can . . . and will go wrong in the hands of an overzealous researcher, sets a tense pace throughout.At a research hospital, young intern Jill Raney doesn't believe that coincidence is the only thing that links the tragedies occurring recently. Pregnant women are dying inexplicably. A fetus is delivered with severe chromosomal abnormalities. At risk of losing her internship if she creates undue or negative attention to the hospital's genetic research department, Raney decides to find explanations for these abnormal events.Raney's immediate boss is the tall-dark-and-handsome resident doctor, David Levine. The attraction between them does not distract but enhances the story. It also creates additional tension as Raney searches for answers to some rather unusual questions:Why was a patient kidnapped from the hospital after she miscarried?Who killed the young pregnant female and drained the amniotic fluid from her belly?How long should a fertilized egg be allowed to grow in a Petri dish, or should it be done at all?What is a hominid?Okay, that last question wasn't on Raney's list, but you will find a comprehensive answer in EMBRYO.