An audio book.
Baltimore. Maggie had a highly regarded medical mother. She has a purple heart - she'd worked as an army surgeon. She started a charity along with Trace and Mark (her husband). Now she lives with her sister Sharon, a prodigy. They're poor. Mark, a field surgeon, died on the battlefield. During grief she'd messed up an op and had her medical license revoked. She's offered $10 million by a rich Russian to do secret surgery - and have her malpractise issue resolved. She's flown to Russia to do a face-change for the man and a boob job for his wife Nadia (who has sold a kidney; who had asked for her in particular). Maggie finds on Nadia the same tattoo design as Mark had. Beth's sister's created a grief-bot for her. The bot tells her to escape. She flees in a vintage car, out of range of the comms block, sends a message for help, then crashes. She wakes in a hospital bed. She learns from Charles, FBI, that Mark and Trace had had misgiving about being funded by an immoral Russian (the same one who she operated on) and had tried to rebel. The Russian had threatened them. They'd offered the FBI info on the Russian. The FBI get her to Dubai on the pretext of doing another op. She meets Nadia there. Her tattoo's gone (it was there only to make Maggie curious). Nadia works with Charles who hints Mark might not be dead. Maggie sees Oleg, the rich Russian, stabbed. She's seeking Trace, who was last seen there. Nadia and Trace had met there. Nadia's looking for him and blames Maggie for her disappearance. Maggie flees to Heathrow.
Mark was born to a 35 y.o. mother. His father (Porkchop, a biker) was 17, and looked after him. Porkchop finds out from Barlow (an ex-biker; the go-between for the rich Russian) what's happening. He goes to Heathrow. He and Maggie fly to Bordeaux. Oleg is there (his body double was killed in Dubai) about to have a heart transplant. He insists that she does the op (which involves a device she knows about). Porkchop says he killed Trace, making him denote organ after organ.
It sacrifices believability for speed - a James Bond film without the FX. Did I keep reading? Yes, but only because I had nothing else to listen to.
Other reviews
- Marc Weingarten (a book that taps into our fascination with the follies of the impossibly rich at the same time that it ponders real questions about the ethics of social engineering via medical advances in organ regeneration. ... The book’s plot mechanics hum along with great pace and verve, even if a few of its particulars are too far-fetched to swallow.)
- syllableinthecity (While fans of fast-moving, conspiracy-driven stories might appreciate its momentum, the overcrowded cast and complex plotting detract from overall enjoyment. For this reader, the book was ultimately disappointing, and reaching the final page felt more like relief than reward.)
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