Over the Edge B&H Books (May 1, 2011)
__________________________________________________________
I don't normally read medical suspense. I'm squeamish so I sure don't like medical details. Yet, I couldn't resist this one. I knew before I ordered this book that author Brandilyn Collins had suffered from Lyme Disease; I was very curious to see how she turned personal experience into a novel--especially a suspense. I very seldom read for pleasure anymore. It takes a really good book to zap me from learning mode to being completely lost in the excellence of story. I didn't expect this book to be any different from the majority of books I read. I planned to use Over The Edge as a learning tool, paying attention to how it was constructed. The moment it arrived at the post office, I tore into it. I sat in the parking lot and devoured the prologue and the entire first chapter. Talk about yanked into the story! I put washing, drying, cooking on hold; just one more chapter, just one more. I read off and on until one o'clock a.m. then awoke at four a.m. and started reading again. Readers will experience a myriad of emotions while reading this book. Anger, confusion, frustration are only a few. Collins has done an excellent job of informing the reading world about Lyme Disease. She's put them in the mind and body of someone who has it. Collins has also shown us a very real problem in the medical profession: competition between doctors. Competition between hospitals. It truly exists. She could get many more suspense novels from those topics!
Over The Edge is a novel that will stay with me for quite awhile. And I have no hesitation in recommending it to you. Meet the author and watch her trailer below to see just how she came up with her idea.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brandilyn Collins is an award-winning and best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. These harrowing crime thrillers have earned her the tagline "Don't forget to b r e a t h e..."® Brandilyn's first book, A Question of Innocence, was a true crime published by Avon in 1995. Its promotion landed her on local and national TV and radio, including the Phil Donahue and Leeza talk shows. Brandilyn is also known for her distinctive book on fiction-writing techniques, Getting Into Character: Seven Secrets a Novelist Can Learn From Actors (John Wiley &;Sons). She is now working on her 20th book.
In addition, Brandilyn’s other latest release is Final Touch, third in The Rayne Tour series—young adult suspense co-written with her daughter, Amberly. The Rayne Tour series features Shaley O’Connor, daughter of a rock star, who just may have it all—until murder crashes her world.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Torn from the front lines of medical debate and the author's own experience with Lyme Disease, Over the Edge is riveting fiction, full of twists and turns—and powerful truths about today's medical field.
Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University's Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn't exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment.
One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next.
But Janessa's marriage is already rocky. She's so sick she can hardly move or think. And her husband denies she has Lyme at all.
Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.
“A taut, heartbreaking thriller. Collins is a fine writer who knows how to both horrify readers and keep them turning pages.” --Publishers Weekly
“Tense and dramatic. Holds its tension while following the protagonist in a withering battle.” –NY Journal of Books
“A frightening and all-too-real scenario. Very timely and meaningful book.” –RT Reviews
“If you know someone who suffers from Lyme, you need to read this compelling novel.” –Lydia Niederwerfer, founder of Lyme-Aware
Watch the book video:
1 comment:
I don't read many medical thrillers either, although I read some of Robin Cook's stuff back in the day. I may have to try this.
Post a Comment