Harvest

Tess Gerrittsen hits it out of the park. Fast paced a ,thriller, you can't put down . The final pages had me shaking my head as I didn't think it was possible. Spoiler alert not saying anything else. Her medical knowledge is spot on as one would expect from this writer .on to the next one

It has been a very long time since I read a medical thriller. In fact, some of the first adult books I ever read were Robin Cook’s wonderful medical thrillers. I read them in my early teens, somewhere between my Dean Koontz binge and my first exposure to Robert Jordan.As with so many good things in life, I’ve found my way back to medical thrillers with Tess Gerritsen’s Harvest.This is Gerritsen’s first medical thriller (I understand that she wrote romance before this novel), and I’m incredibly pleased that she made the change. I picked up Harvest on the recommendation of friends in my Facebook book club, and I was hooked from the first page. I’ve been going through something of a reading drought over the past year or so, picking up books only to get bored quickly and move on to something else. Well, I finished Harvest in a weekend and promptly bought another Gerritsen novel. What did I enjoy so much? Let me tell you.It has all the ingredients of a great medical thriller: A smart doctor who faces utter ruination, both personal and professional, incredibly high stakes, and deep medical moral questions (who get’s the valuable organs?).I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It moves along at a blistering pace, drawing the doomed Dr Matteo ever deeper into the web of lies and suspicion. I especially enjoyed the counter-point POV offered by the young Russian boy on the ship headed for America. And the way Gerritsen wove their two stories together in the end, while a little predictable, was wonderfully satisfying.I say the book was predictable, and it was in some ways. However, I think that Gerritsen made enough of the twists her own for the novel to avoid falling into trope hell. Yes, she ticks the boxes for a thriller, but she does it with flair and skill that means I didn’t really mind. I walked away from this book with a deep appreciation of Tess Gerritsen’s ability as a masterful storyteller, and a re-discovered love for a genre that I cut my teeth on.Personally, this book has lit a bonfire of creative inspiration in my head. I can think of no greater book than one that makes me feel passionate about writing.Two thumbs, way up!

Enjoyed the book greatly. Medical terms were used correctly, with medical knowledge.Surprised by the plot and ending. Well written , easy reed.

As usual, Tess Gerritsen delivers. Another good read. Started a little slow but well worth the read. Looking for my next book by her.

Amazing book from beginning to end. This was written in an easy to read style. Maybe because I'm an ICU nurse, it was familiar, tricky, suspenseful, and had a good ending.

A second yr. surgical resident learns the frightening truth about a group of transplant surgeons. She found that there were only a couple people that she could trust as she unraveled exactly what was going on.

This story is very well written and presents unexpected twists and turns in every chapter. The book is an easy read and I finished it in one day. Its very hard to put down because the story draws you in and you want to keep reading. Highly recommend this book.

I just wish they would have and epilogue! I need to know what happened…..after! Still a good read, I just don’t know about these books with a real end.

Oh my... another intense, feverish and edge-gripping medical thriller from... who else? Tess, truly the Queen.After half of the book, the suspense escalates. I could not put the book down, albeit reluctantly. The blood and gore, although legit and happened in the hospital, when described in such details, became squeamish and bloody.I was just wondering if Tess has continued to work as a doctor, I’d’ve missed all the excitement of reading a medical thriller. She is extremely, brilliantly excel at her craft. The characters and incidents are so believable.She doesn’t mince her words. When it should end that way, it’s just swift and direct. So, the building up to the climax is quick and no extra words are necessary.A definitely good read. With all the excitement, I’ll have to cool down with a slightly less adventurous read. Let’s choose the next novel that is less gripping-the-edge enthusiastic and finish it for Christmas.Phew... what a roller coaster ride.

This is a fantastic medical thriller. It is a real page turner. I just could not put it down. The action is virtually non-stop from the start and I stayed up half the night to find out how it would end.I was a little surprised to discover that this book was written in 1996 and was the first of Tess Gerritsen's medical thrillers. It reminds me of the early works of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs, other authors who, like Tess Gerritsen became authors following successful careers in particular fields of science or medicine. However, I do not feel this book is dated in any respect. There are a number of medical procedures and terms that I was unfamiliar with but apart from this it is an easy book to read. The narrative is very engaging and I found myself on quite an emotional roller coaster ride as the story progressed.The story concerns a bright young surgeon intern at Boston's Bayside hospital, Dr Abby DiMatteo, who transplants a heart into a dying teenage boy only to discover that senior management at the hospital had wanted a wealthy private patient to receive the heart. However, a short time later the private patient receives a new heart from another donor but Abby's curiosity is piqued as she can find no record of where the second heart has come from. She decides to investigate and it is at this point that matters start to unravel; one of her colleagues loses their job and another commits suicide. The tension mounts as she is then threatened with malpractice lawsuits and worse is to follow.I have not read any of Tess Gerritsen's other books but I plan to put that right in the near future. Based on this story, I can quite understand why her thrillers are often found on the best seller lists. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys non-stop action thrillers.

This review is for Harvest - but, looking at a few of the 1 and 2 star reviews, they appear to be for a book with a character called Jane (Mephisto Club?) - so something has gone awry (have emailed Amazon).I like to give my 5 star book reviews to books that I'd happily, instantly read again - and this doesn't quite make that grade.Written in 1996 it was better than I thought it might be (as an early Gerritsen). I liked the character of Dr Abby DiMatteo and the tension of her trying to figure out what is going on with organ donation (at her hospital) and not knowing who to trust.The parts that let it down a little bit were the chapters with the young boys from Riga. Won't give too much away but the descriptions of them fighting / exploring / playing didn't really add anything to the storyline and I ended up paging through the chapter as quickly as I could.Otherwise, a pretty great read.

I both read this and listened to the excellent audiobook (using sync function), and really enjoyed it. Arising from real-life stories of organ trafficking, it was an intriguing mystery and full of tension, drama, and had an absolutely thrilling climax. I really loved it, and really look forward to reading more of the books involving these characters. If you like the Rizzoli and Isles series, this earlier book will be right up your street, and is a great read for all mystery and thriller lovers, especially if they love medical-themed ones. Thanks for another great read Tess!

I found this book hard to get started. Most Tess Gerritsen books have be hooked from the beginning so it was a bit disappointing but I continued reading. All of a sudden I could see the story coming together & getting more interesting.Each chapter got more and more in-depth & I was hooked. Not a huge % in really & I was reading into the night/early hours trying to find out what happens next. After a slow start I can truly say it a great read & worth it.