Recommended Reads: Medical Thrillers

Are things always what they appear to be in the medical community? Have you ever wondered what would happen if the medical staff involved did not necessarily live up to the Hippocratic oath? Get ready to be scared to your toes in these medical thrillers that will chill you to the bone.

Recorded cassette (RC), digital book (DB), DVD disk (DVD), braille (BR), and large print (LT) copies of these books are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these books.

Prepared by Kim Charlson, Director
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library

A Breed Apart by Pierre Davis.
DB/RC 69782
A biologically enhanced Labrador retriever escapes from the Pearson Institute of Health Sciences during a botched robbery attempt. As public safety officer Elliot Elliot, a former cop, races to find the dog, Elliot encounters startling medical research and a ruthless contract killer. Strong language and some violence. 2009.

A Killing Frost by Hannah Alexander.
DB/RC 69016
After fifteen years Dr. Jama Keith returns to her hometown of River Dance, Missouri, to practice medicine. Jama avoids her former fiancé, Tyrell Mercer, until his eleven-year-old niece Doriann is kidnapped. During the search Jama tries to conceal a painful incident from her past. 2008.

Cutting Edge by John Harvey.
DB/RC 70175, BR 18425
When physician Tim Fletcher is attacked by a scalpel-wielding assailant after leaving the hospital, inspector Charlie Resnick and his team investigate the incident and a series of other assaults. Meanwhile Charlie's ex-wife tries to make contact. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 1991.

Dr. Cook's Garden
DVD 224
A young doctor (Frank Converse) returns to his New England home town after a long absence. He visits with the town's kindly old physician, Dr. Cook (Bing Crosby), a man he has admired since childhood. However, he soon finds out that the old doctor isn't quite what he seems to be, and the young doctor finds his life in danger. Also starring Blythe Danner. Made for TV, Dr. Cook's Garden was adapted from a Broadway play by Ira Levin, in which Burl Ives starred in the title role. 1971.

Faces of Fear by John Saul.
DB/RC 67430
When teenager Alison Shaw moves to Hollywood after her mother Risa marries plastic surgeon Conrad Dunn, the doctor persuades Alison to have a breast enhancement. Meanwhile a serial killer who keeps his victims' body parts is scaring L.A. residents. Commercial audiobook. Violence and some strong language. 2008.

Flashback by Gary Braver.
DB/RC 68048
Pharmacist René Ballard becomes suspicious when an Alzheimer's patient she's monitoring commits a murder. After comatose Jack Koryan awakens with an enhanced memory, René learns that a new drug is being tested on unsuspecting patients. Jack and René join forces and uncover a conspiracy. Strong language and some violence. 2005.

Foreign Body by Robin Cook.
DB/RC 67405, LT 9964
UCLA medical student Jennifer Hernandez flies to India when her grandmother, an American, dies following a hip-replacement operation in Delhi. Encountering irregularities, Jennifer enlists the help of old friends, forensic pathologists Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton, from Critical (RC 65469). Some violence and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller.

Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin.
DB/RC 69939, LT 10966
Twelfth-century England. An earthquake near Glastonbury Abbey exposes a coffin bearing the rumored remains of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. King Henry II, who is attempting to squelch rebellion in Wales, calls on forensic specialist and doctor Adelia Aguilar to authenticate the bones. Some violence and some strong language. 2009.

Lifelines by C. J. Lyons.
DB/RC 68739
Dr. Lydia Fiore's first day on the job as the attending emergency physician at Pittsburgh's Angels of Mercy hospital begins with the suspicious death of her patient--the chief of surgery's son. Now on probation, she initiates her own investigation. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2008.

Locked In by Marcia Muller.
DB 71288, LT 10271
When PI Sharon McCone returns to her office late one night, an intruder shoots her in the head. Sharon is hospitalized and now suffers from locked-in syndrome--she can see and hear but can't move except to blink. Meanwhile her staff and husband attempt to identify her attacker. Strong language. 2009.

Mrs. Malory and No Cure for Death by Hazel Holt.
DB/RC 70234
Taviscombe, England. John Morrison, an arrogant, much-disliked doctor, is found stabbed to death in his office. To help solve the murder, Sheila Malory, who is undergoing medical treatment, investigates John's unusual past, various romantic and professional entanglements, and rumors of malpractice. 2005.

Project 17 by Faria Stolarz.
DB/RC 68881
Danvers State Hospital. Six teens sneak into an abandoned mental institution to investigate rumors of haunting. As the teens move about the asylum's decaying rooms, armed with only flashlights and a camera, they unearth a resident's chilling past. Strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2007.

Scarpetta by Patricia Daniels Cornwell.
DB/RC 68119, BR 17863, LT 9204
Despite their troubled past, detective Pete Marino works again with pathologist Kay Scarpetta, her husband, and her niece, to expose the sadistic sexual psychopath who killed a graduate student who was a dwarf. Meanwhile someone trashes Scarpetta's reputation online. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2008.

Second Sight (Series 1 and 2).
DVDs 1 and 3
This taut psychological thriller introduces Ross Tanner, a hotshot police detective who lives for the thrill of the chase - while desperate to conceal a terrifying secret: he's losing his vision. DVD 3 (Series 2) contains 3 two hour shows: “Hide and Seek;”  “Parasomnia, “ and “Kingdom of the Blind” on 3 DVDs. 2004.

Shattered by JoAnn Ross.
DB/RC 68545, LT 11765
When army pilot Shane Garrett crashes, he's surprised to be treated by his former lover, army doctor Kirby Campbell. After Shane's leg is amputated, he and Kirby don't meet again until they're on the same op--saving her kidnapped partner. Strong language, some violence, and some explicit descriptions of sex. 2009.

Side Effects by Michael Palmer.
DBM/RCM 723, LT 791
Kate Bennett, a bright hospital pathologist with a loving husband and a solid future, is suddenly threatened by a strange, puzzling illness. It kills two women, then endangers Kate's close friend. Soon it will threaten Kate's marriage and her life. She has uncovered a horrifying secret that important people are determined to protect--a terrifying medical discovery. Contains strong language. 1985.

Still Life by Joy Fielding.
DB/RC 69338
A car slams into interior designer Casey Marshall, nearly killing her. Regaining consciousness in the hospital, Casey realizes she can hear people talking but can't see, move, or communicate. She overhears police voice suspicions that the accident was attempted murder--and Casey begins to fear for her life. Strong language and some violence. Commercial audiobook. 2009.

Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon.
RC 65649, DB 65649 (BARD download only)
Venetian detective Guido Brunetti is summoned to the hospital bed of a pediatrician assaulted by military police who claim that his infant son was adopted illegally. With colleague Inspector Vianello, Brunetti uncovers evidence of other shady adoptions and links to a moneymaking scam between doctors and pharmacists. 2007.

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton.
RC 65338, BR 17389, LT 7903, DB 65338 (BARD download only)
Santa Teresa, California. After PI Kinsey Millhone's elderly neighbor Gus Vronsky falls, his great-niece hires nurse Solana Rojas to care for him. Kinsey investigates Solana's background, but doesn't learn until much later that Solana is a sociopath who is abusing and robbing Gus. Commercial audiobook. Strong language and some violence. Bestseller. 2007.

The 5th Horseman by James Patterson.
RC 62328, BR 16377, LT 5572, DB 62328 (BARD download only)
Homicide detective Lindsay Boxer and her colleagues in the Women's Murder Club investigate suspicious deaths at the San Francisco Municipal Hospital, where patients in recovery are suddenly dying at an alarming rate. Clues include buttons on the corpses' eyes. Strong language, some descriptions of sex, and some violence. Bestseller. Commercial audiobook. 2006.

The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen.
DB 67723, LT 8931
Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and homicide detective Jane Rizzoli team up to investigate modern-day murder victims preserved with ancient Egyptian techniques. Just as Isles and Rizzoli realize that a young archaeologist figures prominently in the case, the archaeologist disappears. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2008.

The Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer.
DB/RC 70784, LT 10645
Jillian Coates can't believe her sister Belle's death was a suicide and starts her own inquiry. She meets Dr. Nick Garrity, an Afghanistan war veteran who works with the homeless. They discover a suspicious plastic surgery facility while an assassin tracks their moves. Some violence and some strong language. 2010.

The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer.
DB/RC 69340, LT 9625
Dr. Thea Sperelakis, who has Asperger's syndrome, returns from Congo after her physician father is injured in a hit-and-run crash. When her father's use of blinking convinces her that his "accident" was intentional, Thea investigates suspicious cases in the clinic. Strong language, some violence, and some descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2009.

Warning Signs by C. J. Lyons.
DB/RC 68724
Fourth-year medical student Amanda Mason develops mysterious symptoms and her professional performance deteriorates. After one of her patients with the same symptoms dies and another slips into a coma, Amanda and her friends rush to investigate the disease--before Amanda's time runs out. Some strong language. 2009.