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Doing Harm by Kelly Parsons

Doing Harm

by Kelly Parsons

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  • Published:
  • Feb 2014, 368 pages
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There are currently 38 reader reviews for Doing Harm
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DJ

Do not read before surgery!
This is an excellent medical thriller. It is a "stay with it until you finish it" kind of book. Many twists and turns. Someone is murdering patients using methods or situations that can happen in a hospital setting and not be discovered. The author is a doctor which brings medical credibility to the story. Well done by a first novel author. Would recommend it to anyone who likes a gripping story.
Jeff S. (Nashville, TN)

Excellent Thriller
Doing Harm is a medical thriller. It is gripping from the start and never lets the reader rest. It's definitely one of the best thrillers that I have read in years. It is the story of Steve MItchell, a doctor at University Hospital, who meets and gets involved with a killer. The writer lets you see Steve making lapses in judgement and you know that he is all too human. He is not prepared for what is about to happen to him and that for him to get out the mess that he is entering will take a great deal of effort and some help. I would and will highly recommend this book.
Laurie B. (Jacksonville, FL)

kept my interest
This is one of the more realistic medical thrillers that I've read. The premise and plot are original. The author's writing style is engaging. I did find many grammatical/spelling errors--don't know if this is because it is a pre-publication copy, but hope they correct them before mass publication because the errors will do the book a disservice. I'd like to read more by this author and hope he writes more novels
Jan K. (San Francisco, CA)

Clandestine Hospital Happenings
I have a background in medical malpractice so I love reading medical thrillers. Doing Harm frames the experiences of an ambitious resident physician supervising another resident and a brilliant medical student. The narrative moves quickly with the first event to establish the medical mishap theme occurring early in the novel. Doing Harm deals with unfortunate accidents common to hospitals and the author's background provides good detail into medical procedures and hospital protocol, such as the Morbidity and Mortality conference. The grief often felt by physicians who commit medical errors is authentic. The novel is suspenseful and will hold the readers interest as they wonder who or what is manipulating these deathly events. Readers who enjoy Harlan Coben will enjoy Doing Harm - in fact Coben provides a positive blurb - "compelling and gripping…"

I recently finished a similar book, Monday Mornings, by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. This novel follows the work of several surgeons practicing in a hospital and provides plenty of drama without the mystery.
Donna M. (Ashland, OR)

Doing Harm by Kelly Parsons
The book is an easy, engaging read. I found the medical aspects interesting and would think that it would speak to anyone in the medical field. I was expecting more around ethical dilemmas and would have liked to see a stronger case for why the murderer was so strident about safety. The politics and complexities of the medical arena rang true. The lingering question that I continued to consider was who truly did the right thing and was guided by a strong moral code? Not necessarily the main character.
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy mysteries and those with an interest in medical issues.
Eileen L. (Osprey, FL)

Great medical thriller read
Once again a genuine medical doctor writes a thriller about something he knows from the inside -- hospital politics and patient care. Engaging writer. Good successor to Michael Palmer.
Gary R. (Bolingbrook, IL)

Game on
I wasn't sure, starting this book, what I was in for. A debut novelist writing a medical thriller who just happens to be a doctor! Not being a great fan of medical thrillers I must say this book is a really good read. A series of accidents seem to point to the incompetence of chief resident Steve Mitchell,rising surgeon and supervisor of a group of med students,but is it really his fault? With all signs pointing to Steve, he sets out to prove his innocence. Even though you find out who's really responsible halfway through the book the game is on! Great read that sucks you in and is hard to put down. Recommended! Why only four stars? A few medical terms I had to stop reading and look up disrupted the flow, but still well worth it!
Power Reviewer
Julie M. (Minnetonka, MN)

Junk Food Suspense
This novel is not great literature, but sometimes you just want a quick, fun, wild ride through a novel. Doing Harm does a pretty good job of providing it. It will grab you and not let you go until the end. I thought the part where his wife shows up at the end was a little far fetched, but overall an interesting read. Great book to take to the beach.

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