Publisher's Weekly Review
British author McCarthy's outstanding sequel to 2016's The Hollow Men finds medical examiner Harry Kent bemoaning his less-than-successful medical career and hooked on the amphetamines he tells himself he needs to function. To his further dismay, he receives a summons from his troubled, alcoholic former girlfriend, Frankie Noble, now an acting DCI, to look into the death of Dr. Susan Bayliss, who apparently stabbed herself more than once until she severed a major artery. Susan was suspended by London's Belgrave Hospital for Sick Children, one of the world's leading pediatric facilities, after she blew the whistle on a cardiac surgeon who lost four young patients in quick succession. Though a previous attempt at a fatal overdose supports the theory that Susan took her own life after losing her job and being publicly vilified, Harry notes marks on her body that suggest someone held her down. McCarthy delivers a startling ending and perfectly blends the whodunit plot with Harry's struggles with his addiction and his relationship with Frankie. Agent: Jane Gregory, Gregory & Co (U.K.). (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
This follow-up to McCarthy's acclaimed debut mystery, The Hollow Men, again pairs Dr. Harry Kent, a medical examiner with London's Metropolitan Police, and DIC Frankie Gold. This time, Frankie calls Harry when an apparent suicide has some inconsistencies. Harry learns that the victim, Susan Bayliss, was a doctor who had recently blown the whistle on a famous heart surgeon at a noted children's hospital, accusing him of performing unnecessary high-risk operations to enhance his reputation. Bayliss was the one eventually fired, but at the time of her death she was still pushing for an investigation. Now the families of the deceased children, who had seen her as their chief advocate, are demanding answers from a stonewalling hospital, while Kent and Gold must identify who wanted Bayliss dead. Verdict This second entry in an excellent medical thriller/police procedural series fulfills the promise of the first volume. Fast-paced with an unexpected ending, this novel has everything fans of the genre could want.-Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
