Lenny Moss, the hero of Sheard's This Won't Hurt a Bit
(2001), returns in this engrossing, well-researched medical thriller. The board of directors of Philadelphia's James Madison University Hospital desperately need a new source of revenue. Dr. Martin Kadish, a decidedly egomaniacal surgeon, opts to attempt a risky, revolutionary new procedure involving quadruple-organ transplants. If successful, the procedure will bring him international renown and earn the hospital millions of dollars. Before Kadish can wield his scalpel, a young pharmaceutical representative is found dead in a patient's bed. The bad publicity sure to result will ruin the hospital's reputation. Enter Lenny Moss, custodian, union rep and amateur sleuth, who's determined to solve the case and bring the killer to justice. Sheard, a critical care nurse with 30 years experience, knows his way around an operating room, and doesn't hesitate to describe in sanguinary detail the ins and outs—literally—of medical procedure. Thus, the novel's effectiveness will depend on the reader's squeamishness level. This well-plotted page-turner is guaranteed to scare the bejesus out of anyone anticipating a hospital stay anytime in the near future. (Jan. 6)
