In Case of Emergency

A promising career in neuroscience ended for Charlotte Knopfler, the protagonist of this plodding mix of medical thriller and police procedural from the pseudonymous Scott (The Woman Inside), when she was partially blamed for a patient’s death. Now she practices acupuncture, sharing a Long Island, N.Y., office space with her best friend, a masseuse, and participating in an online support group for trauma survivors. Charlotte remains upset about her aborted medical career, but she’s especially worried about the disappearance of Peter Stanton, her mysterious new boyfriend, whom she has never met in person. Their relationship has been forged through texts and emails, often in code, since Peter says he works undercover for the government. Then, the police ask Charlotte to identify the body of a woman, who named Charlotte as her emergency contact, though Charlotte has never met her. When Charlotte becomes a suspect in the murder, she launches her own rather insipid investigation. Charlotte’s emotional fragility rings true, but her naive if not downright silly actions stretch credulity. Genre fans can safely take a pass. [em]Agent: Christopher Schelling, Selectric Artists Literary & Talent Management. (Aug.) [/em]