Review: Critical Condition by Richard L Mabry

Richard Mabry's latest medical suspense, Critical Condition, is receiving high praise. USA TODAY says, "Mabry combines his medical expertise with a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat."

Richard is celebrating the release with a Kindle HDX giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HDX
• Critical Condition by Richard Mabry

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 11th. Winner will be announced May 13th on Richard's blog.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Richard's blog on May 13th to see if you won.

About the book

Dr. Frasier couldn't save the gunshot victim on her front lawn. Now she's fighting for her own life.

It began as a quiet dinner party honoring Dr. Shannon Frasier's colleague, but became a nightmare when a man was shot on her lawn, reviving emotions from a similar episode a decade ago. Then a midnight call from her sister, Megan, causes Shannon to fear that her sister is on drugs again.

Her "almost-fiancé" Dr. Mark Gilbert's support only adds to Shannon's feelings of guilt, since she can't bring herself to fully commit to him. She turns for help to her pastor-father, only to learn that he's just been diagnosed with leukemia. Shannon thought it couldn't get any worse. Then the late-night, threatening phone calls begin, the rough voice asking, "What did he say before he died?"

With everything around her in a critical state, simply staying alive will require all the resources and focus Shannon has.

My Review

Critical Condition starts with a bag (literally) as Shannon Frasier witnesses the gunshot that kills her long-term boyfriend Todd Richardson. Ten years later, she’s a surgeon in a Dallas hospital and history almost repeats when a complete stranger is shot on her front lawn, and dies in her arms. Things grow rapidly more complicated when Megan, Shannon’s sister, moves in with her after having a fight with her boyfriend … who then dies. Both Megan and Shannon’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon, and the police seemed convinced that one or both of the women know more than they are saying. One of the policemen seems to be paying Shannon more attention than is necessary, which causes friction between her and almost-fiance Dr Mark Gilbert.

This is a complex plot, a combination of mystery, suspense, medical thriller and romance (although I did feel the romance was definitely last place). There were lots of related points to keep in mind, yet not so many that I lost track of who was who or what was what. Shannon and Megan were both well-drawn characters, with Shannon as the ‘good’ older sister who had worked hard and done well, and Megan the more flighty younger sibling with a more mixed personal history.

I did almost feel as though the plot lost momentum at one point, but the climax certainly got the adrenaline pumping, and all the loose ends were tied up by the last page. Recommended for thriller fans.

About the Author

A retired physician, Dr. Richard Mabry is the author of four critically acclaimed novels of medical suspense. His previous works have been finalists for the Carol Award and Romantic Times Reader's Choice Award, and have won the Selah Award. He is a past Vice-President of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of the International Thriller Writers. He and his wife live in North Texas.