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LIFELINES
C. J. Lyons
Berkley Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-425-22082-5
March 2008
Contemporary Fiction
Well hold on to your seats for this debut medical
thriller by an author who clearly knows the subject
matter. CJ Lyons is an emergency physician who begins
this novel on July 1st, Transition Day, or the day when
all the new residents and interns transition into
hospitals for their training. It’s also the day at
Pittsburgh’s Angels of Mercy Medical Center that Lydia
Fiore begins her job as the new attending or staff
physician in the emergency room. Trained in Los Angeles
she is launched into the crazy world of the ER, meeting
Amanda, the medical student, Gina, a resident with
attitude, and Nora, the young charge nurse on the unit.
Most interesting of all is Trey, the handsome paramedic
who makes eyes at Lydia from the beginning.
In the first few pages this book looks like a bit of a
melodramatic medical drama but don’t get too
comfortable. Very quickly the plot literally explodes on
the page. It all gets very interesting when Lydia’s
patient inexplicably dies of respiratory problems and
she can’t figure out what’s causing this. It doesn’t
help that she figures out he has been poisoned,
especially when it comes to light that he is the
activist son of the chief of surgery.
From there the book moves along at a lightening clip
with the chief demanding Lydia’s resignation and medical
license, and other mysterious deaths cropping up. When
Lydia begins to see a pattern involving a white
supremacist group the plot thickens considerably.
Underneath this story is Lydia’s personal history and
trauma as a child.
Honestly, I read this book all night. I absolutely could
not put it down. I think I enjoyed twice as much because
it is an accurate portrayal of a medical setting without
sentimentality, with all the gritty realism that
characterizes patient care.
I cannot wait to read another book by this exciting and
talented author who is likely to have a long career as
an author, especially with books as good as this debut
novel. Bravo to CJ Lyons!
Reviewed by: Jeri Neal
Rating: 4 ½ plugs |
