MY CHILD HAS BEEN TAKEN.
AND I’VE BEEN GIVEN A CHOICE . . .
KILL A PATIENT ON THE OPERATING TABLE
OR LOSE MY SON FOREVER.
The man lies on the table in front of me.
As a surgeon, it’s my job to save him.
As a mother, I know I must kill him.
You might think that I’m a monster.
But there really is only one choice.
I must get away with murder.
Or I will never see my son again.
I’VE SAVED MANY LIVES.
WOULD YOU TRUST ME WITH YOURS?
I'm thrilled to be taking part in the blogathon celebrating Jack Jordan's books – October is all about Do No Harm, a novel which has been on my tbr for far too long, so I'm grateful to Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me and to Simon & Schuster for my digital copy of the book.
First, Do No Harm is attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates and while it is, of course, impossible to be taken literally – even a simple blood test results in pain, bruising and bleeding – the pledge is something almost everyone expects the medical professions to uphold. What then, would make a doctor purposely commit a murder? In Jack Jordan's deliciously intriguing thriller, his main character, Anna is a top heart surgeon who is given a terrible choice to make after her young son, Zack is abducted. Is she prepared to kill a man in order to save her son?
The novel follows three different women with chapters told in the first person from each of their perspectives. Each is flawed and not always easy to warm to but while the cruel moral dilemma is what first grabbed my attention, it's Jack Jordan's nuanced, empathetic characterisation that makes Do No Harm such a thought-provoking, immersive read. Anna's work means she has cultivated a detached persona which makes her appear cold and aloof but having been let down by those around her, it's perhaps no wonder she should focus almost all her love on Zack. Her fear for her boy is almost palpable and it seeps through the pages of this nail-biting thriller; her desire to protect him is paramount, even if it costs her everything.
Despite her frosty persona, it's impossible not to feel some compassion towards Anna and the same is true for Rachel, the police officer investigating a murder who becomes obsessed with Anna and Zack. Although she doesn't know exactly what has taken place, she intuitively knows the truth lies with mother and son and is convinced Anne is lying about her involvement in the murder of an older woman. However, as she becomes increasingly desperate to be proven right, her own tragic past casts a shadow over the investigation and results in others doubting her ability to lead the case. Her tenacity risks Anna's worst fears being realised. Anna's problems are exacerbated still further by another woman and while I'm reluctant to mention too much here and risk any spoilers, I can say that this character is arguably the most complicated of the three narrators. However, cast into a downward spiral of debt and desperation, and drawn back into a life she thought she'd escaped, it's difficult not to feel some pity for her, in spite of her selfish actions.
With characters plotting against one another and yet forced to work together in scenes which are utterly nerve-shredding, the tightly woven races towards its dramatic conclusion. Relentlessly tense, full of shocks and deeply moving, the original, terrible choice that Anna is forced to make is just the tip of the iceberg as the three women are thrust into making dangerous or heartbreaking decisions that will leave none of them the same. There are so many twists and turns, Do No Harm should come with its own health warning; may cause whiplash! Very highly recommended.
Do No Harm is published by Simon & Schuster, purchasing links can be found here.
About the Author
Jack Jordan is the global number one bestselling author of Anything for Her (2015), My Girl (2016), A Woman Scorned (2018), Before Her Eyes (2018) and Night by Night (2019). His thriller, Do No Harm, was an instant Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Most Recommended Book in the DeadGood Reader Awards. Coined the thriller of the summer for 2022, it was described as “relentlessly tense” by Sunday Times Bestseller Lesley Kara, and “Chilling and perfectly paced” by New York Times Bestseller Sarah Pearse. The idea for Do No Harm came to Jack after undergoing a minor medical procedure where he had to be sedated and trust strangers with his welfare. After the anaesthesia wore off, Jack began scribbling his notes, wondering to himself just how iron-clad a surgeon’s oath is, and what it would take to break it…
Conviction, was published in June 2023 and featured in Cosmopolitan’s ‘best new books out in June’ round-up, it was also chosen as one of the June featured books by Magic Radio’s Book Club and the audiobook was selected for Fingerprint Award at Capital Crime 2024.
His most recent book, Redemption was published in June 2024.
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