"fatal trauma" by richard l. mabry

Anything can happen when a victim also becomes a suspect in Richard L. Mabry's latest medical thriller.

---

A gunman who has nothing to lose faces a doctor who could lose it all to prove his innocence.

When Dr. Mark Baker and Nurse Kelly Atkinson are held at the mercy of a dangerous gunman, the lives of every emergency room patient are at stake. At the end of the evening three men are dead. One of them is a police officer who couldn't be saved despite Mark's best efforts. The other two are members of the feared Zeta drug cartel.

Though the standoff is over, the killing is not, because when the drug cartel loses its members, revenge is not far behind. Facing an adversary whose desires are dark and efforts are ruthless, Mark finds himself under suspicion as a killer, yet still a potential victim. When he turns to his high school sweetheart, attorney Gwen Woodruff, for help, Kelly helplessly looks on, as she hides her own feelings for the good doctor.

At the height of the conflict, three questions remain: Who is the shooter? Who will the next victim be? And can Mark prove his innocence before the gun turns on him?

---

Overall, I enjoyed Fatal Trauma. The pacing was good, the characters were likeable (though I didn't feel I got to know some of them very well), and the plot featured a couple of twists I never saw coming and absolutely loved. (Seriously, I had a couple of gasp out loud moments—I love those when I'm reading suspense!) However, some of the aspects surrounding the investigation didn't ring true to me, and I got tired of the cops' continual focus on Mark as a suspect. I also didn't think the writing was as tight as in some of Mabry's other novels. Still, this is enjoyable medical suspense, and it makes for a quick, intense read. 3-1/2 stars. 

*See the note at the bottom if you want to know specifically what bothered me about the investigation! (It's fairly general and spoiler free, but I do have to talk a bit about the plot.)

See what others are saying.
Buy the book.
Read my reviews of Mabry's Stress Test (4-1/2 stars), Heart Failure (3-1/2 stars), and Critical Condition (3-1/2 stars).

*Note: Basically, Mark is a suspect in two crimes. He doesn't have much of an alibi for either crime--except that at the exact moment the second crime was taking place, he was speaking on his cell phone. He heard the crime take place over the phone, and then he immediately placed a call to 911 on said cell phone. I know this may not be enough to prove his innocence or guilt, but wouldn't the cops at least check the cell phone records and also find out which tower the calls went through to see if Mark could have been in the area where the crime took place? Yet the cell phone is never held up--either by Mark's attorney or by the cops--as a way to tell if Mark was where he said he was. Had I not been a Serial fanatic who heard about cell phone records ad nauseam, this probably wouldn't have bothered me. But if the cops were using cell phone records back in 1999, wouldn't they also be using them in 2015?

---

A retired physician, Dr. Richard Mabry is the author of seven 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.

Find Richard online: website, Twitter, Facebook

Can Mark find out who the shooter is before he becomes the next victim? You won't want to miss the suspense in Richard Mabry's new book, Fatal Trauma. Facing an adversary whose desires are dark and efforts are ruthless, Mark finds himself under suspicion as a killer, yet still a potential victim. When he turns to his high school sweetheart, attorney Gwen Woodruff, for help, Kelly helplessly looks on, as she hides her own feelings for the good doctor.

Richard is celebrating the release of Fatal Trauma by giving away The Perfect Prescription Prize Pack!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A $25 cash card
• A copy of Fatal Trauma
• A bag of coffee (because caffeine can cure a lot)
• A medical-inspired coffee mug
• Syringe pens
• A box of medical-inspired cookies (because sugar can cure what caffeine doesn't)

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 20th. The winner will be announced June 22nd on Richard's blog.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."