Drew is the son of her Sarchi’s sister and her husband, both of whom were killed in a car accident a few years before. When both sets of grandparents were unable to care for the child, Sarchi was the logical choice to be his guardian. Burdened by debts and not yet finished with her medical training, Sarchi was relieved when her sister’s best friend, Marge and her husband offered to adopt Drew. Marge is now divorced and in as difficult a position as Sarchi, so Sarchi is bound and determined to see that the boy recovers.

Drew’s HMO, dissatisfied with the lack of progress Sarchi and her coworkers are making, says that the only way they will continue to pay his bills will be if he is sent to a New Orleans clinic that has had success with cases such as this. Accompanying Marge to New Orleans to add moral support, Sarchi is ill at ease with George Latham, the doctor in charge of the case. He is reluctant to talk about his procedures and will offer no sources of his published work.

Sarchi is quite worried, but within a week, Drew is cured. He is walking and talking and seems to be much the same youngster he was prior to his illness. He does have a rather strange facial tic as a side effect, but the doctor assures them it will go away with time.

Sarchi, soon starts receiving e-mail messages, relating to the shadowy nature of George Latham and his practice. Since Sarchi herself is uncomfortable with Latham and does not fully believe that Drew’s side effects will disappear, she decides to follow up on the leads given her by the mysterious correspondent. This decision leads to major complications, including attempts on her life.

Do No Harm fits into the category of medical thriller perfectly. The villain is known, but just what he is doing and his motivations provide a complex puzzle. There is plenty of action as the villain tries to derail Sarchi’s career in the mistaken belief that she will cease her investigation as her life becomes unglued.

The beginning of the book is somewhat confusing as the focus shifts -- first in time and then in location. It is difficult to establish the relevance of some of the characters until the plot is more fully developed. In fact, one character in particular, Grace Dunn, always remains a bit of a puzzle. However, once the basic story line is established, the book rapidly becomes a page-turner.

Donaldson provides some important points to ponder regarding the ethics of the medical profession. Who should decide who receives what sort of medical treatment? How much influence should health insurers have in deciding what procedures should be done and by whom? From a practical standpoint, the cost of malpractice insurance has become so high, doctors cannot afford to work independently. As such, is their integrity compromised by having to accede to the wishes of their group?

The author offers some insight into the difficulties of the profession of law enforcement as well. “ Patience is more than a virtue in a detective. It’s a requirement.” The only real fault I found was in the somewhat cavalier attitude that Sarchi’s detective ally adopted toward presenting Sarchi with a weapon. Sarchi has no training in the use of firearms, yet her detective buddy offers to get her a gun and train her to use it in one session!

Do No Harm is a thought provoking, well-written medical thriller. I look forward to reading more of Don Donaldson’s novels.

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--Andy Plonka