Book Review: In the Blood

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

In the Blood     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Don Donaldson
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Medical   Thriller
Berkley, Mar 2001, $6.99, 352 pp.

In Jackson, Mississippi, seven years ago, Dr. Holly Fisher learned she suffered from a deadly form of leukemia. Before undergoing experimental treatment involving bone marrow cleansing, Holly leaves eleven of her ovarian eggs at the Fertility Associates Clinic so that if she ever feels cured she can still have children, as the "cure" will otherwise leave her barren.

After her latest test, an elated Holly feels safe that she is cured. She asks her lover Dr. Grant Ingram to marry her and begin a family, but he rejects the idea. Hurt, Holly leaves Memphis and drives to Jackson to set in motion the fertilization of one of her eggs. However, she soon learns from Dr. Susan Morrison, head of the clinic, that someone claiming to be an estate lawyer showing Holly's death certificate and will collected her eggs several months ago. The two women join forces and begin making inquiries, not yet realizing the danger they are in if they discover the company is illegally creating fetuses for commercial use.

IN THE BLOOD is a taut amateur sleuth-medical thriller that showcases the underbelly of genetic research allowed to go uncontrolled. The suspense never eases up as the two heroines' crusade continue even when the odds seem overwhelmingly against them. In spite of the fine lead charcaters, Don Donaldson's tale belongs to his modern day Dr. Frankenstein plot that cooks up quite a story line. It will leave sub-genre fans comparing his work to the best of Crichton.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner