Book Review: Lethal Measures

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Lethal Measures     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Leonard S. Goldberg
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Medical   Thriller   Woman Main Character
Series: Joanna Blalock # 6
Dutton, Feb 2000, $24.95, 336 pp.

Joanna Blalock is a world-renowned forensic pathologist who’s globally in demand, but centers her activities in Los Angeles’ Memorial Hospital. At thirty-nine, Joanne feels she has achieved her life’s goals just as she envisioned them. Even her personal life seems perfect as she sees the urbane international financier Paul du Maurier instead of wallowing over the inability of homicide detective Jake Sinclair to commit to a lasting relationship.

However, national events soon rip Joanne’s world apart. It starts with a terrorist bomb destroying a residential street, killing innocent people. The FBI insists that Joanne perform the autopsies, which cancels her romantic weekend. Paul resents the intrusion and abruptly ends their relationship. Evidence mounts that the perpetrators, the Righteous, plan for something ugly to occur on April 19th. Their motive is simply to revenge the Feds killing their leader’s son and wife in a shoot-out.

Anyone who enjoys a Patricia Cornwell tale will gain much pleasure from LETHAL MEASURES. The medical thriller stars a forensic pathologist with a great sense of self-deprecating humor ant that makes her more likable and gentler than Scarpetta. The fast-paced story line has touches of romance that provide a solid counterpoint to the rising tension that readers feel as they grasp the full scope of the terrorists’ plan. Besides the characters seeming real, Memorial Hospital feels like a genuine place and that adds to the believability of the tale. After this story, readers will quickly search for other novels by Leonard Goldberg (see his “deadly” series).

Harriet Klausner

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