80. Life Support by Tess Gerritsen

First of all, I want to say that this cover has nothing to do with the story in this book. Well, maybe the main character takes a shower but it's a sentence, not a major plot line. Very annoying. Since I got that off my chest, I'll go on to my next problem with this book. It probably wouldn't haven't been a problem if I hadn't just read another Gerritsen book. I decided that there is a kind of formula to Gerritsen's books: smart, attractive female doctor discovers sinister goings on and starts to investigate. The male doctors who are usually in powerful positions are violating all kinds of ethics in their efforts to make more and more money. They take exception to the lady doctor's interference and her reputation is sudenly in question and her life is in peril. The good female doctor triumphs and the bad guys are caught or killed. This whole formula thing could be very off-putting except for the fact that Gerritsen writes such a gripping and tight medical thriller that you're drawn in in spite of the fact that you know how it will end. There's all that medical jargon and hospital drama. Very captivating. Maybe it's because doctors seem so godlike and we really want to trust someone who holds our lives in their hands. So there is a great deal of suspense involved with reading about doctors gone bad. This book deals with a procedure that helps the elderly regain their youth, but of course ethics are massacred along with some folks who come to pretty ghastly ends. Another gripe: a romance develops in this book amidst all that jeopardy and I had a hard time buying into that. It happens too fast. Even so, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the others I have on the shelf. I'll wait a while so it won't seem quite so formulaic to me. I know I would have liked this one much better if I had waited a few months. Rating: 3.75