Oxygen

by Carol Cassella

Dr. Marie Heaton is a great anesthesiologist. She loves her job in Seattle and is meticulous in her work. But everything changes when young Jolene Jansen dies on her table. What happened? Is Marie to blame for this tragedy?

With attention to detail, Cassella brings her readers into the world of doctors, hospitals, and, of course, anesthesia. Marie will retrace her steps in the OR, reread her notes, hypothesize, and still be mystified by her patient’s death. To add to her confusion, she will become part of a lawsuit, as well as a criminal investigation.

Oh, and one more thing: she needs to tend to her elderly father in Texas. Can she survive all of the stress in her life? Will she figure out how and why Jolene died? Read and find out.

I liked the medical mystery in this novel, though I thought the plot twist near the end was a bit far fetched. Also, the author failed to create a sense of place with her descriptions of Seattle. Only someone from that city could possibly enjoy the setting of this story.

9/28/08