Blood Double

By Neil McMahon

Book Overview

From the very start, Dr. Carroll Monks knew that the businessman dumped from a limousine in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital wasn't a typical San Francisco junkie. Even after Monks had rushed the dying man inside and brought him back from the precipice of a heroin overdose -- after the danger had, seemingly, passed-Monks sensed that something more sinister was brewing. Just how sinister, he couldn't have guessed. First a phalanx of lawyers and doctors descended on the hospital and whisked the man away before Monks could find out more about the suspicious circumstances surrounding his arrival. Then a small fire broke out in the hospital -- an act of sabotage that resulted in the disappearance of the man's blood samples. But the real shock came the next morning, when the newspapers reported the mysterious disappearance of billionaire Lex Rittenour. Rittenour, a beloved computer wunderkind, had long been rumored to be developing a top-secret technology involving the human genome, the medical applications of which had the potential to place his name alongside those of Lister, Curie, and Salk. Now, just days before the unveiling of his breakthrough, Rittenour -- whom Monks now recognizes as the man he saved in the ER the night before-had, according to his corporate spokesmen, "gone into seclusion."What begins for Monks as an inquiry into Rittenour's disappearance unearths something far more diabolical -- the horrific facts behind genetic research done in Rittenour's name-and pits him against a corporation of dubious ethics, ruthless commando-style tactics, and a multi-billion-dollar motivation to protect its dark secrets. As he did in his first Carroll Monks novel (Twice Dying), Neil McMahon creates from today's most complex ethical issues -- in this case, the "progress" stemming from explosive new advances in genetics -- the unforgettably chilling, electrifying drama of Blood Double.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060197668
• ISBN13: 9780060197667
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Fast and solid

On a March evening in San Francisco a dying man is dumped in Mercy Hospital's parking lot, and it doesn't take ER's head doctor, Carroll Monks, long to discover he's more than just your average overdosed junkie. Only minutes after the man is swept away by his physician and several tough looking bodyguards, the hospital is set on fire and vandalized, the man's blood samples gone. Soon Monks and his daughter, an intern at Mercy, are being targeted for what they know and forced to flee for their lives in search of answers. BLOOD DOUBLE, Neil McMahon's second book about this tough but believable Carroll Monks, hooks the reader immediately and continues to be fast paced and full of fascinating scientific information on genetics. While the writing is not lyrical, it is solid for its genre, and while the story seldom stirs us deeply enough to laugh or cry, it escapes being shallow by allowing us a glimpse into the horrific lives of illegal immigrants forced into street slavery. There are some great action scenes near the end and the characters, thankfully, remain true to themselves. The villain may be no great surprise, but there's still a twist. For readers interested in a different sort of medical thriller with a strong protagonist and some cutting edge genetics, BLOOD DOUBLE is a winner.

4 1/2 stars

Dr. Carroll Monks, an emergency room doctor, saves a mysterious man from a heroin overdose. A mysterious fire breaks out and the mans blood samples are stolen.Dr. Monks sets out to learn more about the man he saved and soon finds himself in a very dangerous situation.The rapid pace, as well as the subject matter (The human genome), makes it a quick and exciting read. A good hi-tech medical thriller.Recommended.

A good follow-up

I loved McMahon's first book, Twice Dying. And while Blood Double isn't quite as potent, it is a fast-paced narrative that has a lot of merit. The characters are believably well developed, particularly Lex Rittenour, the Gates-type computer wiz with a personality deficit and a drug problem. McMahon nails Lex's drug-addict behavior nicely: the grim nasties when he needs a fix, the nutty pleasantries when he's had one.The pithy issue of genome mapping (and its many-tiered implications) and the pending IPO of Lex's very incomplete computer program (that promises to bring in billions) and the sundry Big Boys involved in the financial aspects of this stock offering are at the core of this book.People involved, even peripherally, in the program's creation and sale keep getting dead. It is Lex's near-fatal overdose that lands him in the ER where Monks is responsible for saving his life. The book takes off like a rocket from that point, with some harrowing attempts on Monks's life, the introduction of a possible love interest (the one character I found not entirely believable) and ultimately a harsh look at the reality of the corporate world--where what you put a stop to today will get renovated and go out there tomorrow, no matter what.Clean, lean prose and an intense narrative make this a book easily read in one sitting.Recommended.

Better than Kathy Reichs

Never heard of this author before, but the cover caught me eye so I bought it--and was up all night reading it. It's a great story, and a great protagonist (he's an ER doc). Personally I'm interested in medicine & health issues, but most of the thrillers & mysteries in this area are pretty cheesy--not much emphasis on the quality or the characters. The best in that regard (that I know of, anyway) is probably Kathy Reichs--but Neil MCMahon is better still