Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this Advanced Reviewer Copy; all opinions expressed in the review are my own.
“Misfire” is the second book in the Kate Downey medical mystery series by Tammy Euliano. I had enjoyed the first book, “Fatal Intent,” and was eager to see the next installment of this series. I remember I had not been very impressed with Kate Downey as a character in the previous book and also felt that it was a slow-burner that took a while to get into. Hence, I started reading this book with moderate expectations.
I am happy to say I actually liked “Misfire” much more. This story starts about six months after “Fatal Intent,” with Kate discovering that a patient’s new implanted defibrillator, a device supposed to help their heart, malfunctioned. As Kate’s dear Aunt Irm is one of the patients implanted with the device, Kate starts investigating whether this was a one-time mishap or if there is a real problem with the device.
The investigation gets dicey when she learns that the cardiology chairman of her hospital is partially responsible for its creation and is also part owner of MDI, the company manufacturing the device. The intriguing and strange behavior of the chairman and the people surrounding the device only pulls her in more, in spite of the many warnings from her police friend, Lieutenant Garner. With Kate’s lawyer friend Christian O’Donnell back on the scene as well, an amateur sleuthing club is again formed, hoping to learn what exactly is happening with the device.
Why is the device misfiring? Is there a malfunction or is it deliberate? And who is to blame? We get the answers to these questions in a story of revenge, hate and dark intentions. Euliano has managed to create a compelling story that manages to be both intriguing and thrilling. The story starts off at a brisk pace and mostly never falters. The romance element between Kate and Christian also has been woven into the story in a very organic and natural way, without detracting from the tense narrative.
Most of all, I really loved Aunt Irm and would love to read more books in this series just for her. The medical aspects kept me interested as always and I loved that I got to learn new things. This series has now officially entered my to-watch-for list and I can’t wait to read more in the series.
This book gets 5 out of 5 stars.
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