After a shocking act of violence, a hotshot surgical resident attempts to put his life back together in Faderan’s debut novel.

Mike Oates wants the top surgical residency spot at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut; he’s tired of flattering the chief of surgery, Bartholomew, and he wants the glory that goes with being called the best. He discovers just how far he’ll go to achieve his dreams when he stabs another doctor, James Levy, so that he won’t rat him out to Bartholomew regarding a parking-spot dispute. Stunned by the realization that he could go to jail for murder, Oates seeks legal advice from family friend Jonathan Moore and his daughter, Lauren, both attorneys in Columbus, Ohio. Oates is drawn to Lauren and pursues a relationship with her despite the conflict of interest, and she soon succumbs to his charms, pledging to help him avoid prison time. After they realize that Levy was killed by a second stab wound after Oates fled, they find themselves entangled with a mob boss who’s connected to Oates’ late father as well as to the nurse whom Oates left for Lauren. Can Oates clear his name and regain his medical career? It’s audacious of Faderan to start her novel with the protagonist committing a crime and then undertake the project of redeeming him. If she’d managed it, it would have made for a fascinating book. However, the plot is too implausible, and Oates, as a character, has few redeeming qualities to make readers root for him. He may be handsome and drive a Maserati, but his behavior toward women is offensive; at one point, he follows Lauren to her hotel room and forcibly kisses her, despite her clear efforts to pull away. And although he didn’t strike the blow that killed Levy, he certainly meant to kill him, so why should readers want him to get away with it? Faderan’s prose is also somewhat flat and awkward, tripping over stilted phrases such as “Rebecca espied a duo of medical men standing by the doorway.”

An unsympathetic main character dooms this unlikely story from the start.

A scientist-turned-writer imparts wisdom about corporate America and faith.

Faderan, who received a Ph.D. in pharmacology and became a regulatory scientist at a private medical device company, has now left the corporate world to pursue a new degree—an MFA in creative writing. This debut collection of essays represents her “contemplations” and words of wisdom for future generations. Topics range from navigating corporate structures to following God’s advice. Work environments in particular form a core of Faderan’s essays. She writes about her struggles with office stressors, wondering what it would have been like to be in retail: “I’ll slice the deli meat over meeting with the big cheese. Deli meat slicers aren’t intimidating. The ‘big cheese’ are.” She also addresses the differences between corporate and academic life for scientists, fondly remembering her time at a university lab in New York and comparing it to the spreadsheets and paperwork that filled her business days. There are also pieces dedicated to useful, concrete tips like “How to Give the Most Impressive Presentations” and “What Are Some of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Social Media to Get a Job After College?” The author offers some captivating details in this wide-ranging group of essays. She even includes a lengthy rant on the closing of her favorite grocery store, which ends with the same recommendation as many other essays, telling people to put more trust in God’s plan. But she has chosen numerous stock images to accompany these pieces, faceless figures standing next to charts and graphs and words like “Achievement” in 3-D text art, none of which help to make her writing feel fresh or dynamic. While the thoughts of a scientist with strong religious convictions who has completely changed her life’s trajectory should be a gold mine for intriguing insights, Faderan’s ruminations rely too heavily on clichés and repetition. Her persistent use of the caps lock (“Go for another degree in something YOU LIKE TO DO...if you are eager to work hard for YOURSELF, then do it. DO IT”) speaks to the overall problem: the platitudes rather than the storytelling get the emphasis in these works.

A bounty of self-help advice that fails to tap into the potential of the author’s personal story.