A bold medical thriller that takes on the scourge of misinformation.
A no-nonsense doctor aims to bring down a deadly cult in Lee’s crime novel, the second in a series.
The most dangerous sickness does not infect the body, but the soul; Orange County hospitalist Dr. Mark Lin knows this better than most. One of his recently released patients, a pregnant woman named Shannon Dixon, was just killed in a suicide bombing at an OB-GYN clinic. While the public suspects anti-abortion activists are to blame for the attack, Lin—who was on the phone with his patient when the bomb went off—is struck by something he heard the bomber shout right before detonation: “Purity is mine!” When a new patient uses similar language to describe a strange healing group she’s recently joined (one that believes in mysterious powders and injections), Lin knows he needs to investigate. Path to Purity, as the secretive group is known, follows the teachings of a health guru called the Sun Priest, and not just anyone is allowed to join. Hoping to discover if the group was behind the bombing, Lin decides to infiltrate by posing as a sincere recruit, even if this requires him to pretend that he finds the Sun Priest’s pseudo-scientific treatments credible. As Lin proceeds down the Path, it soon becomes apparent that the group, which rails against doctors, vaccines, and “a medical-industrial complex,” is a cult working to isolate and brainwash its members. But what reason would Path to Purity have for murdering Shannon Dixon? As Lin digs deeper, he sees more people associated with the cult turn up dead from strange conditions or untreated illnesses. When the bloodshed escalates, Lin will have to decide if he’s bound by his oath to do no harm…or if the only way to deal with a death cult is to deal some death himself.
Lee’s prose, as narrated by Lin, is muscular and direct, whether the protagonist is explaining how to save a patient from a pulmonary embolism or swearing vengeance. “I now have one case of death by disinformation,” Lin fumes when a patient dies. “Not misinformation, incorrect info spreading with no intention to harm. Disinformation, with liars knowing they’re lying. Something tells me the Path to Purity knows their rituals don’t help. They must be stopped.” Lin, whose style of investigation is more James Bond than Sherlock Holmes, does not have much in the way of a bedside manner; indeed, some readers may find him an unpleasantly angry presence to accompany for nearly 400 pages. It’s clear that Lee knows his medicine, however, and the verisimilitude he brings to his depiction of the health and treatment of the characters (both at Lin’s hospital and in the teachings of the Path) do much to sell the reader on the reality of the doctor’s action-movie turn. The novel nods at the contemporary crisis of medical misinformation hocked by influencers, podcasters, and even politicians, and it is cathartic to see Lin take up the fight against the Sun Priest’s bunk science. Fans of the previous volume will undoubtedly enjoy this new adventure.
A bold medical thriller that takes on the scourge of misinformation.Pub Date: April 20, 2025
ISBN: 9798348330576
Page Count: 390
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 6, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A standout in the series.
The sixth adventure of Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon explores the mysteries of human consciousness, the demonic projects of the CIA, and the city of Prague.
“Ladies and gentlemen...we are about to experience a sea change in our understanding of how the brain works, the nature of consciousness, and in fact…the very nature of reality itself.” But first—Langdon’s in love! Brown’s devoted readers first met brilliant noetic scientist Katherine Solomon in The Lost Symbol (2009); she’s back as a serious girlfriend, engaging the committed bachelor in a way not seen before. The book opens with the pair in a luxurious suite at the Four Seasons in Prague. It’s the night after Katherine has delivered the lecture quoted above, setting the theme for the novel, which features a plethora of real-life cases and anomalies that seem to support the notion that human consciousness is not localized inside the human skull. Brown’s talent for assembling research is also evident in this novel’s alter ego as a guidebook to Prague, whose history and attractions are described in great and glowing detail. Whether you appreciate or skim past the innumerable info dumps on these and other topics (Jewish folklore fans—the Golem is in the house!), it goes without saying that concision is not a goal in the Dan Brown editing process. Speaking of editing, the nearly 700-page book is dedicated to Brown’s editor, who seems to appear as a character—to put it in the italicized form used for Brownian insight, Jason Kaufman must be Jonas Faukman! A major subplot involves the theft of Katherine’s manuscript from the secure servers of Penguin Random House; the delightful Faukman continues to spout witty wisecracks even when blindfolded and hogtied. There’s no shortage of action, derring-do, explosions, high-tech torture machines, attempted and successful murders, and opportunities for split-second, last-minute escapes; good thing Langdon, this aging symbology wonk, never misses swimming his morning laps. Readers who are not already dyed-in-the-wool Langdonites may find themselves echoing the prof’s own conclusion regarding the credibility of all this paranormal hoo-ha: At some point, skepticism itself becomes irrational.
A standout in the series.Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9780385546898
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
Maybe not the most thrilling thriller, but the role of AI in coping with grief gives this novel pathos and interest.
A widowed and disgraced plastic surgeon is drawn into a Russian oligarch’s evil schemes.
Witherspoon’s adult fiction debut, co-authored with thrillermeister Coben, opens as heart surgery performed by Dr. Marc Adams in a North African refugee camp is interrupted by the explosive invasion of armed militants. It's the last we will see of Marc in this dimension. The next chapter jumps ahead one year to a ceremony at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where his widow, Maggie McCabe, is supposed to be presenting an award in honor of her mother. Miserable and anxious about appearing in public after having lost her medical license, she consults with her late husband on her phone—not via supernatural means, but using a "griefbot," an amazingly lifelike and functional AI app created by her genius sister, Sharon. Once the griefbot coaxes her to brave the sneering masses, she learns she’s been replaced on the podium anyway. But she runs into a former professor, a celebrity plastic surgeon, who requests a meeting with her at his office in New York and won’t take no for an answer. Next thing she knows, there’s $10 million in her bank account and she’s on a private plane heading to a palace outside Moscow where she’s been engaged to perform off-the-record surgery on billionaire Oleg Ragoravich (new face) and his girlfriend, Nadia (new boobs). And…we’re off. A whirl of surgeries, chases, and escapes ensues as Maggie gradually comes to understand who these people are and what they have in mind for her, and how it connects to Marc and their missing friend and business partner, Trace Packer. She is aided by her delightful father-in-law, Porkchop, owner of a biker bar in New York City and a very handy guy to have on your team if you've run afoul of an international criminal organization. From the palace in Rublevka the action moves to Dubai and then Bordeaux, climaxing in a high-stakes illegal heart transplant. But wait—is Marc really dead? What happened to Trace? Who is Nadia really? Though these smoldering questions don’t quite catch fire, it's a good first try for Witherspoon.
Maybe not the most thrilling thriller, but the role of AI in coping with grief gives this novel pathos and interest.Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781538774700
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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