Book Review: Ghost Heart by Lisa Harris & Lynne Gentry

Blurb

A brilliant transplant surgeon. A rogue organ broker. A ghost child.
And the legend that could destroy them all.

A brutal murder convinces surgeon Mia Kendall there’s more than she imagined to the mysterious spike in heart transplant rejections. Determined to find answers before she loses another patient, Mia gets sucked into a dangerous international medical web. With time running out for her youngest transplant recipient, Mia is forced to partner with a disillusioned ex-military pilot who flies brokered organs across East Africa. But searching for the truth will prove costly for the unlikely duo racing to stop a madman before he annihilates a rare and cursed bloodline.

From best-selling author Lisa Harris and award-winning author Lynne Gentry comes a chilling, hypnotic medical thriller that will take you from the suburbs of Cincinnati to the jungles of Africa.

My Review

This is a novel that grabs you by the throat on the very first page and doesn’t let go until the very end. There are so many excellent aspects to Ghost Heart: its fast pace, the realistic story line that is based on truth, the complexity of the black market organ donor market, heart transplants (don’t worry no gory details) and a cast of characters that are believable and well crafted.

There are two parallel story lines, the one based in Africa starring Dr Mia Kendall who is desperate to discover the truth behind her patients failing heart transplants. She commandeers a willing assistant, Race Daniels, who is drawn to her passion, beauty and drive. But can she trust him? Is he caught up the cover-up in some way? The more time she spends with Race in solving the puzzle the more she is attracted to him.

Meanwhile one of Mia’s transplant patients heart is failing. His teenage wife, Jeme, is desperate to keep her daughter, Zaina, safe from the poachers. She’s an albino whose body parts are highly desirable.

The second story starts in Cincinnati where we meet Catherine (Cat) and Brad Taylor whose young daughter’s heart is failing. This is causing significant stress on their marriage. Catherine is a desperate mom who will do anything to save her daughter. Even if it means flying to Africa so Kelsey can have a heart transplant where it’s significantly cheaper than in the US.

The authors crafted Mia and Catherine as strong passionate women and even though I didn’t necessarily agree with all their choices I admired them tremendously. Jeme is another and I loved her gutsiness in protecting Zaina.

There are some excellent bad guys. Men who on the surface are esteemed by society while deluding themselves they are benefiting the world with their groundbreaking endeavours. Their arrogance and thirst for power result in some catastrophic decisions that Mia and Race gradually unravel.

It all builds to a fabulous climax with some heartbreaking and joyous moments. And there is romance that simmers in the background.

This is an outstanding collaboration by LisaHarris and Lynne Gentry. I loved it and I hope there are a few more novels bubbling away in their collective thoughts.

The novel also comes with an insightful Q&A between the two authors where they provide some background to how the story came about plus their writing process between Africa and Texas.

I received a complimentary copy from the authors with no obligation to write a favourable review.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter