Wendell Black, MD - by Gerald Imber (Paperback)

From the Back Cover

A New York City police surgeon finds himself in the middle of an international drug-smuggling ring--or is it an even more dangerous conspiracy?

After a heart-thumping drop in altitude on a flight from London to New York, NYPD police surgeon Wendell Black is called on to try to save a woman who has gone into cardiac arrest. He's just carrying out his duty, but his aid places him at the center of an international drug-smuggling investigation.

As Black, and his English girlfriend, Alice--a knockout beauty and a surgeon to boot--digs deeper into the activities of the drug ring, he begins to suspect that a number of British doctors are involved. And when one of Alice's colleagues is brutally murdered and Alice suddenly disappears, the NYPD starts looking to Black for answers. His search peels away rings of conspiracy that expose a shocking threat to the nation.

Review Quotes

"Wendell Black, a middle-aged police surgeon for the NYPD, evolves into an action hero reminiscent of John McClane, Bruce Willis's character in the Die Hard series, in plastic surgeon Imber's well-written first novel." - Publishers Weekly
"Imber's debut is a fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists, and the author shows a deft hand at including just the right medical details. Imber is a well-known New York City plastic surgeon with several beauty books to his credit." - Booklist
"Gerald Imber's kickass new thriller will keep you turning pages into the night--this year's must-read detective novel." - Mary Karr, author of The Liar's Club and Lit
"A high-stakes debut thriller by plastic surgeon Imber, featuring an NYPD surgeon whose troubles begin with an in-flight emergency high over the Atlantic. The surprises start right away when Dr. Wendell Black vainly attempts to resuscitate a dying passenger and makes a strange discovery. The events that follow pull Dr. Black into a dangerous swirl of drug dealers, murder and terror. Luckily, he is just the man to see the threat and persuade the authorities in Homeland Security to investigate his suspicions. Black and his smart, sexy girlfriend, Dr. Alice Sheppard, stay deep in the middle of a situation that is filled with escalating danger. The pace is generally fast, with engaging and mostly likable characters. A couple of local cops who see Dr. Black as a nefarious criminal seem less than plausible as they keep trying to arrest him on drug charges, but the others are pros who add details about police and investigative procedures. The scenes are filled with clever language and rich descriptions, even if at times they tell more than the reader may want to learn. (Who needs to know that Dr. Black used the toilet?) Still, Dr. Black is sympathetic, and the writing is otherwise first class. The author's professional background adds credibility, as when Dr. Sheppard, a plastic surgeon and so much more, removes broken glass from Dr. Black's eye. A heck of a story, with a hero who deserves a series of books." - Kirkus Reviews
"A high-stakes debut.... The scenes are filled with clever language and rich descriptions.... A heck of a story, with a hero who deserves a series of books." - Kirkus Reviews