I’m starting my few remaining ARC posts with an apology to the publishers & authors who trusted me with their books. My turn around time is just unacceptable. I’ve been doing what I can to increase blog and Twitter exposure after the loss of my main platform, and still I can’t even promise the views that you guys deserve.
That said, Misfire by Tammy Euliano is one of those books that was affected the most by my loss of platform and this book deserves all the exposure it can get! I hope my nurse reader friends will check this one out as well as everyone else!
So without further rambling, let’s take a look at this exciting medical mystery
Bookish Quick Facts:
- Title: Misfire
- Series: The Kate Downey Medical Mystery Series #2
- Author: Tammy Euliano
- Publisher & Release: Oceanview Publishing (January 3rd, 2023)
- Length: 376 pages
- Rate & Recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for fans of medical mysteries
Here’s the synopsis:
A device that can save a life is also one that can end it
Kadence, a new type of implanted defibrillator, misfires in a patient visiting University Hospital for a routine medical procedure—causing the heart rhythm problem it’s meant to correct. Dr. Kate Downey, an experienced anesthesiologist, resuscitates the patient, but she grows concerned for a loved one who recently received the same device—her beloved Great-Aunt Irm.
When a second device misfires, Kate turns to Nikki Yarborough, her friend and Aunt Irm’s cardiologist. Though Nikki helps protect Kate’s aunt, she is prevented from alerting other patients by the corporate greed of her department chairman. As the inventor of the device and part owner of MDI, the company he formed to commercialize it, he claims that the device misfires are due to a soon-to-be-corrected software bug. Kate learns his claim is false.
The misfires continue as Christian O’Donnell, a friend and lawyer, comes to town to facilitate the sale of MDI. Kate and Nikki are drawn into a race to find the source of the malfunctions, but threats to Nikki and a mysterious murder complicate their progress. Are the seemingly random shocks misfires, or are they attacks?
A jaw-dropping twist causes her to rethink everything she once thought she knew, but Kate will stop at nothing to protect her aunt and the other patients whose life-saving devices could turn on them at any moment
There’s a lot to unpack with this one! To start, as a nurse it’s hard for me to read a lot of medical books because they tend to be inaccurate. That’s absolutely not an issue here as the author is a physician and is clearly writing what she knows.
I enjoyed reading a mystery that wasn’t too far off from something that could happen in real life – actually, that made it even more suspenseful. I was delighted to see the author’s afterward as well in which she addressed this very thing and a real life application 😅
But do you have to be in medicine to enjoy the book? I think not. I think it would help a little although the author keeps medical things fairly basic and explains them in layman’s terms when needed. There isn’t medical jargon or anything that bogs the plot down at all.
Next question – do you have to read book one before reading book two? Again, no not really, I certainly want to read Fatal Intent now but had no issue following the events of Misfire. There was a LOT of background given which made me think the first book was a similarly wild ride.
Oh, yeah, the plot never slows down. It wasn’t exactly a thriller until closer to the end but there are plenty of high stakes and suspense throughout, plus undertones of grief, moving on, family ties, and plenty of other things to keep the story engaging.
Which brings me to the characters – I really liked them and want more of everyone. Kate seems like a fairly levelheaded doc with strong ethics and a good amount of jury rigging capability under pressure. Her Aunt Irm seems amazing, she gave the book some cozy mystery elements and softened the plot a bit. I want more Christian too. And of course there’s the dog!
I don’t want to talk about the mystery too much but at the end of the day, the resolution was the weakest plot point for me. People are whack but I had trouble believing the motivation behind the who-dunnit. That said though, it was a very well done plot with plenty of potential red herrings and I liked surfing through all the layers to get to the conclusion.
I should add that my initial attraction towards the book, besides being written by a physician, was that Kathy Reichs wrote the cover blurb! I took her word on the series and absolutely don’t regret it at all so far. The book is out in January so preorder now if it’s up your alley!
Thanks so much for checking out my book review of Misfire by Tammy Euliano. The electronic advanced copy was provided for free in exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own!
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