Fatal

Dr. Matthew Rutledge is determined to find a way to force the local coal company, Belinda Cola and Coke to make changes in its business practices. Twice bereaved through the company's actions, he wants the company to mend its ways before someone else gets hurt. He is called to the hospital one night when another accident happens, this time caused by one of the miners going berserk and running his machine into the support pillars. When Rutledge tends the miner's injuries, he discovers strange, fibrous lumps all over the man's face. This is not the first time he's seen these lumps, and not the first time the person possessing them has gone inexplicably insane. Convinced that it has to be toxic waste in the ground water, he continues his crusade, despite threats from fellow doctors and mine owners.

Pathologist and assistant medical examiner Nikki Solari is completely unaware of Belinda, West Virginia, until her best friend also begins growing fibrous lumps and exhibiting the strange, vicious mood swings that seem to accompany them. Tragedy will force Solari to go to Belinda, and a twist of fate will force her to stay, helping Rutledge in his quest for answers.

The final main character is Ellen Kroft, a devoted grandmother and member of an organization that desires more control and research over immunization shots. Her own grandchild was sweet and promising until a bad reaction to a vaccine damaged her. Ellen is the token consumer member of a board deciding whether to launch Ominivax - a shot that will instantly immunize the patient against a huge list of diseases. When it's time to vote, a thug visits her and threatens Ellen's granddaughter, should she vote against it. She becomes determined to get to the root of the matter, and her trail will lead her to Belinda as well. Each character will prove invaluable to solving the mystery, and the answer will be something that none of them predicted.

For me, there is something terribly frightening about anything medical related. One of the main themes - the lack of real, long term research for vaccines - is something that bothered me as much as it intrigued me. The thought that any person can be irrevocably and horribly damaged from a reaction to one of these shots is probably far more frightening than anything Palmer could have made up. The fact that the author was, himself, a doctor adds a lot to this story. He manages to describe the medical procedures in such a way as to keep my understanding along with my interest. I liked the characters, especially the Slocumb brothers, a trio of mountain men who have a wonderful sense of humor, as well as several surprises for the unwary who would disturb their peace or hurt their friends. The book was a very quick read, and will interest anyone who enjoys medical thrillers. Palmer answers all the questions posed by the mystery satisfactorily - but the medical ones he poses, sadly, are not quite so easy.

Four Cloaks out of Five
--Cindy Lynn Speer, GWN Online book reviewer
5/30/2002