Wendell Black, MD

December 16, 2013
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. Wendell has a fairly routine work schedule, spending mornings supervising sick call, to assess which cops are actually ill and should be excused from their duties. Drama enters his life on a flight from England to New York. When a middle-aged woman loses consciousness on the plane, the purser asks Wendell to provide medical assistance, but he is unable to save her. A surprise during the subsequent autopsy proves to be just the first of a series of alarming events. The deceased ends up having a connection with a friend of Black’s love interest, fellow doctor Alice Sheppard, who soon disappears. As the stakes increase, the story becomes less plausible, and the book delivers less than it promises.

January 1, 2014
Returning home from London, NYPD police surgeon Wendell Black warily raises his hand when a flight attendant asks if there's a doctor on board. A young passenger has collapsed. While performing CPR, Black notices that the passenger is covered in surgical tape indicative of breast-implant surgery. What he doesn't notice is that the passenger is male. It's not until the autopsy that he learns that the implants were filled with high-grade heroin. Plastic surgeon and former flame Alice Sheppard contacts Black about the case, revealing that she is an undercover operative collecting evidence about terrorist ties to the smuggling ring. Drug mules may be just the beginning in a plot to transport deadly biological agents into the country. Unable to confirm Alice's cover story, Black must decide how much to trust her claims that she needs his help stopping a deadly contamination. 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)