A Perilous Conception

December 1, 2011

It's 1977 in a large city in the Pacific Northwest, and a hotshot obstetrician has paired up with a crackerjack lab professor to create what might just be the world's first successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) baby. But something goes horribly wrong when the baby's father kills the lab doc and then himself. Detective Bernie Baumgartner wants to know the motivation behind the crime, and he doesn't give up easily. The new mother is less than grief-stricken, and this puzzles him, as does the stonewalling obstetrician. With Baumgartner's bumbling persona hiding an intelligent and intuitive mind, these geniuses don't stand a chance. VERDICT A former doctor who delivered the first baby conceived through IVF in the Pacific Northwest, Karp (First, Do No Harm in the "Music Box Mystery" series) brings a fresh topic to the medical thriller. Readers will be delighted with his new detective's debut. Pages will fly by as his action-packed cat-and-mouse chase draws to an unexpected conclusion.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 29, 2011
The pioneer period of in vitro fertilization forms the backdrop for Karp’s promising first in a new series set in the Pacific Northwest. In 1977, obstetrician Colin Sanford aspires to be the first person to produce a viable baby through this innovative procedure. Aided by embryologist Giselle Hearn, Sanford successfully treats an infertile patient, Joyce Kennett. But before he can announce the birth of Joyce’s son, her husband, James, shoots Giselle dead and then himself. While trying to determine what triggered the murder-suicide, Det. Bernie Baumgartner discovers an additional mystery: the disappearance of Giselle’s laboratory supervisor. A duel of wills and wits ensues between the detective and Sanford, who aims to guard his reputation and avoid scandal. Karp (The Ragtime Fool), who as a young doctor was a witness to the race to produce the first IVF baby, tempers his well-constructed whodunit with dashes of science and a hint of poignancy.

November 1, 2011
Physician Karp, author of the Music Box mysteries, branches out with a medical thriller set in 1976. Colin Sanford, a brilliant but egotistical obstetrician practicing in Emerald, Washington, wants to be the first to produce a baby by in-vitro fertilization. He enlists the aid of embryologist Giselle Hearn, who is frustrated by the conservative policies of the department chair at the university medical school. The two conspire to achieve fame and fortune, convincing one of Sanford's desperate infertility patients to participate while keeping the procedure secret. The patient, Joyce Kennett, has a healthy son, but her husband becomes enraged, killing Hearn and then himself. What caused the rage? Police Detective Bernie Baumgartner wants to figure it out. His chief and the authorities at the university want the case closed as a murder-suicide by a mentally ill man, but Bernie knows there is more to the story. Karp lays out a very entertaining puzzle for medical-mystery fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)