Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano is a fast-paced medical mystery thriller. The story follows the main character Dr. Kate Downey who starts looking into the unexpected deaths of elderly patients after minor surgeries, which shouldn’t have killed them. Kate is an anesthesiologist and was part of the team involved in the surgeries. While she suspects the surgeon Dr. Charles Ricken, she does not have any evidence to prove it. The Chief of Staff is quick to blame Dr. Kate Downey as she is already under probation for a previous error, she committed during a heart transplant. Kate now has to prove her innocence to not only save her job but her career as well. And she must do it while caring for her husband who’s in a vegetative state after an accident while on duty.

When Christian O’ Donnell, a lawyer and the son of one of the victims, offers to help her, she finds herself with an accomplice and a good friend. Kate wrestles with her growing feelings for Christian while she feels guilty for her feelings when her husband is in such a state.

The whole story takes place within a two-three weeks window and is paced very well. Clues that lead to the original killer are placed throughout the book, plus one to the author for managing to do this in as subtle a manner as possible. One of the most annoying things I find in thriller novels is when clues end up becoming spoilers. Tammy Euliana has managed to provide the readers with enough to keep it interesting, but at the same time keep us guessing. Dr. Kate Downey is a lovable character and as a reader, I felt an instant connection to her. She goes through a variety of internal emotional conflicts during the two weeks of traumatic events as the story unfolds. It culminates by leading her to an impossible decision where she must make a choice on who to save among all her loved ones. An impossible choice for any human let alone a Doctor who has taken an oath to protect all lives.

The Climax of the story reveals the killer and the figure behind the killer. While I was able to guess who it might be, I was pleasantly surprised by the manner in which it was revealed. It kept me on the edge of my seat and had me turning the pages without missing a beat. The only aspect that I did not like was the stereotyping of POC. The author describes a Black Man for the security guard role, an Asian Ph.D. researcher, and a Latina Housekeeper. I would’ve preferred it if the author hadn’t done that and left their ethnicity out of the descriptions for these very minor roles that are a blink and you miss roles in the book. Religion and the right to live or die is a big concept of this book. However, the author has managed to base the mystery on this concept without making it controversial.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and recommend it to everyone who loves a good mystery thriller, especially those who love medical mysteries.

I give it a solid 4/5 stars.

Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano was a great mystery that kept me intrigued until the very end.

Just enough twists and turns to keep you interested. Love the MC - Dr. Kate Downey. Overall I give this a 5 star review. This book was provided to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Elderly patients were dying days after having surgery. This book had many twists and turns and kept me guessing from the first page through the last. This book was well written and I cant wait to read Tammy's next one.

Fatal Intent came out of nowhere for me and sucked me in. A thrilling medical story that has it's fair share of twists and turns with action and friendships to keep things real.

I am really hoping that the author has more books with these characters up her sleeve.

Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano was an enjoyable read. The topic was intriguing, and the characters and plot held my attention from the beginning. Even though this was a medical mystery, it was written in such a way that individuals who are not in the medical field, would be able to understand and follow the plot. I like reading mysteries that keep me guessing, and offer a surprise ending. This novel did both! I would recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to reading additional novels by Tammy Euilano.

This medical thriller raises all the questions around death and dying and whether individuals are permitted to “play God”. It was a good book, fast paced with its twists and turns. A Medical ethical mystery. I got somewhat confused attempting to keep all the characters straight but overall would recommend reading Fatal Intent.

I thought I knew what was going to happen. I did not see all of what was coming! Love that! Great book

A very good read. It gripped me from the start. The topic is an interesting one. I for one would not want to live a half life and would hope for a mercy killing, so my family didn't have to willow in my slow passing. We often joke about it, but it is a very serious subject with very serious consequences, I would hope by then there will not be any legal issues. All in all a very thought provoking topic.

3.9 Stars

Anesthesiologist, Dr. Kate Downey, has enough issues to deal with. When the elderly patients who were under the care start to die, she worries how it would affect her already troubled career. As more deaths occur, and Christian, the son of one of the dead men, wants to check if there was something sinister, Kate agrees to check the reports with him.
The incidents at the hospital, the hostility from the Chief of Staff, a surgeon, and a medical student begin to push her into a corner. Kate knows she needs to get to the bottom of the issue. Together with Christian, Aunt Erm, and a few others, she starts collecting information.
She gets threats, has to take a leave of absence, and almost loses her life. With her husband, Greg, lying in a coma for a year with no signs of improvement, Kate has a lot to lose. How she gathers evidence, fights the killer, and finally comes to terms with some things in her life forms the story.
The book starts on a slow note, and with so many characters being introduced, it gets hard to keep track. But the story picks up speed, and it gets easier to remember the characters. Not all of them are important, so it’s easy once we get into the story.
The narration slows down and picks up at the appropriate places, making the story quite intriguing and engaging. While the readers know who the killer is and even probably why the way the climax was handled was very good. There is action, enough of it to keep us reading page after page without taking a break.
Some of the characters felt unidimensional as if that’s all they could do. It did bring down the interest a little. However, Aunt Irm, gets our attention. The way her mind works, and how she expresses it makes her a strong and sensible character. While Kate is hesitant, cautious, and wondering, Aunt Irm doesn’t hesitate or stall. She is straightforward and better at connecting the dots.
The theme deals with Religion and God, but the author handled it deftly without overemphasizing, taking sides, or preaching. This balance works well for the book.
Overall, the story needs some patience and determination to read the first 20%. But stick around, and you’ll enjoy a good medical thriller (even if some of it is too complex for non-medics to understand).
Thank you, NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing, for the ARC copy.

#FatalIntent #NetGalley

Great read. The author really draws the reader into the story. Will definitely read another book by this author. This was very well written, I could not put the book down.

Review of Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano.

When I began my clinical years in medical school, I soon realized that we humans often mishandled end-of-life issues. I particularly remember an attending physician who believed that if we did nothing heroic to save a person’s life, even if they had begged us not to, that this was “playing god.” It seemed to me that making such lifesaving efforts no matter what the patient wanted was exactly like “playing god,” but the attending would hear nothing of such an argument. I no longer remember that doctor’s name, but I can still feel the chill from his gaze as he pointed his finger at all the house officers and medical students while saying that this was his intent and we better not disobey him. There was an older male patient who was terminal from metastatic lung cancer. He could no longer communicate with us, but he had previously told us he did not want to be kept alive with respirators and other such devices. His family begged us to put him on a DNR (do not resuscitate) list, but the attending told us not to observe such wishes. The nurses, residents, interns and medical students were aghast. I had no authority, but I agreed with the rest of the staff that if a life threatening matter arose, we would do what we could to honor the patient’s and family’s wishes. Late at night, already unconscious, he involuntarily extubated himself. Given the hour of the day, the attending was at home, probably already asleep. Those of us who were in the hospital just moved slowly to respond, and the patient died. The attending was none the wiser. In what I judged to be inhumane attitude by the attending, I remember being horrified at being placed in such an unreasonable position by an inflexible and haughty physician. The decisions about such patients is always difficult, when one should pull the plug on a respirator and allow the end of life to occur. It is not always obvious when one should make all possible heroic efforts and such dramas play out on a daily basis throughout the world.

Fatal Intent by Ms. Euliana is about an end of life circumstance for a much younger man, Greg, who was Kate’s husband who was being kept alive. Kate was an anesthesiologist, having completed medical school and her residency. She had become an attending physician at the local medical school. She became aware that several patients were dying after what had been minor surgeries (the definition of minor surgery is surgery that’s done to anyone else but you). She suspected she was encountering someone who had found a way to terminate patients without it appearing to look like murder. There were some people in the hospital hierarchy who did not appreciate Kate’s investigation into the matter and who tried to ruin her reputation. This was a well-written murder mystery which presented the real human struggles that are behind such circumstances. Well done Ms. Euliano – you’ve brought to mind some of my own memories that I had not thought about in many years, and you’ve done so with compassion.

I liked this one. It was so interesting to see the inner workings of a hospital and how things run. (whether accurate or not, it was interesting getting that glimpse)

I was not disappointed with the action and the pace. However, some of the characters felt a little bland to me and needed further development. Also, the medical jargan was a lot and could have had some further explanation to some pieces while still maintaining the medical background.

The ending came as a bit of a surprise. I don't think anyone really could have pieced this together to figure it out before the reveal. Overall, not bad but could have used some edits to smooth some areas out.

I received this book through "NetGalley" Read Now program.

This story begins with Kate discovering that 3 of the patients that she performed anesthesia on have died. Since she was placed on probation, she decided that she needed too look into the cases to find out what happened. She brought this to the attention of the surgeon to see if he had any ideas. He just said that they were all sick and people die. Because of this conversation, the surgeon filed a complaint with the chief of staff as well as the Medical Board. In her defense, she explained to the chief of staff and the people dying as well as an explanation for a complaint filed by a study that she tried to help with his problem solving an simulation of a person going into distress. The student needed to be able to perform in order to pass her course.

Kate was place on a leave of absence, so she continued investigating the deaths of patients in her hospital. She along with Chris, a son of one of the patients, in addition to one her students. In the course of the investigation, Kate had her house broken into as well as potentially being killed while vising one of the patients that was still alive. Also, the pursuit of other cases which were similar as well as 2 that happened just recently in Atlanta and which resulted in the death of Kate's student.

After the Atlanta incident, Kate was placed in another predicament when she received a call that her husband, who was in a coma, required emergency surgery. The facts all fell in place while at this location.

To find out the events that happened at the hospital her husband was in, whether Kate was vindicated, and who all of the parties involved with the killings were, then you must read this book. You won't be disappointed.

Probably not the best book to read 4 weeks out from surgery but a great read following Dr. Kate Downey and the mysterious deaths of patients after minor surgeries.

A gripping tale, and a very interesting topic as there are not enough medical thrillers in my opinion! I did find it a little tricky to keep up at first as there were so many characters introduced in a short period of time, but underneath that was a great thriller which developed clearly once I pushed through my initial confusion.

I loved reading through Kate's discoveries, investigations and the twists and turns along the way. I really think this was a great book and i'm excited to see more from the author.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy Fatal Intent. Like with police dramas, it was vying a bit too much on the side of detail. I much prefer a psychological approach to a book, one that gets into the mind of the killer. However, as each page turned, I became more invested in the story.

If I’m to be really honest, it wasn’t the plot that grabbed me in the end. I still found it to be a bit too detail-orientated and there were times when I felt that too much was happening. Instead, it was the characters that piqued my interest. Although there are many characters to remember in Fatal Intent (both main and secondary characters), the author somehow found a way not to make the reader overwhelmed. In no time I was able to identify each character quickly and even found that each had their own distinct personality. I needed this to provide the emotional attachment the plot was lacking for me.

I didn’t recognise it at first but the theme of “end-of-life” was core to my enjoyment of Fatal Intent. It pieced everything together and also added to my emotional attachment toward the book. It also gave me something to think about: when is a life no longer worth living and who should decide that?

While Fatal Intent didn’t turn out to be one of my favourite books, I’ll credit it for turning around my opinion from an okay to good read.

In Florida, anesthesiologist Dr. Kate Downey investigates a series of 'mercy killings for hire.'

Her husband Greg, a fellow doctor, has been in a coma for a year and his brother is fighting Kate over withdrawal of care. He's initiated legal action. Complicating Kate's life even further, she's on probation because of an error that ruined a heart intended for transport.

Despite all this, Kate keeps digging and doesn't give up, even after an attempt on her life.

I loved this book from the first page to the last. The author immediately drew me in and the characters were so well described that I felt like I knew them. I looked up the author in hopes of finding more of her books but sadly, this is her debut fiction. I sincerely hope this very talented author writes more books and I would love to see this one turned into a series!

This is a decent, 3* read.

It's written by a doctor and this shows throughout the plot line. For me it was a tad plodding and convoluted, but, a decent read overall.

Patients are dying and Anesthesiologist, Dr Kate Downey starts to investigate. She's got her own issues with a husband on life support and having had a miscarriage and this grief is palpable throughout the book.

I wasn't wow'd and I found the subject matter depressing, but, for those who enjoy medical dramas this one's for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Dr. Kate Downey is an anesthesiologist who is more than a little bit perplexed when several of her patients suddenly die. She is determined to uncover the truth, especially since a coworker attempts to place the blame squarely on Kate's shoulders. With assistance from one of the victim's sons, a relative, and a student, they will try to put the puzzle pieces together before anyone else dies.
I don't read many medical thrillers, but Fatal Intent caught my eye and kept me guessing until the last page. I was surprised by the whodunnit and why which to me, is always the sign of having read an enjoyable book. 3.5 stars.

What a wonderful discovery of a book and author! Medical thrillers are uncommon and this one is a special treat. As it was written by a doctor it is resplendent with the voice of knowledge and experience yet without condescension. Talk about a thought provoking topic, too...assisted death and playing God. This book is largely about making choices, finding truth and the importance of family and other relationships.

Dr. Kate Downey, an anaesthesiologist and teacher, is horrified to discover that patients in her care at the hospital are inexplicably dying from minor surgeries. To add to this horror she is blamed. Desperate to prove herself innocent she and others in her circle work together to investigate. Not only that but further deaths must be prevented. I really like the suspense (was practically gnawing my tongue), protagonist and Aunt Irm, the medical aspect and the windy paths we are taken down. The plot and subplots are riveting. The ending is well done.

Do not pass this one by. Anyone even remotely intrigued by medical thrillers ought to read this. I certainly hope the author writes more!

My sincere thank you to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this fantastic book!

A thank you to NetGalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent read - entertaining enough and certainly quick, but not what I expected given the thriller label attributed to it. I went in thinking I would get something more gritty with more of a mystery to solve. What I got was a medical drama, which I am certainly not opposed to per say, yet the writing left a little to be desired. Kind of clunky at times and a little juvenile. I did appreciate that the author wrote from experience, so she certainly speaks from the point of knowledge and it is her first books, so I think it's got potential, it just didn't rock my world.

This was an excellent medical thriller! Gripping from the very beginning, this novel delicately handled the sensitive topic of assisted suicide while creating a suspenseful story.

The characters were believable and I cared about them right from the start. The writing was spectacular.

Overall a great read!

Many thanks to Net Galley, Oceanview Publishing and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Fatal Intent, a debut novel by Dr. Tammy Euliano is a story that is gonna make you think, and think hard. A debatable topic of ending the life of a non-responsive patient is described with such sympathy that as a reader there were parts of the story that made me cry buckets.

DR. Kate Downey, is surprised to know the deaths of her patients after they have been released from surgery. A simple query to the practicing surgeon opens up a can of worms and when approached by Christian, the son of the deceased she has no choice but to check the possibilities of something seriously gone wrong. But Kate is herself not in a good place as she fights for the survival of her husband who has been in a vegetative state and moved to fulltime care facility. As Kate battles her brother-in law in keeping Greg alive, professional turmoil in the form of a vengeful student adds to her woes. The going is not all bleak as Kate finds support from her aunt, Christian and Jenna, a 4th year med student.

As the author is herself a practicing anaesthesiologist, the reader is given glimpses of how cases get handled by the team and the administerial and official policies involved in a hospital, and in spite of all the checks how the greedy ones still conduct their evil acts. As thrillers go, medical thrillers have always been a favourite of mine but honestly it has been a while since I got my hands on one. Fatal Intent has some emotionally charged moments with some brilliant writing that blew me away.

The villains are revealed early in the story as the reader plunges into the investigation concerning the deaths along with Kate but it is the climax with a numbing scene of ‘save or kill’ that left me torn to shreds.

Awesome debut! Highly recommended.

This review is published in my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India and Twitter.

It’s been a bad week for Dr. Kate Downey, all of a sudden her patients are dying after simple surgical procedures. On probation for another incident, she is in the hot seat, especially when she starts a quest to find out just what is going on. Joined by her med student, Jenn, her Aunt Irm and Christian, the son of one of the deceased, she is soon deep into the mystery. It isn’t long until Kate finds herself on medical leave pending an investigation, and when it becomes personal, Kate fights back harder. A well written medical thriller by someone that knows what she’s talking about. This was a very fast read with characters that you can’t help but root for. I definitely wouldn’t mind catching up with Kate, Christian and Aunt Irm in future books to see where the next chapter takes them!

Dr. Kate Downey is experiencing something most drs do not. The deaths of her patients. As she tries to find out more information her colleague tries to place the blame square on her. She must find out who or what is causing the deaths and quickly before her job is in jeopardy. This is a great psychological thriller that has everything needed to keep you entertained and engrossed from page one till the end. Speaking of the end, it will blow you away. I did not see that coming and that made the book even better. This one is worth a read to find out what happened.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion..

Rating: 5/5 stars.

“Fatal Intent” is a thrilling medical mystery from start to finish. For someone like myself who is not in the healthcare field, the plot is very believable and not outlandish. The author is a doctor as well so it is likely fairly accurate, although I cannot speak to this with certainty. The novel also touches on a lot of controversial topics, such as the right-to-die debate, and is sure to inspire a lot of conversation at book club meetings. I also loved that the novel is not bogged down by overuse of medical jargon, an issue that plagues a lot of medical thrillers. This means that “Fatal Intent” can be enjoyable and readable by both newcomers and veterans to the genre.

Right away the plot draws you in. It is easy to relate and be empathetic to the main character’s position and predicaments. As her life gets more and more complicated, the protagonist emerges as a hero and the reader just really wants her to succeed and find happiness. There are some killer twists along the way, and the action moves quickly. I hope to see more awesome novels from this author soon.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

Oh my, this will raise some book club debate. I am sure. What a tremendous. impact story this is. When patients with underlining health problems have routine surgery at the hospital, they are dying. unexpectedly, within days of discharge.
Dr Kate Downey, an anesthesiologist, has to put her career on the line to find out why so many patients are dying as she seems to be part of a lot of these surgeries. The more she pushes for answers, the more danger she is putting herself in.
I enjoyed this medical thriller which made me think of the quality of life of a patient. Do we selfishly sometimes keep a loved one alive for our own need rather than for the good of them? It brings up my ethical thoughts and makes you stop and think.
I liked Kate, who has a husband who was reliant on medical intervention to be kept alive. It lets you see both sides of the picture and opens your mind to what you think the right thing would be to do. It is so different looking into a situation rather than living it.
The story builds and becomes tenser in the last few chapters. It is a book to make you think. I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book.

While I've read novels written by lawyers before, I've never read one written by a doctor. Fatal Intent is a medical thriller regarding end-of-life issues that Tammy Euliano MD wrote hoping to start "discussion and prompts families to consider Living Wills and Health Care Surrogates." Thank you to Netgalley, Oceanview Publishing and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dr. Kate Downey is an attending anesthesiologist and assistant professor living in Florida and working at a teaching hospital. Kate learns that two of her patients from have died two days after simple, routine surgery. The chair of her department tries to reassure her that she's not to blame - that these were just end-of-life cases, but Kate is still worried.

As Kate starts poking around and asking questions, more deaths occur, the danger escalates, and action ramps up. Together with her own scooby gang - Christian, the son of one of her deceased patients, Jenn, one of her medical students and her Great Aunt Irm - will Kate be able to figure out what's happening in time to prevent any more deaths?

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun, quick, entertaining read, something I can easily see becoming a series. The medical thriller genre isn't a huge one, so it's always nice to read another one. It's apparent the book is written by someone with knowledge of the field of medicine, which is really nice in a book like this. I also really appreciate the author's intent for the book. End-of-life issues is something, we as a society, don't talk about much everyday.

I did have a few issues with the book. The dialogue at times was clunky and juvenile.

"Bless you," I giggled.
"He killed himself. Spoiler's father committed suicide. Wow."
"Holy crap."

These are all examples the MC, a roughly late 30s - early 40s woman says in the book. It took the book down from the level it was aiming to be. Instead the book came off as kinda goofy or quirky.

The book can also seem hard to follow in the beginning for a while because it introduces a lot of secondary characters, most of whom are just not important. For example, if Kate were to check out at the grocery store, we would learn the clerk's name and then never see that person again. The book throws a lot of names at you - stay patient and just keep reading.

The only other thing that might be an issue is the amount of medical terminology that's used. And not explained. For example, the term CRNA is used a lot, and it's as if the reader is expected to know it means Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.

I'm rating Fatal Intent three stars. If the author turns this into a series, I would definitely read more. I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers, medical thrillers, Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen and Michael Palmer.

“Fatal Intent” is a medical thriller that deals with the end-of-life issues, the DNR orders and the difficult decisions that love ones, attending physicians and nurses have to face. In fact “Playing God” is always difficult when one pulls the plug on a respirator and allows the end of life to occur. This is the fictional story of anesthesiologist Dr. Kate Downey who became aware that several patients were dying after what had been minor surgeries. Kate decided to look into the matter but some people in the hospital hierarchy did not support her investigation into the matter....

The narration slowly set the stage and picks up speed at the right moment to intrigue and engage us. Although I admit the huge cast of characters is a challenge to keep track of but that aside the drama is written in such a way that those not familiar with the medical jargon can easily follow the plot. For excitement, the story has a fair share of twists and turns to keep us going and guessing till the very end. This is a gripping read and an interesting subject of euthanasia or mercy killing and those who are willing to do the deed for a buck.

Kate is not alone in her mission to flush the person behind the incidents Christian O’Donnell, a lawyer and the son of one of the victim offers to help her find the truth and the culprit. Will they be able to get to the bottom...yes drip by drip well placed clues will give the duo the final solution....with a bang no less...The climax reveals the killer but what I did not see coming was by the manner in which it was done. Excellent.

I enjoyed reading this book

Fatal Intent is the story of an anesthesiologist who begins to suspect a collegue is a killer when patients of hers start dying after getting released from the hospital. Dr. Kate Downey is an expert in her field. She can't figure out why patients are dying after fully recovering from surgery until she begins to connect the dots: each patient was dependent on a family member to give full time care. She works with a family member of one of the victims to figure out who the "mercy killer" is before more people die. This was the first book of Tammy Euliano's that I've read and I enjoyed it. I would read another book in this series if it continues.