Tess Gerritsen: Life Support (USA 1998)

From the publisher:
New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen weaves authenticity into another novel of searing medical suspense, as a dedicated woman doctor probes into the cause of a mystifying and lethal outbreak.

The quiet overnight shift at Springer Hospital ER suits Dr. Toby Harper just fine -- until she admits a man in critical condition from a possible viral infection of the brain. The delirious man barely responds to treatment -- and then disappears without a trace. Before Toby can find him, a second case occurs, revealing a terrifying fact: the virus can only be spread through direct tissue exchange. Following a trail of death that winds from a pregnant sixteen-year-old prostitute to her own home, Toby discovers the unthinkable: the epidemic didn't just happen -- someone let it loose...

Tess Gerritsen: Life Support. A Novel of Medical Suspense. Pocket Books, ISBN: 0671553046 (August, 1998), 372 p., $7.99.

Tess Gerritsen: Life Support (USA 1997)

From the publisher:
"Harvest will make your heart skip a beat", raved USA today about the triumphant New York Times bestseller that launched Tess Gerritsen into the front ranks of thriller writers. And Michael Palmer declared, "Harvest is a nonstop terrifying read... only a riveting storyteller who is also a physician could have written this book." Now Gerritsen weaves utter medical authenticity into a novel of gripping suspense, as a young doctor probes too deeply into the cause of a lethal, mystifying outbreak.

The overnight ER rotation at Springer Hospital is a calm one, which suits Dr. Toby Harper just fine. While Toby is fiercely proud of the stripes she earned as a resident in a big-city ER, she's come to appreciate the pace at Springer. But no hospital could have been prepared for the man Toby admits one quiet night. Delirious and in critical condition from a possible viral infection of the brain, he barely responds to treatment. And then he disappears without a trace.

Under fire from the hospital administration for literally losing a patient, and fearful that she's missed a life-threatening diagnosis, Toby knows she must find the patient. Her hunt is intensified when a second delirious patient dies in the hospital's care. But even more chilling is the discovery that the infection can only be spread through direct tissue exchange.

Tess Gerritsen: Life Support. A Novel of Medical Suspense. Pocket Books, ISBN: 0671553038 (September, 1997), 326 p., $23.00.