Do No Harm by Jack Jordan

I bought Do No Harm by Jack Jordan in Waterstones in April. I’d seen a bit of buzz about it on social media and it was a Waterstones book of the month, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy it.

Do No Harm is the story of Dr Anna Jones, a skilled heart surgeon and newly single mum. Anna prides herself on her professionalism in the job. To do her job properly, she shouldn’t show emotion towards her patients, their families or her colleagues.

After a tough day at work, Anna comes home to find strangers in her house and her son gone. To get 8-year-old Zack back, she must kill a particular patient during surgery. Of course she won’t kill him. Her job is to save lives, not take them.

But whose life is more important? Her beloved son, with his whole life ahead of him, or a man in poor health who would die anyway without his operation?

It is an impossible decision, and with the abductors following her every move, Anna must make the decision alone.

Do No Harm is also the story of nurse, Margot, and detective, Rachel. Both women have their own difficulties they are dealing with, while trying to do their jobs. The story is told in the first person by the three main characters and takes place over a small number of days. The date and time is usefully included at the start of every chapter.

Do No Harm really is a page turner. I must admit, when I first started reading it, it felt a bit too far-fetched, but it soon became believable and felt like an impossible situation with no way out. It initially reminded me of both The Chain and Hostage.

If you enjoy thrillers, you will love Do No Harm. But if you’re a bit squeamish, you might not like reading about the operations, which are fairly graphic. It’s also not a good read for anyone who can’t read about bad things happening to children.