Saving Meghan by D.J. Palmer
Published by St. Martin’s Press on April 9, 2019
Genres: Domestic Thriller, Medical, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 384
Format: ARC, eBook
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Can you love someone to death?
Some would say Becky Gerard is a devoted mother and would do anything for her only child. Others claim she’s obsessed and can’t stop the vicious circle of finding a cure at her daughter’s expense.
Fifteen-year-old Meghan has been in and out of hospitals with a plague of unexplained illnesses. But when the ailments take a sharp turn, doctors intervene and immediately suspect Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare behavioral disorder where the primary caretaker, typically the mother, seeks medical help for made-up symptoms of a child. Is this what’s going on? Or is there something even more sinister at hand?
When I saw that author Karin Slaughter had good things to say about this book, I knew I needed to read it! I requested a review copy on NetGalley and was approved! YAY!
Saving Meghan is about Meghan (obviously). She’s an ordinary 15 year-old girl who has it all — a great and loving family, star soccer player and successful in school. All of this comes to a screeching halt when mysterious medical symptoms begin to plague Meghan. She is suddenly taken from one doctor to another and multiple tests and scans are done. Meghan is suffering from cramping, fever, fatigue and muscle spasms, and her mother, Becky Girard, is certain that it’s something serious. Becky’s own husband, Carl, doubts that Meghan is really sick and thinks that Becky is “making” Meghan sick by putting ideas in her head.
No one seems to be able to tag a real diagnosis on what is wrong with Meghan, even surrounded by the best medical care. One doctor thinks Meghan has a rare genetic disease, while another suggests the situation could be stress induced. Experts actually wonder if this could be a case of Munchhausen syndrome by proxy, a situation in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care, such as a child, an elderly adult, or a person who has a disability. They also wonder if it could be Mitochondrial disease, which is a chronic, genetic disorder that occurs when the mitochondria of the cell fail to produce enough energy for cell or organ function.
I felt that the story was well researched and creative at the same time, and Saving Meghan informs readers at the same time they are entertained. The disorders and medical knowledge in this story gratefully do not bog readers down with medical jargon either.
Saving Meghan had me continually guessing throughout the story. I won’t lie though, I did not like Becky, with her manipulative and pushy ways and I felt sorry for Meghan but at the same time, I was also wondering whether Meghan was really sick or not. So many twists and turns get introduced that even though I didn’t like Becky, I felt bad at times because she clearly loved her daughter so much and would do anything for her.
DANIEL PALMER is the author of eight critically-acclaimed suspense novels. He is also an occasional short story writer, with THE DEAD CLUB in the ITW anthology, First Thrills, and DISFIGURED, found in Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up At Night.
Though he always had a passion for storytelling, writing wasn’t Daniel Palmer’s first foray into the entertainment industry. In fact, Daniel considers himself an accidental novelist who first began his career as a musician. He spent several years performing in the Boston club scene and released two CDs. Music allowed an outlet for storytelling that has translated into his writing.
Another successful endeavor of Daniel’s has been technology and e-commerce, which coincided with the dot-com boom and led to Daniel helping pioneer the first generation of web sites, most notably Barnes & Noble. The impact of the internet and social media on ordinary lives gave Daniel the basis for his writing, first with DELIRIOUS and most recently, with STOLEN. With tech-centric themes, Daniel’s novels focus on ordinary men pitted against extraordinary circumstances.
Daniel is actively involved with the Red Sox Home Base program, helping to raise money for veterans suffering from PTSD. Daniel holds a Master’s degree from Boston University and currently lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children.
Connect with Mr. Palmer on social media ~~
WEBSITE // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // INSTAGRAM
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy this book. I was not required to write a positive review and the thoughts expressed here are my own.
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