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A Perilous Conception

A Perilous Conception, December 2011
by Larry Karp

Poisoned Pen Press
Featuring: Det. Bernie Baumgartner; Joyce Kennett; Dr. Colin Sanford
250 pages
ISBN: 1590589734
EAN: 9781590589731
Kindle: B006MK592G
Hardcover / e-Book
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"Just how far will some doctors go to be the first to produce a baby by in vitro fertilization?"

Fresh Fiction Review

A Perilous Conception
Larry Karp

Reviewed by Tanzey Cutter
Posted November 15, 2011

Mystery Police Procedural

In 1976, the race is on to be the first to claim a human baby being born through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Two British doctors are said to be very close, but Dr. Colin Sanford, a brilliant OB/GYN living in Emerald, Washington, is sure he can beat them to the prize. He enlists the help of Dr. Giselle Hearn, a highly experienced geneticist working at the local university hospital. Her boss has forbidden her to do any further research into IVF, so she jumps at the chance to work with Dr. Sanford on his clandestine project. When a healthy baby boy is born several months later to Dr. Sanford's patient, Joyce Kennett, the doctors are primed to let the world know of the birth. So why then does Joyce's husband confront Dr. Hearn in her lab, explode into a rage, and then fatally shoot her and himself? Detective Bernie Baumgartner is sure there's more to the deaths than just the acts of an unstable man, but his superiors are wanting him to close the case quickly. This doesn't sit well with Bernie, who is as tenacious as a bulldog in his pursuit of the truth behind the deaths -- as well as the baby's birth. The evolution of this plotline, even knowing some of the underlying facts, still makes for a tension-filled, exciting read. It's a fast-paced mystery with a more than satisfactory resolution.

Learn more about A Perilous Conception

SUMMARY

It’s 1976. Despite fierce international controversy over whether in vitro fertilization should ever be performed in humans, doctors around the world race to be first to produce a baby by this procedure. Dr. Colin Sanford, a brilliant, ambitious obstetrician in the Pacific Northwest city of Emerald, has a plan. He recruits Dr. Giselle Hearn, an experienced laboratory geneticist-embryologist at the University. Drs. Sanford and Hearn, working secretly, set out to put their names in history books. Several months later, Dr. Sanford’s patient, Joyce Kennett, gives birth to a healthy boy, and Sanford prepares to make an announcement at a press conference. But before it convenes, Ms. Kennett’s marginally- schizophrenic husband kills Dr. Hearn and then himself. Police Detective Bernie Baumgartner’s investigation is hampered by pressure from influential people at the University who want to control sensationalism that might harm the institution. Tenacious Baumgartner suspects more at play...


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