THE CLINIC

An embryologist at a fertility clinic faces moral quandaries when her ex and his wife become clients in Reinard’s suspense novel.

Magda Batey, the implant physician at a Pittsburgh fertility clinic, directs the lead embryologist, 36-year-old Emily Daugherty, to meet with and gracefully reject two potential clients; they’re risky prospects that could bring down Batey’s success numbers. Emily is surprised when the couple in question turns out to be her former college boyfriend, Ben Holiday (“The only man I’d ever thought of having a child with, and I just let him go.”), and his wife, Ally. Emily can’t bring herself to disappoint the pair, who’ve suffered four miscarriages, so they advance in the clinic’s IVF process, where, according to Emily, “The real conjuring of life occurs behind closed doors, in a highly regulated laboratory led by me.” Reinard then begins interspersing chapters from Ally’s perspective; she’s a marketing analyst who’s annoyed by Ben’s job switch, which moved them fromShelby, North Carolina, to Pittsburgh, and she’s harboring secrets. The women’s fates become intertwined, as Emily also undergoes IVF at the same time. Overall, Reinard crafts an enjoyable, twisty suspense novel that calls to mind Paula Hawkins’ 2015 bestseller The Girl on the Train. As the story goes on, the author nicely develops her two main female characters with nuanced complexity; readers may not find either to be completely likable, but they always remain compelling. Reinard also effectively depicts Emily’s chilling egotism and questionable ethics, as conveyed in flashbacks and particularly in the clinic, where she sees the embryos as “my babies” before they’re anyone else’s.

An unpredictable and engaging thriller featuring two fascinatingly flawed women.