MISS DIAGNOSIS

A deadly pathogen gets loose in a hospital in Dubois’ thriller.

The story begins with medical student Lien Chu waiting in a dark parking lot to transfer a medical specimen in the dark of night, under orders from Dr. Louis Fenton, a brilliant man who does sensitive and mysterious research for the government. She doesn’t know what it is, and, as an intern, she doesn’t ask questions. She works alongside fellow medical student Kate White at a Boston hospital, where Kate struggles with a lack of confidence and a condescending boss; she’s engaged to Sean, a doctor at the same hospital, who also treats her shabbily. More concerning, though, are her recurring nightmares and unexplained blackouts. It turns out that Lien has been unknowingly transporting dogs that doctors are using to test a mysterious compound that could treat a number of serious illnesses; these experiments soon lead to a tragic accidental death. The lead doctor destroys evidence linking him to the incident, but he keeps a sample of the compound. Later, Kate is attacked by a patient, which brings up old trauma, and her resulting rage leads her to do something unethical; this, in turn, brings her into contact with the secret sample. Kate soon sees firsthand that the compound is lethal—in an unexpectedly supernatural way. Dubois’ story was originally published as a screenplay, and although it’s not always believable, it does take readers on quite a ride. He develops Kate into a complex character who’s not always likable and who makes highly questionable choices; as a result, not all readers will be on her side. However, the prose is snappy throughout, and the plot contains enough intrigue to keep readers turning pages. Dubois has a tendency to unnecessarily pause the action to supply additional backstory for his characters, which makes the suspense less effective, but the story takes a wild swerve in the final third that changes the straightforward crime drama into a horror story.

An offbeat, surprising, and chilling thriller.