Wendell Black, MD: A Novel

A New York City police surgeon finds himself in the middle of an international drug-smuggling ring—or is it an even more dangerous conspiracy?After a heart-thumping drop in altitude on a flight from London to New York, NYPD police surgeon Wendell Black is called on to try to save a woman who has gone into cardiac arrest. He's just carrying out his duty, but his aid places him at the center of an international drug-smuggling investigation.As Black, and his English girlfriend, Alice—a knockout beauty and a surgeon to boot—digs deeper into the activities of the drug ring, he begins to suspect that a number of British doctors are involved. And when one of Alice's colleagues is brutally murdered and Alice suddenly disappears, the NYPD starts looking to Black for answers. His search peels away rings of conspiracy that expose a shocking threat to the nation.

From Booklist

Returning home from London, NYPD police surgeon Wendell Black warily raises his hand when a flight attendant asks if there’s a doctor on board. A young passenger has collapsed. While performing CPR, Black notices that the passenger is covered in surgical tape indicative of breast-implant surgery. What he doesn’t notice is that the passenger is male. It’s not until the autopsy that he learns that the implants were filled with high-grade heroin. Plastic surgeon and former flame Alice Sheppard contacts Black about the case, revealing that she is an undercover operative collecting evidence about terrorist ties to the smuggling ring. Drug mules may be just the beginning in a plot to transport deadly biological agents into the country. Unable to confirm Alice’s cover story, Black must decide how much to trust her claims that she needs his help stopping a deadly contamination. Imber’s debut is a fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists, and the author shows a deft hand at including just the right medical details. Imber is a well-known New York City plastic surgeon with several beauty books to his credit. --Karen Keefe

this year’s must-read detective novel.”

“Gerald Imber’s kickass new thriller will keep you turning pages into the night

Booklist

“Imber’s debut is a fast-paced thriller with plenty of twists, and the author shows a deft hand at including just the right medical details. Imber is a well-known New York City plastic surgeon with several beauty books to his credit.”

Publishers Weekly

“Wendell Black, a middle-aged police surgeon for the NYPD, evolves into an action hero reminiscent of John McClane, Bruce Willis’s character in the Die Hard series, in plastic surgeon Imber’s well-written first novel.”

Kirkus Reviews

“A high-stakes debut…. The scenes are filled with clever language and rich descriptions…. A heck of a story, with a hero who deserves a series of books.”

From the Back Cover

A New York City police surgeon finds himself in the middle of an international drug-smuggling ring—or is it an even more dangerous conspiracy?After a heart-thumping drop in altitude on a flight from London to New York, NYPD police surgeon Wendell Black is called on to try to save a woman who has gone into cardiac arrest. He's just carrying out his duty, but his aid places him at the center of an international drug-smuggling investigation.As Black, and his English girlfriend, Alice—a knockout beauty and a surgeon to boot—digs deeper into the activities of the drug ring, he begins to suspect that a number of British doctors are involved. And when one of Alice's colleagues is brutally murdered and Alice suddenly disappears, the NYPD starts looking to Black for answers. His search peels away rings of conspiracy that expose a shocking threat to the nation.

About the Author

Gerald Imber, MD, is a plastic surgeon. He directs a private clinic in Manhattan, is on the staff of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and is an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Imber is the author of The Youth Corridor and several other beauty books, as well as Genius on the Edge, the biography of pioneering surgeon W. S. Halsted.

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