Fertile Ground

As she has skillfully done in her past novels Speak No Evil and Angel of Death, Rochelle Krich adeptly tackles another timely and ohen heated controversial issue, fertility procedures, within the framework of a twisting plot--in this her most heart-pounding and suspenseful novel to date. Scandal has shaken the life and career of Dr. Lisa Brockman, a staff physician at the prestigious Los Angeles fertility clinic that has come under fire for alleged egg switching. She is further rocked by the murder of a young egg donor, and by the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Matthew Gordon, the clinic's founder and Lisa's fiance. With her medical career in jeopardy, Lisa reassures her patients--especially an anxious Orthodox Jewish woman carrying twins--that the rumors are unfounded. While an L. A. P. D. homicide detective probes the possible connection between the young woman's murder and Matthew's disappearance, Lisa--plagued by guilt because she doubts her feelings for Matthew and confused about her yearning to return to Orthodox observance--launches her own desperate search. In the face of allegations of fraud, misconduct and embezzlement, she unearths a complex labyrinth of greed, deceit and cover-ups beneath the distinguished veneer of one of the world's most successful fertility clinics. As she closes in on the shocking truth behind the facility's darkest secrets, Lisa realizes she cannot trust anyone for behind the facade of friendship might lurk the twisted soul of a diabolical killer. With a fertility clinic in turmoil as her backdrop, Rochelle Krich masterfully juxtaposes the science of life--with the ultimate reality of death.

Amazon.com Review

There's plenty of good suspense and a lot of understandable science in veteran mystery writer Rochelle Krich's Fertile Ground, set in a high-profile Los Angeles fertility clinic. Dr. Lisa Brockman knows firsthand how hard it is to become pregnant, so she has dedicated her career to helping other women conceive. The fact that her work verges on the controversial--paying young women to be egg donors-- moves quickly to the foreground when one of them is murdered. Then Brockman's fianceé, who founded the clinic, disappears, and a media scandal about switched embryos threatens to destroy her life. There's more than a touch of Faye Kellerman in the book's religious overtones, but Krich has her own way of moving the story along at a ferocious clip while making moral points. Other Krich creations available in paperback include Angel of Death and Speak No Evil. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-The controversial bioethics of fertility procedures provide the backdrop in this well-crafted page-turner that tackles not only new technology, but also the more subtle questions of family identity. When a young egg donor is murdered and the head of a renowned fertility clinic disappears, Dr. Lisa Brockman begins to unearth a complex labyrinth of greed, deceit, and cover-ups. As she tries to unravel allegations of fraud, misconduct, and embezzlement at her clinic, Lisa, the adopted daughter of Orthodox Jewish parents, also struggles with her lapsed allegiance to the observances of her childhood. Her fianc?, the missing director of the clinic, did not support her yearnings to return to the religious practices of her youth. With her medical career in jeopardy, Brockman must reassure her patients, including an anxious Orthodox Jewish woman carrying twins, that rumors of egg-switching and other misdeeds are not true. As she seeks the truth behind the clinic's darkest secrets, she finds she cannot trust anyone. YAs will enjoy Krich's adroit tale that pits technology against religious traditions, with twists and turns that last until the final page.Pat Bangs, Fairfax County Public Library, VACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When police and the press link the murder of a prestigious Los Angeles fertility clinic egg donor and claims of "egg-switching" to the disappearance of its director, Dr. Lisa Brockman (the director's fiancee) must make some difficult choices. Vulnerable alike to clients, administration, and public?and doubtful as well about her relationship and her religion?she nonetheless attempts her own investigation into fudged records, stolen cash, and private agendas. Heady psychological suspense, sometimes a bit overwrought, of special appeal to the medical thriller crowd. From the author of Speak No Evil (LJ Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Dr. Lisa Brockman is attractive, successful, and happily engaged to Dr. Matthew Gordon, the founder of the fertility clinic where she works. Then her world turns upside down: the clinic is accused of egg-switching; a young egg donor is murdered; and Matthew is abducted and feared dead. Frightened, Lisa turns to L.A. police detective John Barone, who seems to be the one sane point in her disordered world. The two uncover a web of lies and greed revolving around unethical doctors and desperate women who will do anything to have children. While the investigation progresses, Lisa also struggles to reconcile her internal conflict about her Orthodox Judaism and her uneasiness about her impending marriage. Despite a plethora of disparate themes, some hackneyed dialogue, and a heroine who's annoyingly perfect, Krich manages to weave a cohesive and intriguing story that's as provocative as it is entertaining. Another solid entry from a talented and hardworking author. Emily Melton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Murder is the least of the chicanery at an L.A. fertility clinic in this tautly-moving tale. Even before her fianc‚ disappears, Dr. Lisa Brockman has bad feelings about the death of Chelsea Wright. The waitress had taken $2500 to serve as an anonymous egg donor to Lisa's Westwood clinic in order to tide herself over until she could start earning money as a teacher. Now that she's dead, though, she may cost the clinic thousands of times that amount. Someone has started a rumor that instead of implanting infertile women with their own fertilized eggs, the clinic has been switching eggs, leaving its clients pregnant with the children of strangers. The most devastating accusation--that Orthodox Jewish client Naomi Hoffman's eggs, so conscientiously shepherded at every step of the implantation process by a shomer tasked with insuring that her baby will be her own, are really Chelsea's--is turning out, despite all apparent evidence to the contrary, to be the hardest to disprove. Now Naomi and her husband, a rabbinic student, are going bonkers; Chelsea's grieving parents are preparing to sue for custody of the baby they're convinced is their grandchild; reporters across town have emblazoned the clinic on their Rolodexes; and it's all falling to Lisa to sort out, because the clinic director, her fianc‚ Dr. Matthew Gordon, has taken a powder--or been murdered to keep his mouth shut. Suddenly, Lisa finds her life (literally) threatened and (figuratively) falling apart. Beginning with a guided tour of current research on infertility problems and solutions, Krich (Speak No Evil, 1996, etc.) expertly ratchets up the tension (should Lisa trust the advances of fellow clinician Sam Davidson? What will happen if she goes undercover as an ob/gyn patient herself? How can she disprove the thickening legal allegations?), saving a few choice surprises for dessert. Krich makes use of the suspense formula to put a hot-button issue--the problems of parenthood in the age of fertility clinics--under the knife. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

ROCHELLE KRICH is the award-winning author of eight highly praised novels of mystery and suspense including BLOOD MONEY and FERTILE GROUND. She is an Anthony Award winner and an Agatha Award nominee. Ms. Krich lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their children. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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