“Motherhood was like an end-of-semester project. There was always one more thing I should be doing.”
Marti Trailor is not feeling fulfilled in her role as a doctor’s wife and mother to three school-aged children. Her husband is working longer and longer hours and seems detached from their family. The children demand more and more of her, yet she can’t seem to find ways to refresh herself. Then, a job opens up for a social worker at her husband’s hospital – it’s the life she put on hold to raise a family. She takes the job, but her work being just a few floors from her husband could reveal secrets that will change her life.
Our local library had an adult winter reading challenge and one of the choices had to be a random book off the library shelf. I asked one of the librarian’s to pick a book for me, knowing I would have a hard time actually just randomly choosing a book without looking at the titles or covers. The librarian chose Best Intentions for me and I’m glad as I don’t think I would have picked it myself, but it was an interesting story.
Early in the book, we find out Marti is awaiting trial for murder. Little is told about who she is supposed to have killed, but a few new details are revealed at the beginning of each chapter. One of Marti’s cases ends up going into labor and delivering at her husband’s hospital. He is an ob/gyn doctor and while he was away with the children the night she went into labor, he comes back after serious complications threaten the life of the baby. The baby does not survive the night and blame is put everywhere but where it should be – a female on staff who does not check the mother before stripping membranes. Marti knows the staff runs themselves ragged with their schedules and there is talk of drugs keeping doctors awake. Can Marti uncover the truth behind the baby’s death before the target is placed on her?
I don’t normally read too many thriller books, but this one had me guessing until the very end. The author does a good job of bringing Marti’s character to life and giving you enough details to keep you wanting to know more about what happened. The plot does focus on some of what goes on in hospitals with requiring staff being on duty for very long hours. It brings awareness to an issue with a very interesting plot. It is for adults as it does talk about some social work cases and deals with drugs and affairs.
