Do No Harm - Jack Jordon [Review]

The Box is a movie that was released in 2009. Arthur and Norma find a box on their doorstep that contains a big red button. They are told by a mysterious man that if the button is pushed, they will receive $1 million. However, the catch is that someone they do not know will die. I’m not going to reveal the rest of the story, however I can say that the deal is not so simple.

The movie was based on a short story written by Richard Matheson, but it appears to belong to a wider genre. Recently I read a book called “The Chain” which shares a similar premise; Rachel Klein’s child has been abducted and she needs to find another child to kidnap to get her child back and to keep the chain going.

I have always been interested in these types of stories, and I think it is the psychology of the characters in these moments that intrigues me the most. Do No Harm is another story in this genre, but with an added edge.

Here is the short version; Amanda, an expert surgeon, is told that her son has been kidnapped and the only way to return him to her care is if she kills somebody on the operating table. Oh, and the man on the operating table is a high profile politician. Besides debating whether or not she should go through with this, she is attempting to hunt down her son’s abductors while she is being hunted herself.

I finished this book in a matter of days, and only when I finished it did I realised just how long and well planned the story was. I didn’t want the book to end and I was tearing chunks out of it in each sitting. Tension remains high throughout the book and you’ll find yourself constantly eager to find out what happens next.

This book has all the elements of a gritty British crime thriller, and between the corruption, drugs, gangs, and murder is a mother who just wants her son back. A very addictive read that I would recommend to thriller fans.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a very early copy of this book.