Deep Water By Christine Poulson

ISBN13: 9781782642145

My thoughts: The world of pharmaceutical cures for disease is populated with brilliant people driven to successfully create Nobel Prize winning cures yet amid their world of glass beakers is the conscience shattering lure of the prize. We find that these driven people are still individuals with the hopes, loves, and desires of ordinary men and women.

In a story that takes the reader into the meticulous research lab and the daily detailed work of trial and error that is involved in research, the author shows the loving family side of characters. Little Chloe with her genetic code that requires daily treatments just to stay alive is a charmer that Katie can't help but fall in love with. Chloe's parents are successful in their own professional endeavors - Rachel a wood working artist and David a patent lawyer. But as David's past pushes open the door to involvement in a case in which his recently deceased ex-wife was lead counsel, a complication of emotions inserts itself into his life and that of his second wife, Rachel.

The moral and ethical issues as well as the criminal activities of life and death show the potential that big pharmacy could potentially drown themselves in as they pursue the high goal of  being first to develop a cure. A prize of recognition but mostly a prize of the mighty financial lure.

Breadcrumbs of evidence are sprinkled throughout but only the most astute can actually predict the ending in this whodunit.

About the book: An obesity treatment has been discovered, but before anyone can benefit, a dispute breaks out about who owns the discovery. David Marchmont, a patent lawyer, is asked to handle the case. There's one big problem, though: crucial evidence is missing--evidence that might have a bearing on the clinical trial two years before.

David's personal life has its own challenges. His daughter, Chloe, has a rare and serious genetic condition. His wife, Rachel, becomes friendly with a young researcher, Kate Flanagan, who is seeking a cure for Chloe's disorder; Kate, in turn, becomes concerned that her lab colleagues may be cutting corners on the obesity drug.

As evidence of mishandling mounts--then disappears--Kate, Rachel, and David find themselves caught up in acute ethical challenges and personal danger. Is biotechnology outstripping our capacity to make ethical decisions?

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Kregel Publishing on behalf of Lion Hudson to facilitate a review. Opinions are my own. I was not compensated.