Do No Harm [Hardcover]

Gregg Andrew Hurwitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2002

This is a novel. When a cruel assailant begins targeting nurses in the ER, disfiguring their faces with lye, ER chief Dr. David Spier finds his work becomes personal. Then the tables turn when the vallian fumbles his next attack and becomes Dr. Spier's patient. Putting aside his feelings, David treats teh man-but the attacker escapes and strikes again, this time targeting David's love inteest, Dr. Diane Trace. In his hunt for the monster, David tracks the trail of victims to himself, slowly realizing he's the finale of a wicked scheme.....

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: harpercollins publishers; bookspan large print edition edition (2002)
• ISBN-10: 0739429043
• ISBN-13: 978-0739429044
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,269,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, internationally bestselling author of The Tower, Minutes to Burn, Do No Harm, The Kill Clause, The Program, Troubleshooter, Last Shot, The Crime Writer, Trust No One, They're Watching, and coming soon, You're Next. His books have been nominated for numerous awards, shortlisted for best novel of the year by International Thriller Writers, nominated for CWA's Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, chosen as feature selections for all four major literary book clubs, honored as Book Sense Picks, and translated into twenty languages.

Currently a consulting producer on ABC's "V," he has written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to Warner Bros., Paramount, MGM, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, and ESPN, developed TV series for Warner Bros. and Lakeshore, written Wolverine, Punisher, and others for Marvel, and published numerous academic articles on Shakespeare. He has taught fiction writing in the USC English Department, and guest lectured for UCLA, and for Harvard in the United States and around the world. In the course of researching his thrillers, he has sneaked onto demolition ranges with Navy SEALs, swam with sharks in the Galápagos, and gone undercover into mind-control cults.

Hurwitz grew up in the Bay Area. While completing a BA from Harvard ('95) and a master's from Trinity College, Oxford in Shakespearean tragedy ('96), he wrote his first novel. He was the undergraduate scholar-athlete of the year at Harvard for his pole-vaulting exploits, and played college soccer in England, where he was a Knox fellow. He now lives in L.A. where he continues to play soccer, frequently injuring himself. Feel free to email him at [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping psychological horror story and medical thriller., September 16, 2002

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Do No Harm (Hardcover)

Greg Andrew Hurwitz's new book, "Do No Harm" deals with a troubled individual who wreaks havoc in the UCLA Medical Center by throwing lye in the faces of two nurses. One nurse is blinded and horribly disfigured for life, and her brother, a police officer, wants to kill the perpetrator when he is caught and hospitalized. David Spier, chief of the Emergency Room, is a compassionate doctor, and he prevents the police from carrying out their brand of vigilante justice. Unfortunately, the felon, whose name is Clyde, escapes and he continues to spread mayhem and threaten those whom he perceives as his enemies.

There are aspects of "Do No Harm" that are very strong. Hurwitz does a wonderful job of developing character. He makes the criminal in this book so vivid that the reader feels as if he has met this individual, a truly horrifying prospect. The author also effectively explores some of the ethical dilemmas that confront doctors. How far should physicians go to protect the patients in their care? Does a person's psychiatric history excuse him when he turns violent?

Because Clyde escaped while under David's care, the police and his colleagues in the hospital ostracize the doctor. Therefore, partially to redeem himself and to assuage his guilt, David decides to track down Clyde by himself. David is helped by a shady character who is an expert at private investigations that are not sanctioned by law. David eventually finds out that Clyde's behavior has roots that go back many years, and the doctor uses his medical knowledge to diagnose what is troubling Clyde now. Some of his findings are extremely shocking, and David finds himself questioning many of the assumptions that he has held all of his life.

David is also still mourning his beloved wife who died several years ago, and he is slowly getting involved with a young doctor who reciprocates his feelings. However, David's problems in the ER, and his lingering feelings for his wife, interfere with his ability to commit himself to a new relationship.

There are two obvious weaknesses in "Do No Harm." First, it is difficult to believe that a man as mentally unbalanced as Clyde would be capable of carrying out so many carefully planned and even sophisticated attacks. Second, the last quarter of the book is overly long and repetitious.

Overall, however, "Do No Harm" is an engrossing novel, with authentic medical details, an extremely exciting plot and an attractive, albeit somewhat flawed, hero. Those who love medical and psychological thrillers will find "Do No Harm" both fascinating and suspenseful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunately boring non-thriller, July 24, 2007

By 

Jennifer Lichtenfeld (Silver Spring, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Do No Harm (Hardcover)

David Spier is the Chief of the ER at UCLA Hospital. Amidst the typical chaos, a nurse is brought in from outside the ER doors in horrible pain suffering from extreme burns to the eyes, face, mouth, and throat. Some sort of corrosive liquid has been thrown in her face. David finds himself treating her and dealing with her upset and concerned brother, a LAPD officer. David and Officer Jenkins get off on the wrong foot which does not bode well considering both take a personal interest in solving the case and finding the attacker. But the attacker turns out to be extremely unstable and unpredictable. The police believe David is meddling in their investigation while he believes that he has the medical insight to find the suspect in ways that the police are unable. But when David becomes the primary target he must work in concert with the police or they both risk letting the bad guy escape and do more harm to other innocent victims.

This is the third novel by Hurwitz and they have steadily declined. This plot had great potential and simply fell flat. Much of David's personal grief behind the scenes of the main plot distracted and significantly slowed down the pace of the story. Further, David was not particularly sympathetic and created more trouble for himself than necessary. Instead of rooting for him to find the bad guy, the reader wants to scream at him in frustration. The pages start turning and then abruptly stop. Then the pace picks up again only to hit the skids once more. By the last third you will just be reading to finish, not because the story is providing any enjoyment. Unfortunately, this novel was a large disappointment.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Failure to execute, September 7, 2004

By 

Douglas De Bono - Author of No Safe Harbor (Minnetonka, mn United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do No Harm (Mass Market Paperback)

This book has an interesting premise. There is a serial alkali thrower terrorizing nurses and doctors at a hospital. Of course, the mixed up fellow has motives for what and why he is doing this.

The plot meanders on for a while and then takes a number of unexpected twists and turns. It is rather odd that the main character who is so good at figuring out some things can seem to be so brain dead when it comes to basic don't go down that blind alley.

Finally, the ending did not have the kind of bang you'd expect from this kind of book.