False Positive [Paperback]

William Cutrer (Author), Sandra Glahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2002

After a woman is rushed to the ER in shock from massive blood loss, second-year medical resident Julien “Red” Richison becomes suspicious about the procedures being practiced at the nearby “VIP” abortion clinic.

Soon, with the help of Bethany Fabrazio, director of a pro-life women’s clinic, Red finds himself investigating what goes on behind closed doors at VIP. But what Bethany and Red don’t know is that some VIP doctors will stop at nothing to keep their secrets under wraps–even if it means taking Red’s life.

Addressing with sensitivity and conviction some of the most crucial moral, ethical, medical and spiritual issues of our time–including sanctity of life, bio-ethics, RU-486, ectopic pregnancy, in vitro fertilization, abortion, fetal tissue research, post-abortion emotional and spiritual recovery–False Positive take readers on a fast-paced thrill-ride ride and bring them face-to-face with the inseparable miracles of God’s forgiveness and grace.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Prolife fiction authors in the Christian market have long committed the sin of being overly didactic, rather than offering a well-crafted, balanced story. In their third novel, Cutrer and Glahn (Lethal Harvest; Deadly Cure) break this stereotype with a thoughtful, message-driven medical suspense novel that examines contemporary ethical dilemmas without resorting to proselytizing or oversimplification. "People change from the inside out. They change one heart at a time, so that's where we need to focus our energy," says Julien "Red" Richison to his girlfriend, Bethany Fabrizio, as she agonizes over the local abortion clinic. Their novel offers a diverse cross-section of medical-ethical crises, and characters are multifaceted, making decisions that may surprise some CBA readers. Teresa Murdock is militantly prolife, to the point of risking her own death to carry her pregnancy to term, even as another prolife mother facing cancer considers therapeutic abortion. The gentle, likable and agnostic Dr. Dalmuth Kedar finds a method to keep a 17-week-old preemie alive through technology, but uses aborted fetuses of the same age to develop his technique. Snappy dialogue, a comfortable rapport among the characters and several original plot twists keep the pages turning, while frequent moments of humor prevent things from getting too heavy-handed despite the serious nature of the issues. This is a mature, refreshing treatment of a difficult topic that should find wide readership in the CBA.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

After a woman is rushed to the ER in shock from massive blood loss, second-year medical resident Julien ?Red? Richison becomes suspicious about the procedures being practiced at the nearby ?VIP? abortion clinic.

Soon, with the help of Bethany Fabrazio, director of a pro-life women?s clinic, Red finds himself investigating what goes on behind closed doors at VIP. But what Bethany and Red don?t know is that some VIP doctors will stop at nothing to keep their secrets under wraps?even if it means taking Red?s life.

Addressing with sensitivity and conviction some of the most crucial moral, ethical, medical and spiritual issues of our time?including sanctity of life, bio-ethics, RU-486, ectopic pregnancy, in vitro fertilization, abortion, fetal tissue research, post-abortion emotional and spiritual recovery?False Positive take readers on a fast-paced thrill-ride ride and bring them face-to-face with the inseparable miracles of God?s forgiveness and grace.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press; 1 edition (July 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578565677
• ISBN-13: 978-1578565672
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real People and Real Situations, August 31, 2002

By 

Eric Wilson "novelist" (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: False Positive (Paperback)

A morality play...disguised as a medical mystery...with the requisite dash of romance? Hmm, was this worth my time?

Although I believe in the sanctity of life, the subject matter of this book almost kept me from reading it. I feared a thinly veiled anti-abortion discourse--and one thing I don't handle well is agenda-heavy fiction. If you want to make a point, make sure to entertain and tell a good story at the same time. That's why Grisham's legal thrillers continue to sell even while taking on the tobacco industry, the homeless crisis, etc.

Cutrer and Glahn dispelled my fears quickly. The medical details, the unflinching looks at difficult subjects, and the likeable characters drew me in. ...

Although "False Positive" doesn't have the immediate hook of a Grisham-type thriller, it does have the very human motivations, readable dialogue, and ethical dilemmas that Grisham has used to such marvelous effect. The authors handle this medical mystery with maturity, surprises, and grace. As the story draws a growing number of characters together, the action accelerates and the emotional impact rises. While never veering from their spiritual beliefs, the authors (and publisher) demonstrate open minds and open hearts. Beware: stanch advocates of either side of the abortion debate will cry foul, but this book rises above the mudslinging. Cutrer and Glahn raise questions not easily answered by either side. They write about real people who don't always agree. And I liked that.

In fact, I liked this book. A lot! Although "False Positive" was my first read by these authors, it will not be my last.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uncertain, March 3, 2009

By 

Keith Peevy (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: False Positive (Paperback)

I am a neonatologist oppposed to abortion. So I undertook reading this book both for its entertainment value and to see how a fictional effort by authors clearly in agreement with my view would treat the subject. I appreciated the fact that they treated those who opt for abortion with sympathy and compassion.
I did not like several things: 1) not everyone who does abortions is driven by economic motives; they may be misguided, but are not always evil; 2) portraying a high risk OB person (Kedar) as someone competent to care for the most critically ill neonate stretched literary license to the breaking point, since most OB docs run for cover when a sick baby needs intensive care; 3) suggesting that a 17 week fetus would a) be 300 grams (very unlikely) and could survive in any manner after delivery injects a sense of false hope that I fear might lead prospective parents to have even more unrealistic expectations at the margins of viability (which are 21-22 weeks, not 24 as the book suggests).
Nothing harms the effect of a technically driven plot like like technical errors. Its fiction, but it needs accuracy in the areas that speak to reality of the science involved.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All's Positive, August 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: False Positive (Paperback)

I read False Positive in three sittings (that's good for me...I often don't even finish books). It was hard to put down. The plot was intriguing and unpredictable. The characters were believable. The message was thought-provoking. The ending was satisfying. If you are looking for a medical thriller/love story better (and 100 times more enriching) than any episode of ER, then turn off the tube and read False Positive. It will be an evening well spent!