Lethal Measures (Joanna Blalock Mysteries) [Paperback]

Leonard Goldberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2000 | Series: Joanna Blalock Mysteries

Forensic pathologist Joanna Blalock and homicide detective Jake Sinclair are back to investigate the terrifying implications in the fallout of what appears to be a terrorist bombing....

"Lethal Measures [is] lively...graphic...believable.."-Publishers Weekly

"Lethal Measures is an absorbing tale...exciting and intellectually interesting."-Library Journal

"Medical suspense at its best."-Michael Palmer

"A believable thriller with one humdinger of a finale."-Booklist

• 6th medical thriller featuring forensic pathologist Joanna Blalock

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Intrepid heroine Joanna Blalock, the beautiful and brilliant medical investigator from Los Angeles, returns for her sixth outing in this fast-moving but oddly flavorless medical thriller. This time she confronts a group of terrorist bombers plotting to kill the president of the U.S., but she has no inkling of the connection when she is called upon, as a forensic pathologist, to investigate the carnage and debris left after a catastrophic explosion kills several dozen people in a quiet neighborhood. Assigned to this grim task, Blalock quickly makes several intriguing discoveries, chiefly among them is that several of the victims were in the terminal stages of fatal diseases, and some of them wore artificial limbs. Equally strange, the evidence indicates they were actually making or holding the bombs at the time of explosion, leading Blalock and her on-and-off lover, homicide detective Jake Sinclair, to speculate that the victims may have been terrorists who killed themselves, so there's nothing further to worry about. That theory, however, is demolished when the terrorists strike again. They kill the only witness to the explosion, then bomb Blalock's lab, destroying almost all remaining evidence, then they kidnap her and set their murderous sights on the president. Though Goldberg (Deadly Exposure, etc.) keeps a lively pace, elements of this thriller lack the riveting suspense of his earlier outings. As the plot grinds to a predictable close, his cast of characters does even less to engage the imagination. The terrorists, members of a group called the Ten Righteous, are stock villains whose personalities are as banal as their motivation for killing the president. The supporting cast is also disappointing, but Goldberg, a physician himself, enlivens the book with his formidable knowledge of forensic investigation, creating a graphic but believable foundation for his tale. (Feb.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Goldberg's sixth medical suspense novel (after Deadly Exposure) reunites forensic pathologist Joanna Blalock and Lieutenant Jake Sinclair. Sleuths and ex-lovers, they team up to investigate a catastrophic explosion in Los Angeles that threatens nationals safety and security. Blalock is a whiz at deciphering clues, particularly those based in pathology; Sinclair contributes toughness, determination, and years of experience in police work. Together they racec against time to unravel an intricate and savage pl;ot devised and implemented by the Ten Righteous, a fanatical anti-government group that infiltrates a major hospital, preys on cancer patients, and threatens numerous others_including the president of the United States . The mystery of this novel is exciting and intellectually interesting; this reader felt challenged to slove it throughout. The Blalock-Sinclair relationship provides great chemistry and a sense of romance. Goldberg, a consulting physician in Los Angeles, has written an absorbing tale appropriate for all fiction collections.
Linda M.G. Katz, Florence A. Moore Lib. of Medicine, MCP Hahnemann Univ., Philadelphia
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (November 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451201566
• ISBN-13: 978-0451201560
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,913,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wooden dialogue and cliche-ridden plot mar this thriller., April 9, 2000

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lethal Measures (Hardcover)

I have enjoyed some of Leonard Goldberg's medical thrillers in the past. However, he has stumbled with "Lethal Measures". Joanna Blalock is back as the brilliant pathologist and Jake Sinclair is also present as the crackerjack policeman who still holds a torch for Joanna. This time the subject is domestic terrorism, in the form of a small band of fanatics who will kill anyone to get back at the federal government. The characters never come to life in this book and the amateurish dialogue is painful to read. However, the author has done his research well and the details about forensic anthropology, bombmaking and prosthetic devices are fascinating and authentic. Unfortunately, a romantic subplot is thrown in almost as an afterthought. The body count is high, and there are details about what a bomb does to a human being that some might find distubring. The book needed sharper and more realistic dialogue and more originality in the plotting. As it stands, it is a run-of-the-mill thriller.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Cornwell, March 1, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lethal Measures (Hardcover)

Joanna Blalock is a world-renowned forensic pathologist who's globally in demand, but centers her activities in Los Angeles' Memorial Hospital. At thirty-nine, Joanne feels she has achieved her life's goals just as she envisioned them. Even her personal life seems perfect as she sees the urbane international financier Paul du Maurier instead of wallowing over the inability of homicide detective Jake Sinclair to commit to a lasting relationship.

However, national events soon rip Joanne's world apart. It starts with a terrorist bomb destroying a residential street, killing innocent people. The FBI insists that Joanne perform the autopsies, which cancels her romantic weekend. Paul resents the intrusion and abruptly ends their relationship. Evidence mounts that the perpetrators, the Righteous, plan for something ugly to occur on April 19th. Their motive is simply to revenge the Feds killing their leader's son and wife in a shoot-out.

Anyone who enjoys a Patricia Cornwell tale will gain much pleasure from LETHAL MEASURES. The medical thriller stars a forensic pathologist with a great sense of self-deprecating humor ant that makes her more likable and gentler than Scarpetta. The fast-paced story line has touches of romance that provide a solid counterpoint to the rising tension that readers feel as they grasp the full scope of the terrorists' plan. Besides the characters seeming real, Memorial Hospital feels like a genuine place and that adds to the believability of the tale. After this story, readers will quickly search for other novels by Leonard Goldberg (see his "deadly" series).

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If You Like Ridley Pearson, Try This!, January 2, 2001

By 

S. Kelley (Cleveland,Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lethal Measures (Joanna Blalock Mysteries) (Paperback)

I was browsing a local bookstore when I ran across this paperback edition of Dr. Goldberg's lastest Joanna Blalock/Jake Sinclair installment. If one has not tried this series and like such thrillers as ones written by Ridley Pearson, Michael Palmer and Robin Cook...READ THIS!

I have been a Joanna Blalock/Jake Sinclair fan since the beginning installments of these characters written by Dr. Goldberg. I look forward to each new installment as much as I look forward to the Daphne Matthews/Lou Boldt installments from Ridley Pearson. I purchased the book on late Friday afternoon and had it finished by Sunday morning! It's like taking a breath taking ride on an awesome rollercoaster. In a couple of places my hearts was pumping so hard out of suspense that I actually had to put the book down before flipping the page in a few minutes.

There are very few authors that I buy their books unseen or without ever cracking open the inside of the cover jacket to read the synopsis. Dr. Goldberg is among one of the elite to which I do this for. I usually purchase my books in the hardback version once they hit the bookshelves but somehow, this installment got passed me. I was most pleasantly surprised when I ran across the paperback version.

Try it! You'll like it!