Book: The Patient

Author: Teri Terry

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advanced audio copy.

The patient is an excellent short trapped inside of a novel. The summary sounded interesting. A young woman received a heart from a donor who was killed but then others who got organs from this donor were attacked. 

Saphy has a congenital heart defect that worsened after she had Covid. Flora is a young woman who was attacked and is in a coma. The media referred to Flora as “sleeping beauty”. Flora did not make it but her organs were healthy enough to be donated. Saphy receives Flora’s heart.

Saphy has an obsession with Flora and she starts to act, dress, and even drink what Flora would. Is this her heart making her do these things or is it her obsession with Flora? I liked this subplot but it was resolved with a small throwaway sentence in the book’s conclusion.

As for someone coming after the people who received Flora’s organs, this was a twist I was not expecting. This was well done and very interesting. My problem is this book was 75% about almost nothing of importance and then the final quarter was a great suspenseful thriller. This is why I say this is a great short story trapped in a novel. I do recommend it because the final few chapters are truly great, I just wish it did more on its journey to the finish

Final score: 3/5