Stress Test

Mabry (Code Blue), a physician with 36 years in the field, brings both emergency room and backroom dealings—legal and illegal—to life in his newest Christian suspense thriller about a doctor falsely accused of murder. The kidnapping of Dr. Matt Newman sets off a chain reaction of unfolding events that point to the doctor’s involvement in the murder, but a vast array of shady characters in high and low places have something to lose as the truth comes out: a key investigator with some bad debts is in the pocket of “Grande” and will do anything to save his own neck, even attempt murder. Characters are well developed but numerous and often seem contrived in their daisy-chained relationships. The plot moves along with plenty of action and empathy, and there’s suspense and suspicion enough to keep readers zipping to the last pages. For Christian suspense fans anxious to see characters who ought to have it all—doctors and lawyers—react to the pressure of false accusations and the struggle to be loyal to the truth and to one another, Mabry’s novel arrives with a positive prognosis. Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Books and Such Literary Agency (Apr.)