Adverse Effects

Boston psychiatrist Cristina Silva, the protagonist of Shulkin’s melodramatic debut and series launch, is shaken by the death of patient Carl Franklin, who jumped out of an eighth-floor window after experiencing violent psychotic episodes. Franklin was just one of the people suffering from amnesia she’d prescribed a memory-enhancing drug that, though still in the trial phase, was producing miraculous results without any adverse effects. Meanwhile, Cristina has an unsettling encounter with a man on a bus, Sebastian dos Santos, who tells her that she’s not who she thinks she is, that her memory has been stolen, and that he knows her real identity. Dos Santos warns her to trust no one and to seek him out when she discovers the truth. With some newspaper articles about suicides dos Santos provides for her as a starting point, Cristina tries to verify his disturbing claims and recover her past. She’s soon on the track of an evil conspiracy. Uninspired prose (Cristina’s “heart swelled with pride”) and superficial characterizations don’t help with the suspension of disbelief. Those looking for nuance will be disappointed. Agent: Lynnette Novak, Seymour Agency. (Sept.)