Over The Edge by Brandilyn Collins

Torn from the front lines of medical debate and the author's own experience with Lyme Disease, Over the Edge is riveting fiction, full of twists and turns—and powerful truths about today's medical field.



Janessa McNeil’s husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, a researcher and professor at Stanford University's Department of Medicine, specializes in tick-borne diseases—especially Lyme. For years he has insisted that Chronic Lyme Disease doesn't exist. Even as patients across the country are getting sicker, the committee Brock chairs is about to announce its latest findings—which will further seal the door shut for Lyme treatment.


One embittered man sets out to prove Dr. McNeil wrong by giving him a close-up view of the very disease he denies. The man infects Janessa with Lyme, then states his demand: convince her husband to publicly reverse his stand on Lyme—or their young daughter will be next.


But Janessa's marriage is already rocky. She's so sick she can hardly move or think. And her husband denies she has Lyme at all.


Welcome to the Lyme wars, Janessa.

My review:
In my opinion, this is not the best book Brandilyn Collins has written. If I gave stars, it would be 4 out of 5. Possibly because it is different from what she usually writes, and wasn't as suspenseful as most of her books. That said, it was still an enjoyable read.

The story revolves around Lyme Disease. I didn't know much about the disease and through research and the author's own personal experiences, she does a great job of educating the reader. It is a disease that there has been a lot of debate about the symptoms and the treatment of it, which is one reason she wrote the book. It is actually surprising how much disagreement there is in medical field about the disease. In addition to writing a suspense novel, this was the author's way of getting information about Lyme Disease out to more people.

I did still finish this book in one evening of reading, so it is a gripping and interesting story. Even though it is different from the usual fare from Collins, I would still recommend this book and consider it worth reading, especially if  you want to learn more about Lyme Disease.

About the author:

Brandilyn Collins is a best-selling novelist known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense®. Awards for her novels include the ACFW Book of the Year (three times), Inspirational Readers' Choice, and Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice. Also, The Writer magazine named her nonfiction release, Getting Into Character, one of the best books on writing published in 2002.


When she's not writing, Brandilyn can be found teaching the craft of fiction at writers' conferences. She and her family divide their time between homes in the California Bay Area and northern Idaho.

 
Over The Edge will be available from Broadman and Holman Publishing on May 1, 2011.

Thanks to Broadman and Holman for the review copy.