Unwitting, Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 2

In pondering upon how to describe Deven Greene’s novel, Unwitting, Erica Rosen MD Trilogy Book 2, the best adjective I could come up with is dark. If you enjoy medical mysteries, stories with ethical dilemmas, and literature about horrific events, this book is for you. Although a little too grim for my taste, this book was extremely well written, action-packed, and had an extremely creative plotline.

The story is told from the perspective of Dr. Erica Rosen, the clinic director of a San Francisco Hospital. Her husband, Lim, is a former Chinese track Olympian who escaped from China to the United States on a cargo ship. Soon after, Lim’s parents, sister Ting, and Ting’s children were smuggled out of China having undergone horrific gene-editing experiments forced upon them by the Chinese government. One of the major subplots of this story is regarding this topic, and how these experiments affect Ting’s children currently, and what potential risks are down the line. This subplot explores ethical and moral challenges, Chinese prison camps, language barriers, and the safety of Lim’s family after fleeing their country as enemies of the Chinese government.
Another subplot of this novel is concerning Dr. Rosen herself. Rosen’s mother suffers from Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that causes its victims’ brains to break down slowly. Afraid that she has inherited this disease and concerned about how it will affect her fertility, Dr. Rosen must face her fears and learn once and for all what the outlook for her future has in store for her.

The main plot of this story begins when an unnamed suicide bomber attacks at the Giants baseball stadium, just a few blocks from Rosen’s apartment. Soon after this horrific event, Rosen gets a call from a distressed woman, saying she knows Rosen has a specialty with those inflicted with disabilities and knows information about the suicide bomber. Rosen rushes over after calling 911, and the police find this woman’s dead body next to an autistic man named Zaron, who is doing a puzzle on the floor next to her. Zaron has limited communication abilities and Dr. Rosen takes him under her wing to discover who the bomber is and who killed the woman next to him.
Much is in store for the reader from this point on. The plot includes more bombings, protests, demented events, and references to hate crimes. Although a good novel, this tale is heavy; I would not recommend it for those who like light or happy reads.