With River Valley Hospital in the midst of negotiations to avert a nurses’ strike, a wealthy benefactor is set to give a large donation to honor of the Chief of Emergency Medicine: Dr. Elliott Chin, the brother of private investigator Lydia Chin.
Before the donation can be finalized, a member of the nurses’ negotiating committee is found murdered. A morgue assistant is arrested and although he denies even knowing the victim his father and brother, both doctors at the hospital, are quick to urge him to take a plea. Another negotiating committee member abruptly resigns and a senior biomedical technician disappears. An officially off-limits section of the hospital basement turns out to be a hotbed of unauthorized—and in some cases criminal—activity.
Hired by the arrested man’s lawyer, Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith start to dig into the events and personnel at the hospital. Among the union disputes, blackmail, thefts, lies, and a detective who really, really doesn’t like them, one thing becomes clear: the dictum to “First Do No Harm” is not in effect at River Valley. As time runs short, Lydia and Bill face a complicated and dangerous task: they must unlock the hospital’s secrets to save an innocent man.
“First Do No Harm is light years away from being a medical thriller. Instead, she uses the hospital background to explore intricacies of big business (especially of medical centers), sabotage, and family issues in the kind of tightly focused plot that Rozan is known for. The award-winning author doesn’t miss a beat in returning to these popular characters, who are known for their insight, intelligence and camaraderie. Another satisfying novel from the ever-reliable Rozan.”
— Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel
“Rozan offers another great mystery featuring his smart private eyes, who aren’t afraid to kick butt when necessary.”
— Library Journal, starred review
“Private investigators Bill Smith and Lydia Chin are called in on behalf of the accused in First Do No Harm, S.J. Rozan’s latest excellent installment in her popular series.”
— BookPage
“In the newest in the Lydia Chin and Bill Smith mystery series from S. J. Rozan since The Mayors of New York (2023), Dr. Elliott Chen asks his sister, private investigator Lydia, to investigate when Sophia Scott, a nurse helping to negotiate with management to prevent a nurses’ strike, is murdered. Throughout 16 books in a series that started in 1994, Rozan’s characters have bonded and grown, and readers are treated to a seemingly effortless flow of banter and deduction. They are in a class by themselves.”
— Booklist, starred review
“A fatal overdose in a hospital’s unofficial nap room cries out for Smith and Chin Investigations. Rozan keeps everything moving along with a lot more efficiency and sympathy than either the NYPD or the hospital staff, and the final scene that follows makes the whole trip worthwhile.”
― Kirkus Reviews
