In southern California, a young Mayan boy with a blue-crescent-moon tattoo on his chest dies mysteriously. In central America, a puzzling illness is spreading among tribal villages. And soon—very soon—Luke McKenna, a pediatric E.R. physician in Los Angeles, will discover the link between these events and demons from his dark past. The secrets that haunt Luke are about to pull him and the woman he loves into a terrifying house of mirrors. The realm of science and the realm of death are colliding with devastating force, and the stakes couldn’t be any higher—the future of the human species.
Time is running out, and only by reawakening the ghost of Luke McKenna’s past can they discover the truth.
A thriller debut that will blow you away It’s an exciting feeling when a debut novel appears out of nowhere and dazzles you with such strong writing and storytelling that you can’t believe the author has never done this before. That’s the case with Philip Hawley, Jr.’s “Stigma,” one of the best debut thrillers I’ve read in a long time.Hawley is a pediatrician in Los Angeles, so naturally his main character, Luke McKenna, is, too. McKenna is also a former Navy SEAL and a real tough guy. (No word on whether Hawley, too, has a black ops background. I suspect not.)The plot starts off with a bang when a boy from Guatemala is rushed into McKenna’s emergency room and dies a mysterious death. The doctor begins to investigate what really happened, and discovers a plot involving high-tech science and low-grade greed.You expect a book like “Stigma” to have wall-to-wall action and suspense. And it does. What might surprise you is that this is also a smart book, one that makes you think while entertaining you. “Stigma” probes interesting ethical questions about the role of technology in medicine, and the ages-old dilemma of where we draw the boundaries of medical science.For a first novel in particular, “Stigma” shows tremendous polish and poise. If this book is any indication of the kind of talent Hawley possesses, it won’t be long before he ascends to the top ranks of thriller authors. Fans of Michael Crichton or James Rollins in particular will find much here to enjoy.
STIGMA will leave you breathless! I read STIGMA when it was first published in mass market paperback. I loved it so much that I did something I rarely do–I emailed the author and told him how much I enjoyed the book. Now I’m doing something I’ve never done before–writing my first Amazon review because now, years later, I still remember how much I enjoyed this book. STIGMA has everything I love in a story–fast-pacing, great plot, wonderful characters to love or hate, and a touch of romance to raise the stakes. I was stunned it was never made into a movie–it’s written so visually, I could see it; I think it would be amazing on the big screen. Almost as good as reading it.