Lie Still
Combining the gritty accuracy of ER with the character complexity of a Scott Turow novel, here is a brilliant first novel of suspense from a 15-year veteran of the emergency room. In a sleepy, small-town Arizona ER, an emotionally disturbed 13-year old named Henry Rojelio lies in a coma after suffering an inexplicable cardiac arrest. For surgery resident Malcolm Ishmail, the dimensions of the crisis are staggering--one minute, his patient is cracking jokes, and the next, he is as close to death as you can get. Yet it is not only Henry’s life that’s at stake. Months before, Dr. Ishmail had become involved in an exhausting affair with one of his professors, Dr. Mimi Lyle, a beautiful, charismatic brain surgeon who was subtly insufficient in the operating room. At great risk to his career, he exposed her failings to his superiors. Now, as 13-year old Henry Rojelio fights for his life, the young doctor wonders whether his former lover has exacted a disturbing revenge. Rich in medical detail and providing a fascinating window into the frantic world of young medical residents, Lie Still is a gripping, emotional drama of human failings and devastating consequences that marks the debut of a remarkable new voice.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Fiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest violence, death, or criminal harm. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Balanced tone · Urgent pace
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-0605-0556-1
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL9232019M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
A comfortable full-length choice for steady daily reading.
Begin with its place in Fiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- What does the central character want, and what do they misunderstand about that desire?
- Which detail or relationship changes how you interpret the story?
- What feeling or question does the book leave with you after the plot moves on?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
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