Brian DeLeeuw

It’s an okay book in that it’s well written and has an interesting plot line but otherwise isn’t spectacular. Plus it’s a slow burn up until the last third of the book but it has to be for what’s happening. In that it’s basically two people involved in an illegal liver transplant interspersed with the main character’s tragic/sad backstory, partially as to how he got to that point, partially as to show what his day to day routine is.

Like I’d recommend it to others if they were looking for some medical thriller but I wouldn’t rave/gush about it. Honestly I’ll probably forget about it in the next month or so because of how directly to the point it was. It sadly just isn’t that memorable.

TL;DR; The book does everything it sets out to do but somehow it’s ends up extremely disappointing.… (meer)

The Dismantling by Brian DeLeeuw is a highly recommended suspense novel that explores the morality of several issues, including organ trafficking.

Simon Worth has dropped out of medical school and found himself an ethically questionable position with Health Solutions, an organ brokerage company run by Peter DaSilva. Health Solutions basically buys kidneys and livers from cash-strapped "donors" for those in need of a transplant who can afford their services. It's Simon's job to discreetly match donor and recipient, or seller and buyer, while behind the scenes DaSilva alters medical records and launders the money. Even though he may have to explain away any ethical quibbles over what he's doing, it is a way for Simon to make a lot of money quickly.

When Simon arranges for Maria Campos, a young woman from L.A., to donate part of her liver to ex-athlete Lenny Pellegrini, all seems to be going smoothly. She's going to pretend to be a distant cousin and Lenny swears he is going to lay off the booze. Even after many successful brokered organs, this time there may be a problem. Additionally, both Simon and Maria have dark personal secrets they are trying to hide.

The plot moves along quickly in The Dismantling and DeLeeuw does an excellent job interweaving the backstory of his characters with the main story. At first it appears to be a medical thriller, but then, as the plot thickens and the tensions mount, it takes a turn toward suspense and drama. This is a well written page turner that should please fans of both genres. The characters of Simon and Maria are well developed. As they slowly divulge much of their personal stories, we learn more about their motives and reasons for participating in an arrangement with questionable legality.

Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes.… (meer)