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The Vanishing Patient

Mairi Chong

Summary

A doctor begins to doubt her own sanity as she investigates a patient’s wild claims in this new mystery from the author of Lethal Resuscitation . . . Dr. Cathy Moreland is taken aback when an irate patient comes to her practice claiming his ailing wife has been kidnapped by one of her colleagues using a false name. Is someone impersonating a doctor, or is Adam Steer delusional? After looking into Adam’s claims, she feels reassured that no such thing actually happened—but continues to worry that Steer is mentally unwell. A visit to his home only leads to more alarm. No one answers the door, but Cathy overhears a conversation that convinces her something sinister is going on—and that she herself may be in danger. Cathy’s own bipolar disorder is well-managed, but she’s beginning to doubt her own sanity—and others are, too. As strange developments unfold, will she be able to make any sense of the events around her before everything spirals out of control?

Available since: 08/03/2022.

Print length: 226 pages.

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About the author

Mairi Chong

Mairi grew up in the north-east of Scotland. The dramatic coastal village proved to be the perfect back-drop for imaginative play alongside her brothers.‘The neighbours must have hated us. We were...

From the same collection

The Dr. Cathy Moreland Mysteries

Murder & Malpractice

Mairi Chong

A doctor’s office is plagued with deaths from unnatural causes in this “fabulous start to a murder mystery series . . . well plotted story and great characters” (Peter Boon, author of Who Killed Miss Finch?).   Dr. Cathy Moreland has recently returned to work after battling mental health challenges, but her surgery in the British countryside is simmering, as usual, with tensions. One doctor struggles to keep up with the changes in the medical field; another, ambitious and aggressive, is romantically entangled with a nurse. The newest arrival, a pharmacist, seems very competent—but his behaviour is mysterious.   When one of the doctors dies after drinking a cup of coffee, the practice is thrown into a state of suspicion and chaos. Circumstances seem to point toward one partner—but Cathy intends to examine the evidence more closely . . .

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Deadly Diagnosis

Mairi Chong

“One of the best books I have ever read!” —Amazon reviewer, five starsA dying patient’s mysterious warning sends a doctor to follow a trail of murder in a new novel by the author of Death by Appointment.   As Betty Scott is dying, she warns Dr. Cathy Moreland that danger lurks at the charity shop where she volunteers. But the only clue she provides is a reference to the now-derelict psychiatric hospital called Fernibanks. Then Betty is found dead—but not from natural causes—and Cathy is compelled to investigate.   At the charity shop, Cathy encounters several workers, some of whom raise her suspicions.   When a local man with a learning disability is arrested for Betty’s murder, a man Cathy deems an unlikely suspect, she grows more determined to find the truth. And when two people end up in hospital, the story behind the recent events—and a long-ago death—begins to emerge . . .   Praised for her “great characters” (Peter Boon, author of Who Killed Miss Finch?), former physician Mairi Chong presents a compelling story of hidden crimes and lethal secrets.

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Shooting Pains

Mairi Chong

A British doctor is caught up in suspicions of spousal abuse and murder in a riveting mystery by the author of Death by Appointment.   When a patient visits Dr. Cathy Moreland with a disturbing story of marital tension and a bruise on her upper arm, Cathy is understandably concerned. But the young woman, Fiona, refuses further help despite confiding that she’s afraid of her husband.   Cathy is more worried still when, just days later, Fiona’s husband urges her to sign his gun licence form. With no reason not to, Cathy reluctantly complies. Soon after, Cathy is horrified to hear of a death during a shooting party on a local estate. But Fiona is not the victim. Nor is Fiona’s husband the one who pulled the trigger—but it was his gun that took the victim down. Now Cathy is left questioning whether what looks like an accident is really a coincidence, and what’s been going on behind closed doors . . .

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“I was so engrossed in this and read it in a day . . . kept me gripped!” —Goodreads reviewer, five starsIs it grief—or guilt? A doctor investigates a colleague in mourning in this addictive mystery by the author of Deadly Diagnosis. When she pays a condolence call to medical secretary Sara Wiseman, Dr. Cathy Moreland is a bit taken aback to find Sara more upset about the recent suspicious death of her colleague at the hospital than the loss of her own mother. But Cathy is far more surprised when Sara’s husband later confides that he suspects Sara was having an affair with the dead doctor—and that he fears it was the least of her transgressions. Could she have had something to do with not only his demise but with her own mother’s? When the postmortem reveals the doctor had a chemical in his system that was stored in the pathology lab—and it becomes apparent that a large amount of the toxin has gone missing—Cathy agrees to assist her friend and fellow doctor Suzalinna in the investigation. She can only hope she doesn’t wind up in the mortuary herself . . .Praise for the Dr. Cathy Moreland Mysteries “Fabulous . . . well plotted story and great characters.” —Peter Boon, author of Who Killed Miss Finch?

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Lethal Resuscitation

Mairi Chong

A medical conference becomes a murder scene, in this mystery starring a doctor in rural Scotland by the author of Shooting Pains. Dr. Cathy Moreland welcomes the chance to stay at a country hotel for an advanced life support course. But the atmosphere among her fellow practitioners seems fraught with tension—and the equipment meant for saving lives is instead used to kill a bad-tempered doctor. He will not be the only one to die—and when Cathy discovers that intimidating notes were being sent to the attendees, including one that calls Cathy herself out for an unethical act in the past, she must find out who may have broken an oath to do no harm . . .

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The Vanishing Patient

Mairi Chong

A doctor begins to doubt her own sanity as she investigates a patient’s wild claims in this new mystery from the author of Lethal Resuscitation . . . Dr. Cathy Moreland is taken aback when an irate patient comes to her practice claiming his ailing wife has been kidnapped by one of her colleagues using a false name. Is someone impersonating a doctor, or is Adam Steer delusional? After looking into Adam’s claims, she feels reassured that no such thing actually happened—but continues to worry that Steer is mentally unwell. A visit to his home only leads to more alarm. No one answers the door, but Cathy overhears a conversation that convinces her something sinister is going on—and that she herself may be in danger. Cathy’s own bipolar disorder is well-managed, but she’s beginning to doubt her own sanity—and others are, too. As strange developments unfold, will she be able to make any sense of the events around her before everything spirals out of control?

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