Secret Thoughts

A Medical Thriller

By: H. S. Clark

Narrated by: Ernest "Ernie" Sprance

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Something is rotten in Seattle, where seven innocent people are dead from tainted cold medicine and some of the country's wealthiest CEOs are suffering from corporate espionage on a unprecedented scale. Dr. Paul Powers search for the truth turns him into the prime suspect and an international fugitive desperate to clear his name. But how do you catch a killer who knows exactly what you're thinking? H. S. Clark takes the reader on a wild ride along the cutting edge of medical technology and into the dark side of digital medicine.

©2012 H.S. Clark (P)2013 H.S. Clark

Great fun. Thrilling adventure.

SECRET THOUGHTS is a fast paced, breathless murder mystery that exposes the dark side of medical computing. A cyber who-done-it where the killer knows your next move, and your own thoughts can’t be trusted. Fun read.

The narration killed the book for me.

The narration killed the book for me. I don't think I can describe the problem with the narration except to say the reading sounded stilted and unnatural, a little robotic. It kept getting in my way, and I couldn't appreciate the story as much as I would have without that distraction. I usually enjoy that kind of medical thriller.

Steady upward climb--brilliant thriller!

I think that it’s a gift for any writer to utilize technical knowledge into a gripping narrative that appeals to everyman. H.S. Clark succeeded in that respect in his book, Secret Thoughts: A Medical Thriller. Einstein supposedly said that if you can’t explain something simply, then you don’t know it well enough. Not only did H.S. Clark paint a very clear picture of the medical world and in a manner that even someone with no background knowledge about it will understand what he wants to communicate. He also managed to create a brilliant story line—an exciting plot that zooms off into action from the moment you start reading.

As a fan of medical thriller, there are certain elements that I look for to get my attention. One is the sense of authenticity. There are so many novels that deal with topics that are clearly out of the author’s range of expertise, and sometimes, no matter how much they try to make the story sound accurate, there is still something amiss. With Secret Thoughts, Clark clearly knows what he’s doing—being an anesthesiologist himself—and just how much to use to fuel the story.

Other elements I look for in a medical thriller are heartbreak and betrayal. Yes, it can’t be an effective thriller without it breaking your heart first into a million tiny pieces before the redemption in the end. And I remember telling myself when I started reading the prologue, “I swear, if Kayla dies, I will flip.” But of course, the child dies, because how else do you start a thriller apart from introducing a mother-child fiasco that ends with the little daughter convulsing and literally dropping dead before her mother’s eyes?

On the one hand, the novel is fast-paced despite its heavy medical jargon. What’s even more wonderfully surprising is the ease with which you follow the story from page to page. On the other hand, although is brilliantly written, it really does leave me thinking how great this will be as a movie.

A Great Story to Listen To

Secret Thoughts is a great audio performance by Ernie Sprance and a provocative thriller by H.S. Clark. Secret Thoughts offers a chilling peek into the dangers of advanced medical technology. It’s the NSA, Dr. Moreau, and James Bond combined. It’s a murder mystery with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing right up to the end.

Couldn't wait for story to end.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not recommend this book to anyone.
I expected a real thriller but this was hardly an exciting "page turner."
The main character was interesting but hardly believable unless he was a superhero!

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was disappointing. It wasn't surprising how it was resolved without the exciting twists and turns that make a mystery fun. I was determined to finish the book and did.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was laughable trying to do female voices.

Did Secret Thoughts inspire you to do anything?

No.

Secret Thoughts

A well-written, medical drama/mystery. I was fully-engaged as I listened to the story unfold. The narrator contributed to my enjoyment of the overall experience. This book was definitely worth read.

Secret Thoughts

I listened to all but it was a rather to far fetched for me to really enjoy

Secret Thoughts: A Medical Thriller

Any additional comments?

Secret Thoughts begins with a small child, seemingly having only a cold. It’s more than a cold and the reader is gripped by the frantic efforts of the mother to save the dying little girl. Thus begins a mystery from headlines. A cause is quickly found. The killer, however, is not and, we’re off and running with this thrilling book.

I was immediately involved in the story …. I live in Chicago and vividly remember the public panic here regarding the tampering of aceracetaminophen capsules in the early 1980s. Several innocent people died. Those murders have never been solved.

This is a short novel, just over six hours of listening, read nicely by Ernie Sprance. This is my first listen of Sprance narration, and I was surprised to learn that he has only one other audiobook recording on Audible. Based on this recording, I think, and hope, he’ll be around a while in that he even does a nice job on female voices.

An enjoyable, exciting listen. Well worth the credits.

Great Medical Thriller

Any additional comments?

Secret Thoughts is a medical murder mystery that shows where medical computing is rapidly headed, and the “singularity” is coming soon. Dr. Clark reveals the potential abuses of digital based medical science, and the truth is chilling. I loved the characters, because they are real people swept up in a tangled web full of unexpected twist and turns. Secret Thoughts is full of over the top action and adventure, and a doctor hero who repeatedly finds his way in and out of serious trouble. Secret Thoughts is very nicely narrated and easy to listen to.

Deeply riveting!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

H.S. Clark’s book, ‘Secret Thoughts’ feels like a cross between Michael Crichton’s ‘The Andromeda Strain’ and William Gibson’s ‘Spook Country’—not entirely in plot, but in the sheer way the book propels you into the thick of white-knuckle suspense, yet, surprisingly, it doesn’t sacrifice depth and emotional gravitas.

What did you like best about this story?

‘Secret Thoughts’ is an absolute delight to read—the language crackles with the texture of its setting, with the vibrancy of its painstakingly developed characters, wrapped up in a plot that chugs along at full speed right at the get-go. The book starts out with a seemingly accidental series of deaths—people dying from cold medicine—only it turns out those were not accidents. Worse, the fingers of blame point to Dr. Paul Powers—the only person who’s putting everything on the line just to find the real culprit. And that’s only the beginning, as the thick blanket of intrigue close in on Powers, you will not be able to put the book down.

Which scene was your favorite?

What’s more, author Clark knows his science and technology—he has an uncanny way of dipping his arm in hard science only to heighten the choke-hold on the reader’s imagination, and emerge from it with a flourish. Let me just suffice it to say that I love ‘Secret Thoughts’ to shreds—this is a rare literary treat that you don’t find everyday on Kindle or anywhere else. Those who love the genre will totally dig this. A solid five-star rating for this immensely entertaining book!