The Silent Cradle - Softcover

With a "powerful combination [of] medical authenticity and strong writing" (Washington Post Book World), this acclaimed debut thriller is set on the front lines of real-life hospital drama. Margaret Cuthbert draws from her career as an obstetrician to create a terrifying scenario for a doctor -- and arouse our darkest fears about the greedy side of the business of medicine. Save the life. Save the life....This is the mantra repeated by Dr. Rae Duprey, Berkeley Hills Hospital's premier obstetrician, who's driven by a passion to save the lives of women and babies in her care. But when her career is threatened by a series of "bad baby" cases emanating from the politically sensitive birth center across the street -- a center run by her ex-lover and nemesis, Bo Michaels -- Rae is determined to uncover the truth about why these seemingly routine deliveries are going fatally haywire. Rae soon discovers that in the ruthlessly competitive atmosphere of today's health-care system, everyone has a hidden agenda. As the hair-raising emergencies continue unabated, she begins to suspect the unthinkable: a sinister plan of medical sabotage, masterminded by a killer who is hardly a stranger to Berkeley Hills Hospital.

Margaret Cuthbert, M.D., is the vice chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley, California, where she also has a private practice.