Neil McMahon. Blood Double (2002) 230 pp.
San Francisco surgeon Dr. Carroll Monks is thrust into the world of high-powered corporate intrigue after he saves the life of a junkie who has overdosed on Demerol. Monks’ daughter, Stephanie, a medical school student, recognizes the drug abuser as Lex Rittenour, a reclusive software designer who is the power behind a major bio-tech company. Monks knows something is wrong even before a phalanx of lawyers and doctors appears out of nowhere to whisk his recovering patient away and a suspicious fire destroys all evidence that the man was ever there. Rittenour’s company is planning a major IPO and cannot afford any negative publicity. Monks’ suspicions lead him on an investigation into the ethical dark side of genetic research.