Can a medical drama be written without explicit dialogue or scenes? Can an author craft a story without such material? Certainly! And Candace Calvert has done just that.
Critical Care is the engaging story of Sierra Mercy's Emergency Room physician (Dr. Logan Caldwell, aka Dr. McSnarly) and Claire Avery, an Education Nurse charged with securing the mental and emotional well being of the emergency care staff.
What did I learn from this book? What keeps takeout pizza's on speed dial for an ER doctor. The often comical mental discussions women have with themselves when falling in love. And finally, that there is nothing that an afternoon walk in a 'glorious field of daffodils' won't cure.
This story is filled with believable characters with personalities much like most work environments. There is always an ambitious type A personality such as Sarah Burke, another ER nurse that at Sierra Mercy Hospital is driven to succeed or to please at all costs.
In addition you'll often find dedicated managers/supervisors such as Erin Quin, Sierra Mercy's ER Head Nurse, who receive dictates from their superiors but identify more often with their subordinates. And there is most always a person having to process the fear and failures of their past like Claire Avery, the heroine with traumatic memories of the loss of brother.
With this array of characters and personalities, the reader can easily relate to Critical Care. As the novel develops and the reasons for each behavior is revealed, the result is a well developed storyline.
The romance between Dr. McSnarly and Claire Avery gradually unfolds first with frustration, then with uncertainty, and finally with grace. In the end, the story heralds that fact that our behavior is sometimes the result our past experiences and the clear choice in overcoming them is to simply face them.
Critical Care is a great read. I recommend it highly and look forward to Book Two.
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