A gripping, pulse-pounding medical thriller that will have you holding your breath until the final jaw-dropping twist. Perfect for fans of Valerie Keogh, Freida McFadden and Doctor Foster.

Care giver, life saver... or cold-blooded killer?

Running away from a past she'd rather forget, Doctor Alison Wilson has moved to a new town to take up the role of Medical Officer at failing hospital St Margaret's.

Tasked with shaking things up, she quickly learns that things are worse than they initially seem: patient records are in disarray, staff morale is low, and there's something afoot that she can't quite put her finger on...

As Alison starts to dig into the hospital's past, she gradually discovers a trail of lies that runs deeper and darker than she could have ever imagined.

There's a cold-blooded killer in the hospital. And they're hiding in plain sight...

Readers are hooked by The Doctor

'The author is clearly from a medical background and you can feel the buzz of the hospital in her story.' Reader Review

'A fast-paced medical thriller ... it was fascinating trying to work out who was the killer from the vast array of suspects.' Reader Review

'A really impressive story and the ending was totally unexpected, which is something that always impresses me with this type of book.' Reader Review

'A fascinating story full of tension the whole way through. The conclusion was very satisfying.' Reader Review

'A gripping thriller, highly recommend.' Reader Review

An utterly chilling and unputdownable read for winter 2023

About the Author

Annie Payne spent most of her life as an NHS nurse, midwife and clinical network manager but now concentrates on writing full time. She has written extensively for television programmes such as The Bill, Doctors and Heartbeat under the name Candy Denman and has published a medical mystery series and novella under that name too.

Now she happily writes novels in a posh shed in the garden in between playing with her six grandchildren and walking her dog, Dennis the Cockapoo. This is her debut novel as Annie Payne.

Reviews
Readers are hooked by The Doctor

'The author is clearly from a medical background and you can feel the buzz of the hospital in her story.' Reader Review

'A fast-paced medical thriller ... it was fascinating trying to work out who was the killer from the vast array of suspects.' Reader Review

'A really impressive story and the ending was totally unexpected, which is something that always impresses me with this type of book.' Reader Review

'A fascinating story full of tension the whole way through. The conclusion was very satisfying.' Reader Review

'A gripping thriller, highly recommend.' Reader Review

Book Information
ISBN 9780008562007
Author Annie Payne
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint AVON, a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 260g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 32mm