Saving Meghan is a riveting new thriller full of secrets and lies from author D.J. Palmer. Can you love someone to death? Some would say Becky Gerard is a devoted mother and would do anything for her only child. Others, including her husband Carl, claim she’s obsessed and can’t stop the vicious circle of finding a cure at her daughter’s expense. Fifteen-year-old Meghan has been in and out of … Fifteen-year-old Meghan has been in and out of hospitals with a plague of unexplained illnesses. But when the ailments take a sharp turn, clashing medical opinions begin to raise questions about the puzzling nature of Meghan’s illness. Doctors suspect Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare behavioral disorder where the primary caretaker seeks medical help for made-up symptoms of a child. Is this what’s going on? Or is there something even more sinister at hand?
As the Gerards grow more and more suspicious of each other and their medical team, Becky must race against time to prove her daughter has a deadly disease. But first, she must confront her darkest fears and family secrets that threaten to not only upend her once-ordered life…but to destroy it.
Praise for Saving Meghan:
“Plenty of twists…will keep you turning the pages as you guess…and guess again.” –Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of After Anna
“An acute, sensitive portrayal of family love under extreme stress...[with] a touch of Hitchcock.” –William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob
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Saving Meghan by D.J.Palmer
April 2019
St Martin’s Press
Fiction, psychological suspense
I received a digital copy of the ARC from NetGalley and St Martin’s Press in exchange for an unbiased review.
Becky Gerard is a 48 year old mother from CA who moved her family to MA in a desperate attempt to save her daughter Meghan’s life. Although it seems admirable there is an underlying, dysfunctional motive for her. Despite growing up in a toxic home environment, she manages to become a successful real estate broker and marry Carl, her dream husband. Similarly, her moving to MA served another purpose for Becky, that is, to move as far away from her hometown as possible. Sabrina, Becky’s sister, remains in CA caring for their manipulative angry mother who is dying of cancer. Meghan’s mysterious illness becomes her excuse for avoiding anything unpleasant including forgiving her mother.
As much as I wanted to feel empathetic towards this family and their experiences, it was difficult due to their unlikeable characters. They live in a tony neighborhood of Concord, MA and surround themselves with privileged materialistic acquaintances. It becomes obvious that life experiences has made forming genuine relationships with people impossible for Becky. Unfortunately, she hovers and controls Meghan so much that her daughter doesn’t thrive as a once healthy 15 year old varsity soccer player.
Because of Meghan’s consistent poor health with unfounded medical etiology, she misses school and is constantly being dragged around to doctor for tests and evaluations. Becky, feeling the guilt from her own childhood, transfers her anxiety and need for attention onto finding a cure for Meghan. After 2 years, she is eventually confronted with accusations of Munchausen by proxy. How could a mother actually be to blame for making her child sick? When there are no apparent medical explanations for all the vague unrelated symptoms, it raises red flags for medical professionals who have an obligation to protect the minor child.
Of course, this story has many twists and turns drawing in several characters who all have their own agenda. There are clues along the way but only mere breadcrumbs to keep you reading to find out how it ends. The story addresses mental illness and it’s lasting effects on families. Confronting the guilt and shame that people carry for unavoidable situations becomes important for healing and moving forward.
This was a quick read. The story is about a highschool teenager who plays soccer, with a loving mother and father. Pretty typical stuff, right? Except, Meghan gets sick, she has no energy, something must be wrong, or is whatever she has self-inflicted? Is someone else making her sick? Is Meghan’s mom making her sick on purpose so she can take her to doctor after doctor for the attention? What is going on? What is causing Meghan to suddenly grab her stomach in pain and see blurry and pass out? I enjoyed the way this story was written, when I got to a certain point, I just had to finish. #savingmeghan #netgalley
Saving Meghan by author D.J. Palmer is a medical thriller with twists and turns in the plot. Meghan is a fifteen year old who was active and happy until she became ill with what seems at first are flu-like aches in her muscles. She has progressively gotten weaker and has less interest in outdoor sports and her friends. Her mom has become obsessed with finding answers for her daughter’s illness. After months of testing and flare-ups, there is still no answer and she wants a definitive name put to the illness and a cure. She has let Meghan’s illness become her whole life purpose and therefore is under suspicion of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, Also, everyone has secrets, even Meghan! There is an unexpected twist at the ending!
Publication date; April 9, 2019
What people will do for Love! “We leave marks on this world, as invisible as the trail of that bird out there.”
This is one intense, medical, psychological thriller and if there are medical professional out there; this story is for you!
I could not figure out the mystery of this quick moving book until the very end.
Was it true that Meghan had Munchausen’s Syndrome by Proxy? Could it be that it was her mother that was causing her daughters dependence and demise? Why?
This novel is a family drama that has made me now want to read more from D.J. Palmer!
Well done!