What a great book
The writing in this book was excellent and the characters were well developed.
The medical drama between the pages was so compelling.

The cover of this book made me think this would be a dark thriller and although it is a medical drama it is a complex story of love and loss, revenge, ambition and faith.
Rachel is a surgeon, whose entire life was centered on her profession. One day while doing what seemed like a routine surgery, her teenage patient dies and the devastated mother makes her own justice, changing Rachel's life forever. as she loses the most important skill she devoted her life to acquire.
This is not only a new author but a different type of story to what I would usually read but I found it unusual and interesting and enjoyed it.

Ok, so I somehow missed the fact that this was Christian fiction, and went into it expecting a dark twisted thriller of some kind. Instead, you got a beautiful story of redemption and faith, which to me was completely unexpected, yet still very moving. It has very obvious Christian undertones, which may put some readers off, but which I found really interesting when combined with the thriller elements that were also present.

Its exploration of 'everything happening for a reason' was very interesting, and the idea that even when people do bad things, they are acting as 'agents of necessary change' was really thought-provoking to me - even when someone wrongs you, they may indirectly be helping you, as is the case in this book, with negative events conspiring to humble Rachel and return her to her faith. So all in all, it was not at all what I expected, but maybe exactly what I needed? I've always had a strong interest in religion, and while faith is a gift I'm yet to receive, I found this Christian thriller to be a very unique and interesting read, with a strong message at its heart of redemption and the power of change.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

This story started off sooooo good and then fizzled out into a completely different genre and I lost interest. I liked it but did not love it. The second half of the book lost my interest. I rate the book a 2.4

The Healing Knife charts the spiritual and emotional awakening of a cardiac surgeon. Rachel is an excellent surgeon, but saving lives and moving up in her career takes up all of her focus. She has no room for relationships or rest. When a disgruntled patient’s mother turns obsessive, Rachel’s life changes in ways she’d never before imagined.

I enjoyed this novel, which has suspense, romance and a gentle journey of a woman coming to faith in God. I found the writing compelling and the characters well drawn. Central questions of the novel form around identity and community – who are we when we lose something central to what we thought made up our identity? What is the role of humility in receiving help? How do people help – or hinder – us in a healing journey, whether physical or spiritual? What makes for a good life?

I recommend this novel with only a few niggles. The most awkward scene relates to premarital sex and the hoops one of the characters jumps through to justify their actions and make it OK according to the faith of the other character. (I’m being a bit cagey there as I’m trying not to give too much away!) Overall, though, an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

Rachel is a cardiothoracic surgeon, whose entire life was centered on her profession. One day while doing what seemed like a routine surgery, a postoperative complication happened, setting off an avalanche of events and bringing chaos to every aspect of her life.
Rachel's existence and sanity are challenged when she lost the most important skill she devoted her life to acquire. But what perceived as a tragedy can sometimes be the wake-up call, for a necessary change.

First of all, this is not what I was expecting from the cover and the synopsis, but I'm pleasantly surprised.

The healing knife by S. Russel talked to me on a personal level. I work in a medical profession and I also play the piano as a hobby. The idea of losing the capacity of my hand is a recurring nightmare.
I deeply sympathize with Rachel, and at some point going through the story was painful for me.

There is a lot of things to contemplate here.
The essence of the book was about forgiveness. Basically, Rachel's journey to healing and growing out of her grudge to forgive the person who did her harm. The path can be agonizing and unbearable, and learning to delegate and lean on the right people is essential.

There is a lot of depth to this novel. I was also captivated by the idea of how, sometimes, not just Rachel, we all intend to make our jobs the defining element of who we are.

All in all, I really liked this book, and I think it deserves a full five stars. The beautiful rural scenery and the entire descriptions were nicely written. Definitely recommending it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my review copy.

Review for 'The Healing Knife' by S.L Russell

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Lion Hudson Ltd publishing

This is the first book that I have read by this author. I would very likely read more of her books.

THE first thing I'd like to say is this book was NOT what I expected from the blurb at all. When I chose to read it I was expecting a medical thriller/suspense. The book has got this aspect but only in the first quarter and into approx half of the book but there is only 4 incidences rather than the many more I expected. This originally annoyed me as when I choose a book I expect what I'm told about the book from the blurb. I was looking at giving the book a 2, possibly a 3 star due to this. If you are looking for a thriller or suspense then this probably isn't the book for you. However I will continue my review so you can make your own choice.

This book is written from Rachel's perspective and I am not sure which genre I would place it under personally. The main aspects are medical drama, romance and Christian. The plot speaks alot of forgiveness, faith and morals. Again, not what I expected from either the cover or the blurb.

THE plot is mainly based in the UK with some of the book set in France. I normally enjoy reading books based in the UK as it is where I live. I have also visited France so that was also a bonus for me.

THE book was very well written and had excellent descriptions, made me feel as if I was in the book and made me want to visit France again as I haven't been since a child.

Although the plot was not what I expected which did annoy me, I actually came to really enjoy the storyline and sunk into it easily.

Rachel got on my nerves at the beginning of the book but really started growing on me as I read on. I loved all of the characters and would love to have read more about the neighbours in France as well as many of the other "background" characters. I would read more books with the same characters in.

There was a couple of niggles for me such as how Eve would track Rachel down, it just doesnt seem viable for a patient to know the vehicle and address of a surgeon in the hospital considering all the data protection laws. This, plus there was a lot of talk of faith towards the end which just isn't my cup of tea resulted in a loss of a review star.

However, having said the above I did appreciate the faith aspect in some instances and I really enjoyed how the book ended.

In summary, I always start a book with 5/5 stars and go from there. When I discovered the book wasn't what I expected the rating lowered to 2/5. The instance with Evie discovering Rachel's address lowered it to 1/5. However, as the plot developed as well as the characters I enjoyed the book more and would give it a 4.5 stars. Unfortunately, due to the matters I've discussed this would have to be a 4/5 rather than 5/5 as I can't give half stars.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of medical, romance, low suspense, Christian and anyone really who is looking for an easy read.

I am actually going to put this in as a recommendation to my local book club as I feel that alot could be discussed from it. I also enjoy the fact thay the author has included book club questions at the end with excellent points.

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads and Amazon (UK and. Com) and over 30 Facebook pages

£8.54 to purchase on kindle. Although I did end up enjoying this book I do think this is a very steep price for a kindle book.

336 pages

Feel free to add me on Goodreads for more reviews

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R37TECUHWHRZD6/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This was so much more than a suspense novel, as there were more emotional elements to it. I really enjoyed this and thought the premise was unique. I highly recommend this one!

Based on the summary, I thought I'd really enjoy this book. Sadly, that wasn't the case. I think the summary is quite misleading, as I was expecting a gripping thriller, which couldn't be further from what I found.

I found Rachel to be a bit blah, and there was really no depth or development to any of the characters. The one exception was her mum, whom I did like. The pace was too slow for me, and I found the entire story a bit boring.

The blurb of this book is misleading, and it is possible I wasn’t it’s target reader, but since it seemed to have been marked as something I’d pick up, I’m going to go ahead with the review. I asked for a copy from NetGalley thinking it was a thriller, but instead it turned out to be a meandering story about a 40-year-old rediscovering her faith, and realising that being a driven and skilled cardiothoracic surgeon is not enough for a woman. Ultimately, she needs a husband and a biological child to fulfil herself.

Apart from the narrator, Rachel, herself, who’s shown to be “unconventional” in her dedication to her career and lack of a social life, the other characters were all one-dimensional. (Rachel’s mum was another exception.) Most of the important people in her life were paternalistic older men, going around fixing things for her, She herself went from being an unusual, interesting person to a boring, traditionalist who made peace with her tragedy by rationalising that it had given her a husband and a family, and therefore completed her! She came to regard her earlier successful self as not-whole, as lacking something.

The romance had promise but was subsumed in a mess of patriarchal morality (for instance, they only agreed to share a bed, that is literally and not as a euphemism for sex, after agreeing to marry each other; and this happened the same evening they got together!). I was pleasantly surprised however when Rachel fought vehemently against the tradition of giving away the bride, and I give the book one star for that.

Could you forgive? This book is a very good medical drama. The characters were so real it sermed. Alot of emotions in this book.

The Healing Knife was not at all what I expected to read but so very much more. It’s medical drama, learning about life and how to live and a little romance in the mix. Although there were some things I didn’t like about how certain characters were portrayed, things that I felt didn’t fit, this book was definitely worth reading.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Rachel is a cardiac surgeon always striving to be the best. This comes at a cost with life and career threatening consequences . Rachel has to evaluate her life both as a surgeon and as a woman and will she make peace with herself and forgive.

This book is well written in the first person, the writing is descriptive but overblown at times. I am still deciding whether it’s a good read.

Often unexpected and sometimes traumatic events help to put lives in perspective. Rachael , a very competent heart surgeon sees her life unravelling when a mother seeks revenge for the death of her son. However, with the help of good friends and finding religion her not so happy past and present reveal an individual who has genuine longings for more permanent relationships.

Rachel is a highly skilled cardiac surgeon who is work driven. When he colleague Malcolm, breaks his arm, Rachel steps in to perform surgery that can't wait on a 13 year old boy. Sadly, due to post op complications , the outcome is not good. There follows a dangerous hate campaign on Rachel's life, leading her to temporarily move away and take up another post. However Rachel is still not safe and ends up with serious injuries. What follows is Rachel's slow recovery but also journey into retaking stock of her life and beliefs.
A very enjoyable read that I would recommend

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Wow what a great read of resilience, power and forgiving. I devoured this book in one sitting.

Another new author for me and one that I would love to read more from!
The healing knife demonstrates how the power of ambition and striving for excellence to the detriment of your own happiness and lifestyle can impact upon you and it’s not until something happens that you actually realise the work life balance needs addressing! This book also shows the amazing power of forgiveness and how resilient we can be in such dire circumstances. Rachel is a complex, complicated individual who throughout the book becomes softer and more rounded helped along the way by Jasper, dulcie, Michael and even her mother! A great read that I would highly recommend! Thank you netgalley for this early read.