The Beauty Doctor

WINNER, BEST HISTORICAL THRILLER OF 2024 (Best Thrillers) "Beauty is power," Dr. Rome told her. "And with enough power, one can achieve anything." Straightening noses, trimming eyelids, lifting jowls... In the year 1907, his revolutionary beauty surgery is considered daring, perhaps dangerous. Still, women want what Dr. Rome promises. Neither is his young assistant Abigail Platford immune to Dr. Rome's persuasive charm. Abigail once dreamed of becoming a doctor, though of a much different sort. That dream ended when her father died from a medical error she feels responsible for. Dr. Rome, who proudly displays his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University, seems to believe in her. If he were willing to act as her mentor, might there still be a chance to fulfill her dream of someday becoming a doctor serving New York City's poor? But something feels terribly wrong, as though an insidious evil is closing in. Broken promises, lies, and intrigues abound. The powerful are threatening to destroy the weak, and a doctor's sacred duty hangs in the balance. Abigail no longer knows whom to believe, but she desperately wants to trust Dr. Rome--even when she discovers that one of their patients has mysteriously disappeared.