Introduction

Next Generation Indie Book Award-Winner

"The Goldilocks Genome blends grief, science, and revenge into a fast, unsettling medical thriller. . . . sharp, tense, and surprisingly moving.”—Literary Titan, 5-star review

When San Francisco–based FDA epidemiologist Dr. Carrie Hediger uncovers a rash of unexplained deaths while investigating the suspiciously convenient death of her best friend, she becomes determined to find answers—even if it leads her to a murderer, and even if confronting authority, using her wiles, and bending the rules to get justice risks her future in the FDA.

To unravel the puzzle, Carrie assembles a team: some talented post-doctoral fellows, a quirky pharmacologist, an unctuous chemist, and a skeptical FBI agent that she can’t help her attraction for. Together, they follow the data through the twists and turns, eventually uncovering that the Goldilocks effect in prescription drugs—the premise that people are inclined to seek “just the right amount” of something—is central to understanding these mysterious deaths. Through the twists and turns, Carrie and her team enter a race to uncover the truth . . . and catch a killer.

Grounded in real data analysis techniques, real science and pharmacology, and actual current psychiatric practices, The Goldilocks Genome is simultaneously a taut, race-against-time thriller and a condemnation of the psychiatric industry’s failure to implement genetic-based “personalized medicine”—a problem that persists to this day.

Editorial Review

No Editorial Review Currently Available

Excerpt

Chapter One: The Unsinkable Wendy Watanabe

There was no choice. It had to be the side facing the Pacific Ocean. Departing cruise ships embarked on adventure. Ships entering the Bay returned passengers to the routine of daily life.
Daily life. That’s what Wendy could no longer tolerate. Living had been a daily adventure until she married the man of her dreams. Jonas was sophisticated, handsome, wealthy, and smart—everything she wanted and deserved. She, herself, was accomplished, just not rich. She’d been a university professor and lived life on her terms. She called the shots—when to get up, what to do, where to go, who to see. Every day, she did what made sense for her. Then she met Jonas. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the Author:

The Story
1. What hooked you first — the thriller plot, or the revelation about how prescription drugs actually work? Was there a moment early on where you thought, "Wait, is this real?"
2. Did you find yourself Googling anything while you read? What surprised you most about the science — or about the industry?
3. How did the scientific elements (pharmacogenomics, genetic testing, drug response) enhance—or challenge—your experience as a reader?
4. Did the blending of real science with fiction make the story more compelling or more unsettling?
5. Which scientific concept and which facts in the book surprised you the most?

Main Characters
1. If Jonas had channeled his rage into advocacy instead of murder, do you think anything would have changed? What does the book suggest about whether the system can be changed from the outside?
2. She's an insider — an FDA epidemiologist — using the system to discover and find a mass killer. How did you feel about her as a hero? Did her scientific background or position within the FDA position make her more or less trustworthy to you as a reader?

The Implications
1. Think about the medications you, your parents, or your kids have been prescribed. Has a drug ever inexplicably failed you, or caused unexpected side effects? After reading this book, do you see those experiences differently?
2. If your doctor offered you a pharmacogenomic test tomorrow — one that could tell you which drugs would work for your specific genome — would you take it? What would you be afraid to find out?
3. The book argues that medicine has treated us all as the same patient for decades. Where else in your life have you been on the wrong end of a "one size fits all" approach — in
4. Medical thrillers have a long tradition of using fiction to expose real dangers — think Robin Cook, Michael Crichton. Did this book change anything about how you'll healthcare or anywhere else? Approach your own healthcare? Will you ask your doctor about genetic testing?
5. The author offers a free download Goldilocks Drugs & Genes—One Person’s 10-Step Guide to Personalized Medicine (www.ElizabethReedAden.com). The pamphlet is a which is “how-to” guide to take your 23&Me or Ancestry DNA results and determine whether your genes are “just right”, “too little”, or “too much” for the 80% of prescription drugs. Has your interest been piqued sufficiently to explore your drug:gene interactions?

Responsibility & Credibility
1. Who do you hold most responsible for the problem at the heart of this book: the pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, practicing physicians, or all of the above? Did the novel change your answer?
2. The author spent her career inside the industry she's critiquing. Does that make the book feel like a confession, a warning, or both? Did you trust her more or less because of it?

What If…
1. If you could put this book in the hands of one person — a policymaker, a CEO, a doctor, a patient — who would it be, and what do you hope they'd do differently afterward?

Weblinks

»	Publisher's book info
»	Author's website
»	Book DNA
»	The Genome Killer Podcast
»	Reader's favorite Book Review

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 0 of 0 members.

Member Reviews

There are no user reviews at this time.
Rate this book