My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Provocative and haunting!
The Organ Broker is a provocative and haunting dark thriller by author Deven Greene and explores the moral issues involved with harvesting the organs of death row prisoners after execution. Crystal and Derek Rigler formed and led the grassroots organization known as STOP (Stop Transplants of Organs from Prisoners), a group opposing the practice on ethical grounds. While the handsome and charming Derek is the face of the growing movement, his wife Crystal is the hidden soul of the group, planning and organizing their activities and crafting the inspirational speeches Derek gives voice to. Many members of the young Texas-based group oppose the death penalty as well but support the legitimate process by which organ donations are matched with the neediest recipients. However, a journalist who supports their work has uncovered an ugly truth about the prisoner organ donation process; they do not follow this equitable system but rather are siphoned off to the sick friends and family of the wealthy or political cronies. To Crystal and Derek, the morality of the situation is black and white, or at least it was until their daughter falls ill and is in desperate need of a liver transplant, with her time running out.
Crystal Rigler is a very relatable character: a wife in a bad marriage and a mother caught in a no-win situation. Derek is a narcissistic man-child out to fulfill his own selfish desires, working the system and conning his wife with his lies about everything he's doing. Crystal knows he's cheating on her; he's practically flaunting his infidelities with their young female volunteers in her face, yet she still tells herself she loves him when she contemplates divorce. She knows she's being played and continues to put off deciding to change her life for the better.The plot slowly reveals the state of the Rigler marriage and the magnitude of Derek's betrayals, and just when you think it couldn't get any worse, it does. Watching their relationship was like watching the proverbial trainwreck; I couldn't look away, nor could I put this riveting book down. The stakes get astronomically higher with the discovery of Cordelia's impending liver failure and the choices they will have to make to save her life.
With its engaging, sympathetic female main character, despicable, morally bankrupt villain, and desperate choices, I recommend THE ORGAN BROKER to thriller readers who enjoy stories with a medical theme or moral dilemmas.I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.
