The First Harm

By: Steven Piskula

Narrated by: Sara Van Beckum

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

WINNER - BEST MEDICAL THRILLER - Independent Press Award 2023
WINNER - BEST MEDICAL THRILLER - National Indie Excellence Awards 2023
WINNER - Literary Titan Book Award

A first-year medical student determined to do everything right...discovers something very wrong. Now somebody wants her dead.

Tanna Christensen spent countless hours planning for her first gross anatomy dissection, but nothing could have prepared her for what she’s found. Beneath her scalpel lies a cadaver riddled with disturbing genetic abnormalities—evidence pointing to an unthinkable crime.

Tanna believes her discovery is the tip of a terrifying secret that goes far deeper than a single corpse. But when her investigation leads to a brutal murder, a lethal cover-up threatens to destroy the future she once dreamed of.

And now she’s the next target.

Afraid and on the run, Tanna must expose the truth before more lives are lost—including her own. Or is it already too late?

The First Harm is a fast-paced thrill ride with surprising twists that will captivate fans of A.G. Riddle, Robin Cook, CJ Lyons, Dan Alatorre, and Michael Crichton. Grab your copy now!

©2022 Steven Piskula (P)2023 Steven Piskula

Great Book!!

Exciting thriller with a twist ending I did not see coming!
Great audio narration and overall great book!

Not Very Medical

This book is touted as a medical thriller. There are connections to medicine but the “thriller” part is never realized. It is more a chase thriller with lots of “Will they get away or not?” and “Who’s out to get them now?” but very little medical drama. The only real potential medical excitement is hinted at throughout the book but is never delivered.

Also I found the narrator’s choices for the various character voices were odd.

Great modern thriller!

I was kept on the edge with this very interesting thriller that mixes a suspenseful bio engineering theme with a great original love story

Great Story! Excellent Narration!

I loved it! The book is captivating, fast-paced with many unexpected twists and turns. It was riveting from the beginning to the end, where the tension was positively palpable. I couldn't stop listening. The storyline is suspenseful with dynamic characters that get stronger as the story unfolds.

Sara Van Beckum is an amazing narrator. She brought the characters to life with distinct voices and a range of emotion that totally immersed me in the story. It's hard to imagine one person did it all. I can't wait to hear more from her.

A First rate, scary good, medical thriller!

Tanya Christiansen wants more than anything to be a doctor, but when she finds some strange abnormalities in her assigned cadaver, nefarious entities aplenty seem determined to see that dream, and Tanya, evaporated…. Engrossing, frighteningly possible and powerfully character driven, “The First Harm” is a first rate, scary good medical thriller! The twists just kept coming, and the ending, WOW, so unexpected! I was stunned! No spoilers, there is no way I’m going to ruin THAT gem of a surprise for anyone, but I have to say I was shocked silent by its brilliance! I was also unbelievably impressed by the character development as the story progressed, and how my feelings about the characters changed as the story played out. Every once in a while a story comes along that really leaves a mark on the listener, one that’s hard to erase without a lot of soul searching and further thought. This is that story and this listener’s still rubbing at that mark. Five brilliant stars!

Action Packed and Captivating!

This was my first Steven Piskula's book. This is an entertaining medical thriller, filled with danger, mystery, action,and twists and turns. The story is told from multiple POVs. The storyline is complex, fast-paced, and intriguing. Sara Van Beckum did a great job bringing this story to life. I enjoyed it. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A Bit Cliched

I'm an RN, so I love almost any fiction story with a medical or nursing element. I particularly enjoy medical thrillers, especially when it’s about emerging science. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite feel like a real “medical thriller” to me. Rather, it's a thriller with a medical backdrop. I also thought much of it felt cliched, like how the female medical students were treated and how medical school was portrayed. (Not accurate from what I heard of my nephew’s experience.) Thrillers often stretch the boundaries of believability, but this one pushed them to the breaking point, at least in my eyes. The way things devolved for the heroine and her small band of cohorts just didn't seem anything close to what would or could actually happen in real life. The best fiction at least has some anchoring in reality. This book didn’t have such moorings. As you might be able to tell, I didn't enjoy this audiobook.