I must admit to being riveted and intrigued by the Embryo series which largely takes place in a hospital setting - each book being medical thrillers. I grew to like the characters of intern, Dr. Jill Raney, and Dr. David Levine who work together in the obstetrics department and soon fall in love - but there wasn't much time for romance. All too soon, Jill became suspicious of the goings-on at the hospital. Babies and expectant mothers were dying when they had, by all appearances, experienced normal pregnancies until the time of delivery.

Jill runs into opposition as she determines to discover the truth behind the series of events - stopping at nothing to get to the truth which puts both her and Dr. Levine in a compromising position, praying for the lives. I won't say more because I don't want to ruin the story, should you decide to read it, but I will say that, as soon as I finished reading the last page of this book, I had to begin reading the sequel.

The ending of Embryo brought about a nightmare of its own as, in Embryo 2: Crosshairs, Jill and David have become instant celebrities. One person has a vendetta against them, though - intending to kill them and a six-month-old baby who hasn't even been born, a baby who has captured the hearts of everyone who has seen him.

As the body counts of women pile up, Jill and David soon discover they are personal messages. They assist the police in trying to capture the person responsible having no idea how harrowing the situation would become.

It's a gripping book which is sure to hold your attention; Embryo 2: Crosshairs will keep you turning pages until you find out what happens at the end.

Of course, happiness only lasts for a season - especially for Jill and David. They have grown attached to newborn baby, Jesse, and in the third book, Embryo 3: Raney & Levine, they are at odds about what to do about him. They both love him but, though Jill wants to adopt him, David fears it would be a disaster with their popularity - that Jesse would never have a chance at living a normal life if they brought him home.

It isn't long before they realize they and Jesse - even the entire hospital - is a target for a religious zealot who believes Jesse to be "the devil's spawn" and the hospital, "the devil's workshop."

As the story unfolds, suspicions mount, only to be ruled out as the people you suspect become victims. It's a page turner which provides the answers you seek, even a happy ending, but we know those happy endings only last for a while in J.A. Schneider's Embryo series.

In general, people feel more comfortable traveling about in pairs at night; that's not the case in Embryo 4: Catch Me. At the beginning of the book, I was introduced to "The Couples' Killer" who always managed to stay a step ahead of the police.

While all of this was going on, Doctors Jill Raney and David Levine were psyching themselves up for a symposium. They knew their adopted son, Jesse, was different from other babies; he was created by a genius and had been secretly placed in a man-made uterus. Upon discovery, it gave those who came into contact with Jesse the opportunity to interact with him - to actually see how babies appear at various stages before birth.

Despite their understanding that researchers and medical professionals wanted to see Jesse, with "The Couples' Killer" having set his focus on them - threatening to kill each of them for stealing his limelight in the media - they are filled with trepidation about attending the symposium, regardless of the assurances they've received.

I must commend J.A. Schneider in crafting a villain who kept me glued to the pages. I was fascinated with the way he always seemed to stay one step ahead of the police. As the story unfolded, new developments kept me equally interested. I look forward to reading the fifth book to see where that story leads.

If you would like to visit these books' pages on Amazon, please click the corresponding link/s:

Embryo, Embryo 2: Crosshairs, Embryo 3: Raney & Levine and Embryo 4: Catch Me.