When teenager Merrit Strait is admitted to hospital following an attempted suicide, psychologist Alan Gregory takes on the case. Meanwhile Merrit's sister lies in hospital near death where only experimental treatment might save her. When a body is found, evidence mounts implicating Merrit. In his sixth suspense novel, White (Remote Control, and his protagonist psychologist Alan Gregory take on managed healthcare and come up with another compulsive read. A 15-year-old girl attempts suicide and turns mute, her two-year-old sister is dying from a rare disease while her health insurer won't pay for expensive experimental treatment, and the doctor who heads the insurance company is found shot to death. While Gregory treats the teenager and consults with police, his cop friend Sam Purdy (an in-law of principals in the case) has to keep his distance, and complications mount. White ties up all the loose ends, concerning death threats, blackmail, murder, extortion, and suicide, after a spine-tingling chase through the conveyor system of the new Denver airport.When Dr. Alan Gregory is called to ICU on an emergency, he finds himself in the heart of a medical tragedy. Fifteen-year-old Merritt Strait lies clinging to life after a suicide attempt. She is the stepsister of Chaney Strait, a little girl with a fatal heart condition who's making headlines because her managed-care provider has turned down the experimental treatment that could save her life The case takes a deadly turn as a wealthy executive of the family's HMO is found dead--and Alan discovers shocking evidence linking Merritt to his death. But while Alan searches for answers, Merritt refuses to speak--and time is running out for Chaney. With searing authenticity and a plot right out of today's headlines, Critical Conditions is a stunning portrait of how far people will go in the name of love. It is Stephen White at his mesmerizing best.