Could I Have This Dance?

Claire McCall is used to fighting back against the odds. Hard work, aptitude, and sheer determination have helped her rise from adverse circumstances to an internship in one of the nation's most competitive surgical residencies. But talent and tenacity mean nothing in the face of the discovery that is about to rock her world.

It's called the 'Stoney Creek Curse' by folks in the small mountain town where Claire grew up. Behind the superstition lies a reality that could destroy her career. But getting to the truth is far from easy in a community with secrets to hide. As a web of relationships becomes increasingly tangled, two things become apparent. One is that more than one person doesn't want Claire to probe too deeply into the 'Stoney Creek Curse.' The other is that someone has reasons other than the curse for wanting Claire out of the picture permanently.

Somewhere in the course of pursuing her career as a surgeon, Claire lost touch with the God who called her to it. Now she realizes how desperately she needs him. But can she reclaim a faith strong enough to see her through this deadly dance of circumstances?

Claire McCall is used to fighting back against the odds; after discovering her father has Huntington's Disease, Claire is afraid to test herself and possibly lose her internship at the hospital. While Claire moves from trying to win God's favor to a realization of his grace, her engagement dissolves, she fights a malpractice suit, and she finds someone wants her dead.

Publishers Weekly

Dr. Claire McCall is on a mission to discover the truth behind the Stoney Creek curse in Kraus's sixth book, a well-written medical thriller with romantic and inspirational overtones. Claire puts the backwards town of Stoney Creek, Va., and her "cursed" alcoholic father, Wally, behind her as she begins a grueling medical internship at Lafayette University Hospital near Boston. Yet as her father exhibits classic signs of Huntington's disease (or "the dance" in medical slang, from which the title is gleaned), Claire wonders whether the legendary curse might be due to genetics, rather than superstition or alcoholism. Fearing for her future, she turns up information that leads to puzzlement over her and her twin brother Clay's paternity. As her world crashes around her, Claire becomes confused about her faith and ponders how a loving God could orchestrate her disastrous circumstances. Claire is fallible and multidimensional, and the narrative palatably combines suspense, medical instruction, romance, humor and faith. However, like many recent CBA novels, this one is too long, and a little judicious editing might have smoothed the pacing in spots. Reader credibility will also be stretched when Claire shares a great deal of personal information with hunky intern Brett Daniels, or a little too conveniently keeps stumbling over her undergraduate genetics project, which holds clues to her present dilemma. However, Kraus's experience as a general surgeon lends authenticity to his medical descriptions, and the curveball conclusion makes the long read worthwhile. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Harry Lee Kraus, MD, (www.cuttingedgefiction.com) is the bestselling author of ten books, including Could I Have This Dance? For the Rest of My Life, and All I'll Ever Need. He draws from his career as a board-certified general surgeon to flavor his writing with exceptional authenticity and technical knowledge. He and his wife, Kris, are missionaries serving in East Africa.