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The Practice Baby

L.M. Ardor

3.22 · Rating details · 68 ratings · 45 reviews

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Kindle Edition, 410 pages

Published October 11th 2018 by Critical Mass

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· 68 ratings · 45 reviews

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Oct 08, 2018 Monica rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

There was a lot of potential in this story... the plot just never develops enough along one path to make it enjoyable. The mystery was disjointed and I wasn’t sure about who was the villain until closer to the conclusion. I was truly happy to finally be at the end!

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Nov 14, 2018 ♥ Sandi ❣ rated it liked it

Shelves: debut, netgalley-digital, mystery, z-closed-5000-books-2018, cultural, kindle, contemporary

3 stars Thanks to NetGalley and Critical Mass for allowing me to read this. Published October 11, 2018.

In Practice Baby we are introduced to a young couple, Tom and Leah, wanting to get genetic testing prior to getting pregnant due to autism in the family. Tom's regular doctor, Dr Dee, refers them to a colleague, one she had briefly dated while in college herself. This colleague, Adam, runs a genetic testing site that caters to an exclusive group of parents to be. Tom, after going to this referr ...more

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Nov 18, 2018 Zoe Mann rated it liked it

I always find it so hard to write reviews for books I have rated 3 stars as I don’t have the same passion I have when I love/hate a book.

‘The practise baby’ by LM Ardor was a hard read for me. By hard read I don’t mean it had sensitive topics, I mean I literally had to give myself a prep talk just to get through it. I can’t pinpoint what it was about the writing that made it so difficult to read but it just seemed so unnecessarily difficult.

I still rated 3 stars as I enjoyed the characters and ...more

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Sep 13, 2018 Brenda Walters rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Practice Baby has murder, intrigue and at heart a love story. Dee has so many struggles including being a single Mom, a busy medical practice and trying to solve Tom’s murder. It is a captivating book which I truly enjoyed. I wish she and Raj could have connected before the end of the book, but I choose to believe the’ll get their HEA!

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Sep 28, 2018 peggy rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

This book had so much promise.
It did grab me at first but I soon lost interest.
It became very predictable and I really struggled to finish it.
The writing was good in places.
This is definitely not a book for me.
I would like to thank the author L M Ardor, publisher and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

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Oct 14, 2018 Lis Carey rated it really liked it

Dee Flanery is a gp, with three kids, an ex-husband who has remarried and had twins, and a thriving practice whose patients include Tom, the first of her "practice babies," a person who has been her patient since birth, now in his mid-twenties. He's on the autism spectrum, calls himself "an Aspie," and has a tendency to be obsessive in ways that benefit both his career as a computer security expert, and the management of his potentially dangerous asthma.

When Tom doesn't show up for an appointmen Dee Flanery is a gp, with three kids, an ex-husband who has remarried and had twins, and a thriving practice whose patients include Tom, the first of her "practice babies," a person who has been her patient since birth, now in his mid-twenties. He's on the autism spectrum, calls himself "an Aspie," and has a tendency to be obsessive in ways that benefit both his career as a computer security expert, and the management of his potentially dangerous asthma.

When Tom doesn't show up for an appointment, it's out of character and very worrying. His mother doesn't always have the best judgment, but is a devoted mother, and when she can't get the police to take her missing persons report seriously, she asks Dee to help.

When they finally get the police to do, what in the US is called a wellness check, though I didn't see that term in this book set in Australia, Tom is dead. A man who was obsessive about managing his asthma has apparently died of an asthma attack.
Dee doesn't believe it. Tom's girlfriend, Leah, with whom he was planning to have a baby, also does not believe it.

With the police unwilling to investigate--the autopsy came back with a finding of natural causes, so there's from their viewpoint nothing to investigate, Dee and a mutual friend of Dee and Tom, Raj, another computer security expert and Tom's former employer, decide they have to do it on their own.

But where to start? What's the motive? Tom had a large insurance policy, but the beneficiaries are Leah and Tom's severely autistic brother Charlie. Skye is a loving, devoted mother, and Leah shows every sign of being someone who genuinely doesn't care about money.

Then Leah disappears. And Skye's live-in boyfriend, Glen, seems devoted to Skye, but might well think of that money as potentially taking the burden of Charlie's care off of Sophie and himself.

Yet there's also the genetics researcher who helps couples with the money to have genetically healthy babies. Tom and Leah had been seeing him, on a referral from Dee, because while a baby with Tom's issues is one thing, a severely autistic child like Charlie is another. Adam Fairborn is the best there is for what they want, even if he is rather cold and lacking in people skills.

And Tom, with his obsessiveness and attention to detail, decided to check Fairborn out. Leah, before she vanished, suggested he'd found something troubling.

There's a lot going on here, and I haven't even touched on Dee and Raj, or Dee and her children. Or the police who don't really take a female professional with relevant expertise on the medical condition of the deceased seriously.

It's interesting and worth a read.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily. ...more

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Sep 19, 2018 Danielle rated it really liked it

Dee is a gp and single mother whose husband has left her for a student 30 years her junior and moved to the city. Tom is her patient, a reliable patient who is always on time, with a predisposition for Asperger's syndrome. One morning he doesn't turn up for his appointment. This Is unsettling to Dee; she has known Tom for twenty five years, from five days after he was born (one of her 'practice babies') - he has never been late or missed an appointment, except when he was an infant, when he was ...more

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Sep 20, 2018 Laura rated it liked it · review of another edition

The practice baby by Ardor has the potential for so much more than what it was. The beginning of the story kept my attention for some time but then it started to lose me. When I finally got to a point that I was back on track it became way too predictable. Maybe it was just me and I have become used to stories where it is hard to figure out whodunnit but either way this one really could have been so much better.

3 out of 5 stars

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Sep 01, 2018 Klf Barrett rated it did not like it

Took 2 weeks to try to read this book, but I just couldn’t finish it.

Main plot is about a doctor believing her adult patient didn’t die of an acute asthma attack. Dr Dee is a single mum with 2 kids. But she is focused on this one patient

I didn’t understand the title for this book either. Is it A practice baby or A PRACTICE, Baby?

I could not get emotionally involved in any of the characters. Not even the main one. I felt frustrated most of the read and after reading 2/3 rds of it just gave up. S ...more

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Sep 04, 2020 Linda rated it liked it

Shelves: finished

I tried really hard to like this book, but it just really fell short for me. The characters weren't well defined and the story just didn't get there. Some people may like the story, but it just wasn't for me. I had to force myself to finish reading it. ...more

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Sep 09, 2018 Diane rated it liked it · review of another edition

The Practice Baby by author LM Ardor is a murder mystery which had so much potential! Dr. Dee loves her practice as a GP and feels a connection with the patients she has treated since their birth. She has an endearing patient, Tom who has suffered from acute asthma since childhood. Tom is also extremely intelligent although he is diagnosed with borderline Aspbergers Syndrome. She becomes obsessed with the reason for his sudden death. Dr. Dee seems one dimensional and I could not believe how easi ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Sanah Yousif rated it liked it

Just finished reading The Practice Baby and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. It’s about a GP who believes her patient Tom didn’t die of an asthma attack but was murdered instead. She’ll go to any length to prove her point. The suspense and the pace was good but can be very predictable. Everyone and their dead grandma knew who the killer was except for our main character Dr. Dee. I honestly found her to be pretty annoying and had a hard time feeling any remorse for her. I wanted to shout a ...more

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Nov 18, 2018 Jeanette rated it liked it

This was what i would call an 'ok' read. The story was interesting, but did somewhat drag on in parts and i had to put the book down now and again before i started to lose interest. Although it wasn't a book for me, there are others who may enjoy more than i did.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, which i have freely given. ...more

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Sep 19, 2020 A Allen rated it did not like it

I don’t think I can count the ways I hated this book. This list is not exhaustive. I’ve broken things into 5 categories and tried to include only the things I found most irksome.

Part 1: Dee Is A Creep

Dr Dee is weirdly possessive of one of her patients from the very beginning. It is to the point that Dr Dee experiences a "flash of disappointment that she didn't have her baby to herself" when her 25-year-old patient asks to bring his partner back for his doctor appointment. Dr Dee has never spent ...more

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Mar 23, 2019 Hana Correa rated it liked it

Dee Flanery is a practicing doctor with a practice in Australia. Her practice revolves around a large group of stable patients, many of whom she has seen for years. None of her patients are more personal to her than Tom. A 25 year old asthmatic with Asperger’s. Tom has been a patient of Dee’s since he was 5 days old. He grew up in front of her eyes. Perhaps because of this, Dee has a special affection for Tom, and she feels like she knows him in a way.

When Consistent, reliable Tom fails to make Dee Flanery is a practicing doctor with a practice in Australia. Her practice revolves around a large group of stable patients, many of whom she has seen for years. None of her patients are more personal to her than Tom. A 25 year old asthmatic with Asperger’s. Tom has been a patient of Dee’s since he was 5 days old. He grew up in front of her eyes. Perhaps because of this, Dee has a special affection for Tom, and she feels like she knows him in a way.

When Consistent, reliable Tom fails to make his appointment one day, Dee feels a sense of foreboding immediately. When phone calls to Tom go unanswered and Tom’s mother calls the practice in a frantic state saying she can’t find Tom either, Dee knows feels compelled to act. She calls in a welfare check at Tom’s apartment. Tom’s mother, Dee and Tom’s girlfriend Leah approach the apartment with the police. Their worst fears are soon confirmed when Tom Is found deceased in the apartment. All signs point to an asthmatic episode that got out of control. An autopsy quickly confirms an asthmatic episode triggered by an allergen. Dee knows that Tom was too obsessive about his medications to suffer a deadly asthmatic episode and despite what the police say, she feels she owes it to Tom to investigate his death. Dee enlists the help of Raj, Tom’s former boss, and a good friend, and together they launch a private investigation into anyone who could have a motive to get rid of Tom. Secrets;however, like to stay buried and the more Dee and Raj dig, the crazier Dee starts to look. Soon, Dee finds herself in a precarious position with her sanity being challenged and her stability as a physician called into question.
In order to save face and find justice for Tom, Dee must find Tom’s murderer and ensure that he sees justice. The story was interesting enough to keep my attention. I did find the villain of the tale a little hollow. His motivations and character development are lacking a little for me. Dee is an intriguing heroine being that she is middle aged and not involved regularly in detective work or sleuthing in any way. The story does read as the ultimate life nightmare as Dee’s life slowly unravels as she follows the path of breadcrumbs that will lead to unmasking a killer. ...more

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Oct 30, 2018 Margaret Palmer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: crime-fiction

I really enjoyed this. It is certainly an absolute nailbiter. I found it literally unputdownable, especially towards the end.

I think people who enjoy Australian author Gabrielle Lord’s Gemma Lincoln books would like The Practice Baby. There are parallels. Gemma Lincoln is actually a PI but Lord brings out similar family issues and complications in Lincoln’s life. Also, I think the author’s writing style is somewhat similar. Deborah Crombie is another crime writer whose books remind me of this. ...more

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Feb 21, 2019 Crina Virgona rated it it was amazing

I was captivated by Dr Dee. She is such a flawed individual but she is also very grounded and I was totally immersed in tracking her wobbly course through her bothered relationships with her children and sometimes with herself. Her life is delicately balanced between the demands of her work, her children and her obsessive determination to prove that her patient, Tom, had indeed been murdered. Her alcohol consumption might seem to undermine her efforts, but remarkably, she prevails. The plot reac ...more

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Oct 21, 2018 Alison rated it liked it · review of another edition

Dee, a GP, has known Tom since he was a baby and has come to consider him as another child and nothing but punctual and meticulous. Because he suffered from asthma she saw him regularly and knew his neuroses well. When Tom misses an appointment with her and his brother's birthday, she and his mother are worried. With the help of the police, they gain access to his apartment and discover him dead.
The police rule his death due to natural causes related to his asthma, but Dee refuses to accept this ...more

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Aug 25, 2019 Janelle Trees rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of thrillers and crime fiction

Well-written page-turner. When the protagonist is haunted by the murder of her patient, she is stigmatized as paranoid. Her livelihood and reputation are threatened. And then her life is threatened in a tense pursuit.
I loved the evocation of Sydney and the mountains in New South Wales. I've lived in those places, but the scenes portrayed will occupy the imagination of a reader from anywhere in the world.
I'm a GP myself. Ardour's portrayal of the pressures and delights of the work is moving and h ...more

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Oct 02, 2018 Siobhan Mullany rated it it was amazing

The Practice Baby is a thriller where the protagonist, Dr Dee, risks her reputation, her career, friendships, family and ultimately her life to stand up for the truth. What makes the story compelling are the characters. Dr Dee is determined but sometimes you want to throttle her. Her kids are good kids but frustrating - as kids are. Her patients have the complexity that can only come from the author's own experience. The girlfriend of Tom, the practice baby, is a complex character - difficult to ...more

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Oct 20, 2018 harplady rated it really liked it

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this title.

The Practice Baby, an Australian title, provides some interesting differences in the medical systems of two countries. A dedicated general practice physician who would be an anomaly in America, because she actually knows her patients. One of her patients with Aspergers' Syndrome is found dead. Our doctor knows him well enough first to suspect and then to know that he did not commit suicide, as the police and others try to convince her. But now she mos ...more

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Feb 08, 2019 Denice Langley rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is the first book by this author that I have read. As the first book in a planned series, the author must set the back stories of the characters. This often causes the book to have slower sections, as did this one. The overall story was good, not a theme/topic I had come across before so I found it interesting. When a patient in good health suddenly dies, a good doctor should raise questions. That her questions had many consequences leads the doctor...and the readers...into an unusual story ...more

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Sep 16, 2018 Kim rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

This was a painfully bad and predictable read. It was obvious from the beginning exactly how the whole story would play out. No real suspense or mystery. Also the lead character was weirdly obsessed with thinking people were gay or remarking how people could be gay. The whole thing was quite uncomfortable to read.

What kind of GP refers a patient and their 19 year old partner for potential ivf and gene therapy? Ridiculous.

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Feb 24, 2019 Kelly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a book you won’t be able to put down. . It has everything a reader expects to find in a thriller, and more." ...more

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Oct 02, 2018 Mommy Reads rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018-reads

Thank you NetGalley and L M Ardor for the electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Here’s a synopsis: Dee is a GP and has a deep emotional connection to one of her patients. Tom has been her patient since he was born and he is never late to his appointments. He has a predisposition for Asperger’s syndrome. One morning, he doesn’t make it to his appointment and Dee finds out he is dead. According to the autopsy report, Tom died of an acute asthma attack, but Dee is positive he was murder ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 Joan Gray rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Set in Australia, General Practitioner Dee Flanary risks her career by investigating the death of her life long patient, Tom, who has both Aspergers and is an asthmatic, despite the police and coroner dismissing her concerns of possible murder. She uncovers several tragic supposedly accidental deaths and a link to her own past. The BMA are on the verge of taking away her license to practice labelling her psychotic. After the death of Tom’s naive young girl friend, Leah, she is forced to confront ...more

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Nov 01, 2018 Pam rated it liked it

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The character, Dr. Dee Flanary, was very likeable and very determined to find the cause of her young patient’s death. Along with her friend, Raj, they dig deeper into the mysterious death and the more involved they get, the more dangerous things become. The ending of this book leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
For a book this long, it would have been satisfying to bring all the questions posed, to a conclusion.

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Jun 26, 2020 Dr. Claudia Contessini rated it it was amazing

Intriguing plot, and I loved the characters, especially the protagonist GP Dr Dee. I was fascinated by her thought processes as she set her doctor's mind to the task of unravelling the mystery of her longtime patient's death, and found her persistence in the face of often frightening obstacles inspiring. I'm delighted to discover this is the first of a trilogy - can't wait to read more from this wonderful first-time author. ...more

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Dec 12, 2018 Beverly Egan rated it it was ok

Tom A young man with chronic severe asthma is found dead is it accident or is it murder? This book dragged for me I found it repetitious at timrs . The premise was great and I hope the subsequent book in the trilogy are much better.
#NetGalley #Amazon #goodreads
BE ladyedan ladyedan62

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