The focus of my blog is to review book series and not individual novels. But writers are going to continue writing novels within a series even after I have done my review, so I plan on reviewing the individual novels as they come into circulation.  Bette Golden Lamb and J.J. Lamb have recently added book #7, Bone Slice to the Gina Mazzio series.

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Bone Slice begins with Gina and Harry coming back from their honeymoon only to be immediately sent out on a mission for Ridgewood Hospital. The assignment is to check out the surgical robotics unit at Oceanside Hospital in Santa Cruz and evaluate if it is something that Ridgewood should explore. Of course, Gina Mazzio can’t go too far before she runs into a serial killer and her stay at Oceanside Hospital is not an exception.

With Bone Slice the Lambs have changed from an inverted detective format, which has dominated the series to more of a whodunit, as several characters are introduced that could potentially be the villain. I find it to be a refreshing change. However, I was disappointed that the recent marriage between Gina and Harry was not the backdrop in this story, as it has been six books leading up to this point, it would have been nice to be a part of it. But on the bright side, there is a new revelation that should add a boost to the series.

The main theme of Bone Slice is the ethical use of robotics in medicine. Robotics have already been introduced to the hospital setting, such as the use in clinical laboratories and the use of the Di Vinci system or laparoscopic surgery in some surgical situations. I have mixed feelings about using robotics in medicine. As indicated in Bone Slice, robotics could have some important downsides, such as hacking and the lack of human contact. Yet at the same time, robotics have some significant advantages such as greater precision, reduction of error, and faster recovery times. Nonetheless, robotics is coming to a hospital near you whether you like it or not.

Overall Bone Slice is a fun read, but it may give you a second thought about having that hernia surgery done anytime soon.

To learn more about the series check out the Gina Mazzio series.