Day: February 5, 2025

Mystery, Suspense, and Organ Trafficking: Exploring the Depths of Cristina LePort’s ‘Change of Heart’

‘Change of Heart’ is the exciting new medical thriller by Cristina LePort. Photo: Amazon

After Amy Winter, a promising young medical student is found dead, Detective Kirk Miner is called to the scene and quickly uncovers a chilling conspiracy involving organ donations and high-stakes crime. As the investigation unfolds, Miner realizes the case is far more complex and dangerous than it initially seemed.

FBI Agent Jack Mulville and Special Agent Charlotte Bloom join forces with Miner to find Amy’s killer. Together, they unravel a web of corruption, revealing that her death is connected to a ruthless organ trafficking ring. Her death triggers an investigation that pulls Miner, Mulville, and Bloom into a labyrinth of deceit and desperation. As they dig deeper, they discover that Amy’s heart is not just a donor’s gift but a coveted prize in a deadly game controlled by criminals willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden, revealing the lengths to which people will go to secure life-saving transplants. Amidst the danger, they face moral dilemmas and personal risks, pushing them to their limits as they strive to protect innocent lives and dismantle a powerful criminal network.

Review:

“Change of Heart” by Cristina LePort is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that unearths the dark world of organ trafficking, exploring the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding life-saving transplants. The story follows Det. Kirk Miner, FBI Agent Jack Mulville, and Special Agent Charlotte Bloom, as they investigate this unusual case and bring their own unique skills and motivations to the pursuit of justice. As they uncover a network of illegal organ trade, they are forced to navigate dangerous alliances and face tough choices about what is right and what is necessary for survival.

The narrative is full of suspense, where the stakes grow higher with every twist. With relatable characters that are well-developed, their personal stakes—whether it’s a search for redemption, vengeance, or justice—add emotional depth to the story. Special Agent Charlotte Bloom is naive but determined to make it as an FBI agent, even if it puts her life in danger. By exploring the lengths to which people will go for a lifesaving transplant, it is thought-provoking and disturbing. The plot twist at the end took me by surprise but it explains so much.

Right from the beginning, I was hooked by the descriptive language used to describe the damage done to Amy’s head by the bullet: “The bullet carrying Amy Winter’s name whooshed through her hair at a speed of fifteen hundred feet per second, burned a jagged hole into her smooth 24-year-old flesh, burst through the thin layer of her temporal muscle, and shattered the temporal bone.” The author’s medical knowledge gives it an authentic voice.

Overall, “Change of Heart” is a compelling and intense medical thriller that will resonate with anyone interested in the intersection of crime, morality, and the human condition. It explores the themes of power and corruption, family, and identity while tackling complex issues like the value of human life and the gray ethical areas in medical practices, making readers question the price of survival. I recommend it for fans of medical dramas and suspenseful thrillers by authors such as Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell, and Michael Palmer.

“A jagged, irregular line, like a drawing by a shaking hand. Her heart wouldn’t beat or squeeze any longer. Her heart muscle would just wiggle – flaccid, without power. She was going to die.”

Rating: 4 out of 5.

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.

Groovy Vibes and Twangy Tunes: Joel Timmons’ Psychedelic Surf Country

Joel Timmons takes bad dreams and turns them into rock and roll with new single End of the Empire from his forthcoming new album Psychedelic Surf Country. Photo: Joel Timmons

Charleston, SC – Joel Timmons is a dynamic songwriter, musician, and journeyman. Growing up on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, Timmons developed a deep connection to both music and the ocean, influences that permeate his artistic work. His early years were marked by a passion for surfing and a love for music, cultivated in part by his mother, a photographer and park ranger at Fort Moultrie, a vibrant local arts scene, and a close community of aspiring young musicians. The lead vocalist and guitarist for Sol Driven Train, founded by Timmons and his friends during college in 2000, Timmons also plays guitar with Maya de Vitry and makes music with his life-partner and wife, Shelby Means, under the name Sally & George. Psychedelic Surf Country, out February 7, marks the long-time collaborator’s first solo-work. (IV PR, 2025)

Within the patchwork of Joel Timmons’ debut solo album, Psychedelic Surf Country, lies a kaleidoscopic view of the career sideman and band leader’s striking self-awareness. Both in lyricism and musicality, Timmons has adopted an easy-going and reflective view of the world, creating unencumbered and accessible songs from even the most left-field subjects like lighting old Christmas trees ablaze, the highway patrol K9 who paid his band a visit between tour stops, and the tight jeans and Stetson hats that took over his former neighborhood. But it’s in the heavier subject matter, like his latest single, End of the Empire, where Timmons’ upbeat musical attitude shines.

“My wife, Shelby Means, started writing this song on a small boat in the Virgin Islands while surfers rode waves across a nearby reef,” remembers Timmons. It sounds picturesque, but the initial idea brought about an undercurrent of influence from a wildly different place. “My recurring dreams of doom and nightmares of being hunted by an unknown predator—as well as a sense of apocalyptic loss—figured into the co-write.” Ethereal and dreamy from the onset, End of the Empire floats between images of inescapable crashing waves and desperate hiding, looking for escape, but it might take listeners a couple of passes to recognize these as the song itself feels uplifting and borderline anthemic; a testament to Timmons’ positive spin. With the help of Psychedelic Surf Country producer Maya de Vitry, End of the Empire turns into a huge wash of harmonies and a wall of rhythm section. “The recording ended up being a rocker,” says Timmons, “and the guitar is howling.”

Fans can stream and purchase End of the Empire, check out the premiere on Glide Magazine, listen to Timmons’ previously-released singles, The Swimming Song, Guitars, Guns, and Pickup Trucks, Turbo, and The Bullfighter featuring Shovels & Rope’s Cary Ann Hearst, at their respective links, and pre-order or pre-save Psychedelic Surf Country ahead of its February 7th release.

Psychedelic Surf Country tracklist:
Just A Man
Turbo
The Bullfighter
Guitars, Guns, and Pickup Trucks
Edge of the Empire
Cottage by the Sea
Say It To My Face
The Swimming Song
East Nashville Cowboy
Here We Are
Tryin’

Catch Joel Timmons on Tour:
2/8 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston SC
2/12 – Analog at Hutton Hotel – Nashville TN
2/15 – House Concert – Charleston SC ^
2/28-3/2 – Green Parrot Bar – Key West, FL *
3/15 – Charleston Pour House – Charleston SC *
3/19 – Tractor Tavern – Seattle, WA +
3/20 – Showdown – Portland, OR (co-bill w/ Love, Dean) +
3/22 – The Talent Club – Ashland, OR +
3/26 – The ’58 @ Eastside Bowl – Nashville, TN
4/24 – Parlor Room – Northampton, MA +
5/4 – Sundays on the River – Asheville, NC +
5/23-5/25 – Rooster Walk Festival – Martinsville VA *
5/30 – Party At the Point – Mt Pleasant SC *

  • = with Sol Driven Train
    ^ = with Sally & George
  • = with Maya De Vitry