Michael Palmer is a master at developing medical related thriller stories. The Fifth Vial covers the despicable practice of organ harvesting. Natalie is battling her way through medical school when her fight for those less fortunate leads to a temporary hold on her vocation. A trip to Brazil puts her in the midst of an unfortunate situation and the need for major surgery, of which later she can find no record. Meanwhile a down and out private detective is hired to find out who has abducted a young boy and left with suspicious marks on his body. Each of the characters find themselves intertwined in a underworld of medical practices leading from a secret blood bank.
