Body of Work is a chilling, thought-provoking medical thriller that blurs the line between science, morality, and the human soul. At its heart lies a question both intimate and universal: what does it truly mean to possess a body-and what happens when that body becomes a commodity?
Olivia, a devoted mother of twins, is both intelligent and compassionate, but carries deep vulnerabilities beneath her steady exterior. Life on her family's quiet farm seems far removed from the corporate and clinical worlds of cutting-edge medicine. But when her path crosses with Haloderm-a powerful biomedical company promising to reshape the future of surgery, organ preservation, and even long-distance space travel-her world begins to shift. Her personal journey, her fears, and her determination to protect her family make her a compelling protagonist.
Haloderm presents itself as a force for good, developing robotic surgical suites that could save lives on Earth and beyond. Yet behind closed doors, it fights the "ghouls," profiteers who traffic in human skin and organs in the body brokerage business. The company's mission is shadowed by secrecy, ambition, and the ethical minefields of an industry where bodies are treated as currency. This ethical complexity will keep readers on the edge of their seats, pondering the moral implications of biotech.
As Olivia becomes entangled in Haloderm's work, the stakes turn deeply personal. Her roles as mother, wife, and survivor collide with forces that would claim her body, her choices, and her family's future. Surrounded by the simple rhythms of farm life, she struggles to hold onto normalcy while navigating a reality where science and morality no longer align.
This story is not only about the dangers of unchecked innovation but also about resilience and love. It asks: What do we owe our families? How do we protect them when the body itself becomes a battlefield? And when corporations and traffickers see flesh as profit, who has the right to say what a life is worth?
Blending chilling real-world medical research with speculative possibilities, this thriller delivers a narrative that is both intimate and universal. Olivia's fight-set against the stark contrast of a family farm and the sterile world of biotechnology-becomes a testament to the endurance of love in the face of exploitation. Thrilling, poignant, and deeply human, it leaves readers questioning the future of medicine, the cost of progress, and how far we will go to protect those we love.
For fans of Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, and gothic speculative fiction, Body of Work offers a compelling journey into the heart of what defines us, even when our very flesh is no longer our own.
About the Author :
E. L. Wilk built a multi-decade career as an entrepreneur and real estate executive before turning to her lifelong dream of writing full-time. Body of Work is her third novel, combining her fascination with astronomy, medical advancement, and the perseverance of the human spirit. A space enthusiast and stargazer, she explores big questions about the universe, from the theory of everything to the history of manned spaceflight. She also enjoys the art of pairing food with wine, always seeking elegant solutions-whether in science, cooking, or storytelling. Wilk grew up in Boston, Belgium, and Hong Kong, is a Wellesley College graduate, and is an alumna of the International School of Brussels. She lives between Boston and Florida with her husband and their dog. Living with myasthenia gravis, a rare neuromuscular disease, she continues to write with resilience, curiosity, and optimism-always working toward her and her husband's best version of happily ever after.
Review :
Publisher's Weekly - Must Read
Wilk's of-the-moment, occasionally paranoid medical thriller explores the fascinating intersection between cutting-edge science and moral complexity, as a cold, corporate future collides with the sincere and simple lives of a rural American family. William and Olivia are an ordinary couple wrestling with familiar problems as William's farm struggles to turn a profit. William is offered a lucrative position with Haloderm, a biomedical corporation, which seems like the solution to all their problems. However, as people go missing and fentanyl overdose cases linked to organ transplants rise, the question becomes: is William's salvation too good to be true, or is something far more sinister at play? At Haloderm, William encounters a world that Wilk makes both wondrous and plausible-robots performing minimally invasive surgeries with flawless precision, AI systems that serve coffee and provide security forces while perfectly mimicking human voices, and revolutionary processes that transform cadavers into life-saving medical products.
Readers will not be surprised to discover that Haloderm has dark secrets. As the financial relief helps heal their marriage, and Olivia explores breeding "designer" dogs, William protects a young woman from assault and begins questioning Haloderm's carefully constructed facade. Ultimately, William must confront the terrifying possibility that the very company that saved his marriage and family may be the reason for its destruction.
As tension mounts, Wilk crafts relatable protagonists in William and Olivia, and discussions with the powerful AI called HD compel readers. The novel serves up serious jolts and resolves some mysteries before a cliffhanger ending, and Olivia's fate is an inventive surprise...
