Unlawful Harvest is a Kenzie Kirsch Medical Thriller. If you have been reading the Zachary Goldman Mysteries, then you have met Kenzie Kirsch, who works in the medical examiner’s office. 

This story will take you back to before Kenzie started medical school, to the case that first attracted her to medical investigation. 

When an Urban Legend becomes reality

Kenzie Kirsch had led a sheltered life; daughter of a wealthy lobbyist, her way had been paved for her, and she wasn’t really required to do much in life. There were events to make an appearance at, boards to sit on, fundraisers to support, but she could pick and choose what she wanted to do and how busy she wanted to be. 

When she set out to find out why her sister Amanda was so ill, she had no idea where her amateur investigation would take her. Amanda’s illness had never been discussed. Amanda deserved her privacy. 

As Kenzie’s questions take her deeper and deeper into the murky world of transplant tourism, Kenzie starts to wonder just what her parents have been covering up, and who else’s life might hang in the balance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I enjoyed the fast pace of the story which kept me flipping pages late into the night. It is one of those books you just don’t want to put down until you have read the very last word. If you enjoy suspense, intrigue, family drama, spell-binding imagery and great character development, you will absolutely enjoy reading this book.

If you are a reader of the Zachary Goldman Mysteries series, you have already met Kenzie Kirsch. This series is a spinoff from Zachary Goldman Mysteries, giving Kenzie a front-and-center position in solving medical mysteries.

Looking for a strong female lead in an engaging medical mystery? Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman brings you an up-and-coming Medical Examiner’s Assistant who is right up your alley.

Join Dr. Kenzie Kirsch as she uncovers mysteries, conspiracies, and thrills!

Read the HBS Author Spotlight interview.

Author Notes may contain spoilers!

I had a number of criteria for Unlawful Harvest before even starting. I needed a previously unpublished medical thriller for a multi-author collaboration. But I didn’t want it to be a stand-alone, nor a book that was later in a series (such as writing book #5 in the Medical Kidnap Files.) I wanted readers who were introduced to my writing through the collaboration to be able to have a logical “next read” in the same world or series. So before even starting, I had a puzzle to solve.

I decided to use Kenzie Kirsch, an assistant in the Medical Examiner’s Office in the Zachary Goldman Mysteries. The book could be Kenzie’s backstory, a prequel to She Wore Mourning, and the beginning of a new series. I wouldn’t have to change my schedule to write and publish more books in the Kenzie Kirsch series by the time the collaboration went live, because there were already four books published in the same world and more in the pipeline. 

I started collecting clues that had been dropped in the Zachary Goldman Mysteries about Kenzie’s past. Her apparent estrangement from her family, her red sports car, her attraction to Zachary Goldman but reluctance to jump straight into a serious relationship. Her amusement over Bridget’s behavior. Why didn’t she ever talk about her parents? Where does a medical student get the money to buy a fancy car? What had drawn her to the medical investigation field? And how could it all relate to a medical mystery/crime? 

Once I started to map these clues and requirements out, I hit on the idea of a very expensive gray-market organ transplant. I needed to do a good bit of research to bring myself up to speed on organ transplants, transplant tourism, finances, and the dark side of the transplant industry. You can find a few references about the organ trade in the Book Club Resources below, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

• Wikipedia Organ Trading
• Organ Harvesting, Human Trafficking, and the Black Market
• Kidney trade arrest exposes loopholes in India’s transplant laws
• Legal Liver Transplant Focuses Attention On The Human Organ Trade
• Pakistani police rescue 24 from organ trafficking gang
• Loopholes in organ transplant regulation exposed
• Child organ trafficking: global reality and inadequate international response

“Every single one of [P.D. Workman’s] books has spoken to me … And I have found strength in the books I’ve read.”

“This is one author I certainly will be looking out for, I can’t recommend her enough.”

“I’ll read anything by P. D. Workman that I can get my hands on.”

“Every book by PD Workman that I’ve read has been a gripping one, however different the genres are, going from lighter mysteries to really dark ones… this is one of my favourite, most dependable authors.”

“P.D. Workman is an incredibly versatile writer. No matter which of her books I read I am drawn into a great story and honestly, I don’t think I’ve followed another author that could go from cozy mystery to YA to a PI series dealing with mental health issues. Really enjoy her books!”

“[P.D. Workman’s] stories are so believable and you can’t help but feel like you know these people. You find yourself crying, laughing and feeling the characters emotions. Now if an author can make you cry and feel every emotion in a story, she is one hell of an author.”

“P. D. Workman, does not shy from probing the deep psychological scars of childhood trauma, mental illness, and addiction. Also characteristic of this author, these extremely sensitive issues are explored with extensive empathy, described with incredible clarity, and portrayed with profound insight.”

“Once again P.D.Workman has created an intense psychological mystery that impacts a wallop of thought induction. The writing is so well developed and draws you into the characters story.”