The Six-Liter Club

Title: THE SIX-LITER CLUB
Author: Dr. Harry Kraus
Publisher: Howard Books
April 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4165-7797-3
Genre: Inspirational/contemporary/medical thriller

In 1984, Dr. Camille Weller has the distinction of being the first black female trauma surgeon at the Medical College of Virginia. Not only that, but she isn’t even working there twenty-four hours when she becomes a member of the elite Six-Liter Club—a club membership based on saving the life of a patient who has lost six liters of blood.

But Camille struggles with racism and sexism as a black female doctor. She also gains a rep for bending rules when she treats a woman with breast cancer by not following the normal treatment plan. But Camille’s private life becomes even more complicated. Camille was born in Africa to a white missionary doctor to a native mother, and orphaned as a young child. Raised by a white southern aunt, Camille is troubled by nightmares and flashbacks of the Congo.

A counselor assumes Camille is repressing memories of abuse—but could they be caused by the terror of the Congo instead? What will it take for Camille to get past these and succeed in a field dominated by white men?

THE SIX-LITER CLUB is the first book I’ve ever read by talented author Dr. Harry Kraus. Rich in details, I could see the location that the character was in, see the minute details (like blood under the fingernails) and hear the accent that the characters speak in.

Written in first person, I was in Camille’s head, experiencing everything she experienced. There are some medical terminology, but for the most part the book is written in normal language. If you like medical thrillers, then you won’t want to miss THE SIX-LITER CLUB. 320 pages. $13.99.