This takes him to Guatemala, site of his hospital’s charity clinic and native home of the mystery boy. What he discovers is both infuriating and jaw-dropping, another example of a deranged sense of the common good, with corporate America putting people’s lives at risk for profit.

While this book flirted with a typical "corporate America is evil" theme, overall the storyline emerged as a fast-paced, captivating read. Hawley’s best talent is, by far, his characterization. Dr. McKenna is a pediatrician who used to be in the special forces, and a former member of a highly secretive black-ops unit with a weakness for aiding the weak. Intriguing to say the least. He gets help from Sammy, a smooth-talking former team member with a talent for espionage and a tendency to refer to himself in the third person. In many ways he stole the show. Hawley’s villains are as wretched and ruthless as they come. It’s Hawley’s characters that make Stigma rise above the typical "shoot-em and save-the-world" thrillers found on any drugstore shelf. That alone is reason enough to read this one.