Sophy Smythe's Blog

Why I Write Medical Thrillers

People often ask me why, after a career in medicine, I decided to write thrillers.
The truth? Medicine is full of high-stakes drama. Behind every diagnosis lies a story of courage, fear, hope—and sometimes conspiracy. But as a doctor, there were so many stories I could never tell, bound by patient confidentiality.

Fiction gave me a way to explore those hidden worlds. My novels weave together medical science, human emotion, and fast-paced suspense. They’re for readers who love to be gripped by a mystery and walk away thinking about the bigger questions.

The Troublemaker is my latest: a medical conspiracy thriller about a deadly outbreak, a contaminated pharmaceutical batch, and one woman racing against time to uncover the truth—before she becomes the next target.

📖 Available worldwide October 9, 2025.

ANTWERP, September 2020, Sunday 06:00 am

Doctor Alexis Gibson flew through the gloomy, empty, narrow streets of Antwerp, slipping on the wet cobblestones. Her breath was heavy and jerky as she turned her head to look at her pursuer. She couldn’t see him, but heard his feet slapping on the wet pavement. As an avid marathon runner, she knew she could outrun him. She lengthened her stride.

Faster.

As soon as she had reached the exit of the parking garage, Alexis felt something was wrong. A shepherd dog was barking at something on her right, his hairs straight up, his fangs bare. Alexis twisted around and stared into the face of a dark-skinned man, with a stick his raised left hand, ready to strike. For a moment she was frozen in space, too flabbergasted to register what happened. Then she ducked and twisted and started to run. Her head spun as she felt a heavy blow on her head, and for a moment the Grote Markt faded into a mist.

She felt and smelled more than saw the dog lunging at her attacker, and through the drumming in her head a scream pierced into her clouded brain, followed by a sickening thwack and a howl. Adrenaline alone surged her forwards. She dropped her head, lifted her knees and drew the clammy air deep into her lungs. She blazed over the Grote Markt past the statue of Brabo and Antigone, towards the Cathedral, and swung suddenly to the left into the narrow streets.

I must get away from the open space.

As the road narrowed and the houses kissed each other, Alexis heard her pursuer gaining on her. She leaped over a low wall like a champion hurdler and tore across the square into the maze of twisting narrow streets that formed the historic quarter of Antwerp. She grabbed hold of a lamppost and used her momentum to swing around and hard right.

Her attacker glued to her like an elongated shadow, and Alexis could hear his rasping breath coming closer.

Where can I hide?

Rain dribbled over her curly, long, red hair and neck mingled with blood and seeped into her coat. She didn’t notice. As she turned the corner, she got stuck into a slit in the slippery cobblestones, lost her balance and she crashed hard on her knees. A burning pain shot through her right ankle and she could feel it swell. Her heart throbbing in her ears, she tried to get up, looking frantically around where she could hide, but instantly her foot gave way.

Oh, no! Twisted!

She heard her attacker coming closer. She smelled garlic, mingled with coriander. Clamming her teeth on another, she willed herself to get up and staggered onwards towards the Hendrik Consciencepleintje, struggling against the pain.

There is light. Maybe people for the early mass.

She climbed the shallow steps of the Saint Carolus Borromeus Church and pushed the door.

Locked.

Pounding on the door, she neither noticed the seeping wound on her head, nor the bleeding of her knees and the pain in her ankle. She threw her weight against the door, but it didn’t budge. Desperately she tried to call out, but a panic strangled her throat. No sound came out.

Where can I hide?

A voice sounded close, gruesomely close. ‘You can’t get away’.

Alexis stiffened and turned her head slowly.

Only three meters from her, at the bottom of the shallow steps, the dark attacker transfixed her with his intense eyes from under his hoodie.

Alexis didn’t see the eyes. Her gaze was drawn to the massive iron bar with dark bloodstains her attacker held in his left hand. In the street's yellow lantern lights, blood spots glimmered darkly with every tiny movement the stick made. Bitter bile rushed up to her throat and mingled with the strong garlic smell irradiating from the attacker. Fog clouded her ears. Through a mist she could hear a human voice, but she didn’t grasp where it came from. The iron bar pointed at her and the voice came through.

‘Tell me where it is,’ the attacker panted.

Alexis flinched as she saw her nightmare come alive. A monster revealing himself to her. Disjointed scraps of images engulfed her. A year ago she thought herself courageous, but slowly fear took possession over her. She didn’t dare to sleep. As soon as her eyes couldn’t stay open anymore, the stalker appeared in her nightmares, looking silently from across the street. Doing nothing. Just looking. She shrank when the doorbell rang, afraid it might be the pharma lawyer, threatening to drag her through the mire. She didn’t dare to answer the landline after someone called her, and at her ‘Hello?’ she heard breathing and then click- click like someone was loading a gun. And then last week when someone had entered her house. The door was locked as usual, and nothing was stolen, but she knew someone had been there. Her meticulously ordered papers were not the way she had left them.

Slowly Alexis’ eyes zoomed out.

The dim lantern showed a medium-sized man with an athletic build and Mediterranean brown skin. His chest heaved up and down and in his outstretched left hand glimmered the thick iron bar. ‘Tell me where it is,’ he repeated.

Alexis opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

‘Don’t! Don’t even try,’ the man hissed.

Alexis sensed a flash of panic and moved her foot. A sharp pain shot through her right swollen ankle, and she collapsed in a heap. Sobbing, she lay on the ground; her hands clasped around her ankle.

Why the hell did I want to meet at such an hour? I thought it was secure. No people around.

‘Where is it?’, the man repeated. His accent was strange, French-like. He saw the blatant fear in her eyes and smiled.

Alexis finally found her voice. It sounded hoarse and husky. Like it was someone else’s.

‘My money is in my bag. Take it.’ She untangled her bag and shove it to the attacker.

‘I’m not after your money, putain.’ He took one step forward and looked contemptuously down. ‘You have something more valuable. Give it to me.’

‘I don’t… I don’t know what you are talking about,’, she stammered.

‘Don’t give me that shit. You shouldn’t have pried around. Your investigation. Where is it?’ The attacker looked at her with icy eyes. It was as if he seeing right into her soul.

Alexis felt naked and exposed, and a chill of desperation flowed through her veins.

How could he know?

‘I know you have it. Give it to me and I let you live.’ The man slithered up the stairs.

Alexis couldn’t breathe.

I won’t live. I saw him. I’ll die, like the others..

The man stuck his stick under her chin, so she had to face his menacing eyes.

Alexis held up her hands. ‘Wait a minute’, she said haltingly, ‘I’ll tell you what you need to know.’

The man smiled smugly. ‘That’s better’.

‘Let me show you’, said Alexis. Her face mirrored her desperation as she tentatively and trembling, lowered one arm and reached into her pocket.

I’ve got only one chance.

And Alexis screamed. And screamed.

Someone switched on a light above the restaurant on her right. A face peered through the curtains.

‘You bitch!’ The man lashed out.

A red lightning pain soared through her head.

FACTS

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The Cochrane Institute www.cochrane.org is a real institute where 11,000 independent researchers from more than 130 countries gather and summarise the best evidence from medical research to help to make informed choices about treatment. One of the most known former editors is Peter Gøtzsche, who wrote among others ‘Deadly medicines and organized crime’ and ‘Deadly psychiatry and organized denial’. Both books are substantiated by facts.

The EMA Pharmacovigilance and Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) is a real European committee. One can compare the EMA to her sister organisation the FDA (for American readers). This committee is responsible for assessing all aspects of risk management of human medicines.

In 2010 the pharma company Forest pleaded guilty for the illegal promotion for Celexa for the use in treating children and adolescents suffering from depression. Forest has agreed to pay more than $313 million to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from these matters. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/drug-m...

Celexa is still in the market and is being marketed in Belgium and the Netherlands as Cipramil.

GSK is a pharmaceutical company, registered in England and Wales. In 2012 they pleaded guilty to criminal charges and pay $3 billion in fines for promoting its best-selling antidepressants for unapproved uses and failing to report safety data about a top diabetes drug. The fine included Paxil, an antidepressant. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/bu...

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) is a real institution who published the Panama Papers (2016) and the Implant Files (2018).

In THE MEDICAL CODE all descriptions of buildings and documents are accurate.

In the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic in Antwerp, Belgium, Doctor Charlotte Martens receives an urgent late-night call from her friend who is a member of the European Medicines Agency. The next day Charlotte learns that her friend was violently murdered and that she herself is now the prime suspect. Because the police find a baffling code beside the murder victim, Charlotte enlists the help of an investigative journalist. She and the journalist discover that her murdered friend was about to expose a conspiracy of fraud and corruption within the pharma industry involving the government, certain reputable doctors and even the European Medicines Agency.

With both the police and the murderer closing in on them, Charlotte and the journalist must stay alive long to find the hard evidence necessary to bring down a faceless pharma company that will clearly stop at nothing to protect their secret network.

In an exhilarating blend of adventure, cutting wit and actual facts, doctor Charlotte Martens is a controversial figure to appear in the first book of intriguing fact-thrillers, where facts and fiction blur.

The medical Code is surprising at every twist, unpredictable in every turn and in astonishing in the end.

My protagonist Doctor Charlie Martens is the New York Times and Amazon bestselling author of

Love your life! Exercise!, Love what you eat, and Grow your own medicine.

It is not common for a doctor to give so much attention to prevention. Can you tell us, Charlie, why you have written those books?

Excellent question, and thank you for having me, Sophy. When I worked at the hospital as a gastroenterologist, I was appalled by how many medicines my patients took. They started with one, and that had side effects. Thus they took medicine number two to counter the side effects. After a while they had another complaint for which they which they got a prescription, and the story goes on, because, you guessed it, that had also side effects. It was no exception that they entered my office with a plastic bag full of legit medicines. For me, it was a challenge to minimise the medicines needed. But also to teach my patients how they could live long and stay fit. And that proved to be a Hercules’ job.

I don’t understand that. Why was it so difficult to teach your patients how to stay healthy? I thought everyone would kill for those tips.

Well, if you have worked all day, come home, you are tired and have to cook, it’s oh so easy to go to the supermarket, buy a ready to eat dinner and put it in the microwave. It’s easy and doesn’t cost much time. Nowadays, especially in this Covid-19 period, people are more picky on what they eat. More vegetables, more fruit, less meat. Maybe it’s because there is so much attention for it, now they have to work from home and it scares them to catch Covid-19. But tons of people still love their daily Big Mac.

There are so many books about how to live healthy. What is it that makes your books stand out?

You are right. There are loads and loads of books. And that’s the problem. How would you know which to choose? And which diet is best for you? And what to do exactly? In my books I go back to the reader who wants to live a good life and stay healthy, by starting with ‘What’s your problem?’ Then ‘What is your goal?’ And ‘How can I help you with that?’ So no dieting, no yo-yo-ing, and no exercise that you hate and won’t follow through. I’ll give you an example. On a trip where I didn’t want to eat meat, because I didn’t trust it, I discovered I felt so much better. So I decided to quit eating meat at all. Now I am mostly vegetarian and I hate running. But I love yoga and hiking. My goal is to feel good. So instead of dieting, I make a list of nuts, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and sushi I love and instead of going to the gym, I exercise by doing yoga and hiking. My neighbour on the other hand is a different story. He is allergic and into cycling. So for him the recipe is quite different.

The New York Times said that your books are refreshing and a breakthrough, as your advice are easy to maintain and down to earth. What is your next book about?

I have thought about that a lot, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. Okay, spoiler alert. I’d like to give my readers tips about how to stay healthy. Not only now, but their entire life. The book is due this summer. No, I won’t tell you the title. Just wait and see.

I can’t wait to read it!Sophy Smythe

I decided to interview the protagonist in my upcoming mystery-thriller. May I introduce to you: Charlie Martens MD.



Most people are alienated by the impossible poses of yoga, the perfect styling, and the myth that you have to be flexible to do yoga.

Enter Charlie Martens, the YouTube yoga instructor who's become a lifeline for stiff, anxious people locked in their cramped apartments, their crowded living rooms, and their sunless basement flats. She's the founder of Yoga With Charlie, a YouTube channel. Over five million subscribers follow her every video in Dutch and English. Her routines are designed to make yoga accessible and appealing to as many people as possible. Her homepage reads like a pharmacy shelf. Whatever ails you, Charlie has a remedy for that: yoga for self-love (literally hugging yourself), yoga for runners, yoga for when you're angry (a lot of breathing exercises and child’s pose to calm down) and happy birthday yoga (my favourite). And even yoga for writers like me, so I can perform, create and be my best. Her community lives by a unifying and positive affirmation, #LY (Love yourself) and counts among it the unlikeliest members. Find your most cynical friend and ask them about Charlie; it's likely that they're a secret fan.

Given the quarantine, Yoga with Charlie has seen more than a quarter of a million new subscribers in the last several months. Her monthly views are up by over a hundred thousand, and viewers watched over a million more hours of Charlie’s content than usual in the last months. Since quarantine hit, her videos are flooded with comments like ‘Great way to start my day’ and ‘Feels so good to be part of your community after a long day inside.’

Despite this, Charlie isn't your typical fitness influencer. Her videos are shot in her Antwerp living room. Each video starts with a clip of Charlie inviting you to make time for yourself while gentle lounge music plays. She doesn't edit out her falls or stumbles. And she is laughing a lot. Especially when something goes wrong. Her appeal is that Charlie makes people feel good, not bad.

Hey Charlie, how are you?

I’m fine, thank you. Though in Belgium we are prohibited to travel nowadays, I am very lucky to have a spacious apartment in Antwerp. There are so many people who are less off.

Tell me how you created ‘Yoga With Charlie’.

After writing my first book Love your life!, readers asked me to upload videos with practical exercises how they could love their life, despite all the misery they were going through. Yoga did so much for me, it helped me to stay in contact with myself. You know, it’s all about love, breathing and acceptance of yourself. And what you experience on the mat, you experience off the mat as well.

What kind of statement were you trying to make?

My mother taught me that you can reach within and find your natural forces that not only make you happy, but also healthy. That is so important in these horrendous times. The feeling that you are in control. And you know, you don’t have to master poses. Just enjoy what you do, and in a month or maybe a year or maybe five years you feel that you can reach the ground while in forward fold.

You are not a regular doctor, are you?

Hahaha, actually I am. I specialised in gastroenterology, but left the hospital to work for a platform for independent research, Cochrane. During my hospital days, I was frustrated that patients were sent home with pills that would not have been necessary if they just took control of their own life. You know, eat well, exercise, sleep well. Love yourself, and make the most of your life. So I decided to write a series of books and started Yoga With Charlie, just to show them how.

Would you describe yourself as a fitness or lifestyle influencer?

I hope to influence people in a positive way, otherwise it's a waste.

What do you see when you look at the girls of today?

A lot has changed the last forty years. My parents always encouraged me to go my own way, and conquer the world. And today I see many women and girls who are strong, aspirational, and powerful. They are not afraid to speak up and influence the world in a positive way.

How has your life changed in the last few weeks? What's changed for you since the start of quarantine?

Normally I love to travel, to hike and see the world. That’s where I get my inspiration. Now, alas, it’s not possible. But better times will come.

Charlie, how did you manage to win over a nation of miserable and sarcastic Brits, who hate everything, especially anything positive?

Brits have a special humor you find nowhere else in the world. Where else in the world can you find someone saying ‘It’s a bit windy, isn’t it?’, while a raging hurricane is outside? I love it. I studied medicine at King’s College in London, and I learned to appreciate the Londoners. I might have taken up their humour, too.

Author: Sophy SmytheSophy Smythe.

What does the world look like in my upcoming mystery thriller?

I'd like to thank the first readers of my manuscript, Sabine, Dianne and Shirin for their time and feedback. Without them, it wouldn't be the same.

With Thanksgiving behind us and all the December festivities ahead, there is much to be thankful for. Even when this year's celebrations will be more difficult than ever.

In my search for locations I encountered these books about Antwerp.