Saturday, April 5, 2014

A Medical Murder Mystery

 
Shannon Fraiser, a medical student, and her boyfriend Todd are on a date when a gunman shoots Todd. He dies in Shannon's arms leaving her with a terrible sadness that she could do nothing to save him. Ten years later another man is shot and killed on her front lawn. Again, although she, now a surgeon, and her guests are doctors, she can't save the man. However, the death opens the door to a terrifying few weeks. Whoever the man was, someone thinks that Shannon and perhaps her sister, Megan, have information about a crime he was involved in. Late at night the phone rings. A husky voice wants to know what the murdered man said to Shannon before he died.

The book is an enjoyable read if you like murder mysteries with a medical flavor. The medical background is authentic and adds color to the characters and the story. However, the characters are stereotypes: the good daughter and the bad daughter, the religious doctor, the good cop and the bad cop. Since in a mystery the plot should be paramount, this isn't terribly bothersome, but if you're looking for realistic characters, this book doesn't make it.

The police work also lacks realism. The detectives
are surprisingly cavalier about the threat to a physician and her sister. One of them even tries to strike up a relationship with Shannon. It's hard to imagine a detective trying to get involved with a subject while there is an on-going investigation. I hope the Dallas Police would behave more ethically. There are other problems with the police work, but that would necessitate spoilers so I'll leave it at that.

On the positive side, the book has no cursing. The main characters do not jump into bed with each other, and there is a reliance on God. It can be an enjoyable read.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson BookLook Bloggers Program.

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