Act of Negligence

 By John Bishop MD

Mantid Press     2021

274 pages     Mystery

Out today, another mystery featuring Doc Brady, an orthopedist in Houston, Texas. Here is a summary of the book.

“Something unusual is going on with the dementia patients at Pleasant View Nursing Home.

Dr. Jim Bob Brady, Houston orthopedic surgeon and amateur sleuth, finds himself in the midst of a different type of medical mystery. His friend and colleague, Dr. James Morgenstern, refers him a series of dementia patients with orthopedic problems from Pleasant View Nursing Home. Each patient dies, irrespective of the treatment, a situation that Doc Brady is unaccustomed to.

Each death prompts an autopsy, performed by another Brady colleague, Dr. Jeff Clarke, who discovers unusual brain pathology in each patient. Some of the tissue samples show nerve regeneration, a finding unheard of in dementia patients.

Doc Brady, enraged by the loss of his patients and obsessively curious about the pathologic findings, begins to investigate the nursing home, as well as its owner and CEO, Dr. Theodore Frazier. This leads Brady and Clarke on an adventure to discover the happenings at Pleasant View-an adventure that sees them running for their lives.”

 

The early parts of Act of Negligence are seeded with a lot of good humor. Dr. Brady has a great relationship with the hospital, his staff, and his wife. His wife Mary Louise is a charming woman, very much in love with her cowboy-boot wearing medical husband. Additionally, he has an interesting relationship to his practice. For example when his friend Dr. Jimmy Morgenstern calls, he says, “Okay, my friend. I’m glad you called. I need a break from answering another question about an operation I’ve performed ten thousand times…I feel like a recording today, just spewing out the same tired old information to a new face who’s all bright-eyed about hearing details of an operation they know very little about. Know what I mean?” This must be the reason that Dr. Brady appreciates solving mysteries. There is something new every day to deal with.

 

Act of Negligence is the fourth book in the Doc Brady mystery series, written by real-life orthopedic surgeon, John Bishop, who, not surprisingly, lives in Houston, Texas. The other books in the series include Act of Murder, Act of Deception, and Act of Revenge. I have read them all, sent to me by the publicist. You don’t have to start at the beginning of the series to enjoy the books. Each works well on its own. And besides in each book the reader gains a little bit of medical knowledge as well as a medical mystery.

 John Bishop MD’s website. By the way, the Kindle edition of the book is just $4.99.