American Authors Association Book Review

TerrO.R.

Author:  Joseph J. Neuschatz M.D.

Publisher:  Book Locker

Reviewer: William H. McDonald, Jr. – AAA President

An Award Winning Medical Mystery Thriller!

It is rare that I cannot guess what a book is about and where it is going to take me with the plot; however, author and real life anesthesiologist, Joseph J. Neuschatz M.D., took me on a suspenseful journey into new territory. His novel "terrO.R." breaks new ground in the medical mystery thriller genre. He definitely put the "O.R." in definition of terror!

The basic plot seems simple enough at first. I had suspects and the motives all figured out, the only problem was that I was wrong. The hero of this tale is an anesthesiologist named Philip Newman who loses a seemly healthy 19 year old man to a cardiac arrest on the operating table for a procedure to remove tattoos from his arms. The young man got these over seas and his father wanted them removed surgically. The plot thickens as the doctor has lingering doubts about what happened. Those are only reinforced more when he learns that the young man had terminal cancer that he hid from the doctors at that hospital. Newman's paranoia becomes full blown when he learns that his ex-mistress, who is one of the operating nurses, is dating the father of the dead boy and that there is a rather large life insurance policy that was recently taken out. Not only did she have a connection with the family but she also knew about the cancer and had the young man treated at another medical facility for it.

There are many strange things that prompt the doctor to wonder about what really happened including the family's reaction, the request for no autopsy because of religious beliefs, the life insurance, and the malpractice lawsuit he gets hit with. He is contacted by another anesthesiologist on the west coast who had a similar death on the operating table. His patient was there for removal of tattoos that were put on in another country. Newman starts to question all kinds of things; like the fact that both of these dead young men had beards and longer hair style and had been overseas. So the doctor resorts to the internet looking at how tattoos are done and the dangers of the inks.

But all this will just lead the reader around in mental circles guessing as it did me. The least obvious plot scheme emerges and takes the reader on a much more creative and bolder possibility. The change of direction is brilliant and really much more satisfying than where I thought it was going to go. This book is one of a kind. It is a clever plot with more than enough twists for any good ole "who-done-it" medical story.

I loved the story and read this book in one complete sitting. It is a nice and comfortable 150 page book. It has "classic" possibilities written all over it. Author Neuschatz has crafted himself a great story. This is worthy of a FIVE STAR rating by any organization.

This book is a 2006 Winner of The American Authors Association's

Distinguished Book Awards - for Thriller Novels.

I personally endorse this book and recommend that you buy and read it.