Locked
In
Non-series
Mike Esposito
Durban House (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-930754-98-1 (1930754981)
ISBN-13: 978-1-930754-98-0 (9781930754980)
Publication Date: July 2007
List Price: $15.95
Synopsis
(from
the publisher): Dr. John Armstrong, a respected Tampa radiologist,
lives a privileged life built on a crumbling foundation. Cal Burton,
his college roommate, is Tampa's premier malpractice attorney. The two
men form a group to defraud insurance companies in medical malpractice
cases. Initially their scheme is successful but greed pushed them too
far.
Unbeknownst to Armstrong, the group begins to use their patients as
pawns in their malpractice game. Armstrong discovers the plot and
attempts to break free. Before he can, the group sets him up for one
final case. His battle to free himself without losing it all lead to
thrilling climax.
Review:
Tampa radiologist Mike Esposito's first novel, Locked In,
is a medical thriller that tells the story of the dedication of a large
number of physicians, the greed of a very few, and the consequences
their actions have on everyone.
After years of education, undergraduate college followed by medical
school, honest men and women who have dedicated themselves to their
chosen specialization decide to devote their lives to their patients
and their families. Then something goes wrong. The physician becomes
vulnerable because of an unexpected debt or other personal
circumstance. But someone comes along with a solution: a simple
referral. If that doctor will refer to a lawyer a situation where they
are aware of a mistake made in the care of a patient, they will be paid
an hourly rate plus a percentage of the settlement from the resulting
malpractice lawsuit. No one need know who made the referral, and
everyone benefits: the wronged family gets most of the settlement
payment, the referring physician gets a nice infusion of cash, and the
negligent doctor is hit with higher insurance premiums, a minor price
to pay for causing so much suffering. When one such physician succumbs
to the temptation of easy cash and then changes his mind, will those
who are involved in the scheme trust him to walk away? Or will they try
to stop him, and how?
Locked In
is an
effective thriller in that it provides a reasonable backstory as to how
and why an otherwise honest physician finds himself in a situation
whereby he feels the need to cross the line in his profession, to
compromise his morals and integrity. A lucrative practice leads to an
ever more luxurious lifestyle with large homes, expensive cars,
vacation retreats, and high-spending spouses. A house of cards that can
easily come crashing down. And it does.
There is an astonishing amount of detail here, about the medical
profession, malpractice laws, and the diagnosis and treatment of
patients, yet it is all seamlessly integrated into the fast-moving
plot. This is one book that's hard to put down once started and the
conclusion is completely unexpected. Lock In is highly
recommended.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Locked In and to Durban House for providing an a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Omnimystery keywords for Locked In ...
Location(s) referenced: Tampa.