eBook Reviews Weekly

Review:
Tony Conte is the nursing manager for the Emergency Department in a south Florida hospital. The unflappable Tony runs to assist when attorney Warren Valentine is rushed into ER with an apparent heart attack. Tony's work is as sterling as ever despite two worries in the back of his mind: he's been named as a defendant in a malpractice suit, and his wife, Jennifer, has symptoms of cancer.

In rapid succession, a judge dies, and another attorney. A ghastly connection occurs to Tony. All of the victims are involved in prosecuting a sudden rash of malpractice suits. Ever-present throughout the cases are harried physicians, some of them dear friends of Tony's. Suddenly, it's open season on malpractice attorneys. Are his friends, one or all of them, involved in this bitter retribution?

Ms. Brickman has a lovely way of evoking a reader's sympathy for her characters. One can't help but feel for Tony as he's split emotionally between supporting his wife, protecting his friends, and driven by a need to discover the truth. On the flip side, Ms. Brickman is loath to vilify any of her favorite characters, so the murderer becomes apparent early on.

"Illegally Dead" is a neat mystery book that raises a lot of questions about America's split perspective on the medical profession. On the one hand, we worship doctors for their healing hands. On the other, should they fail to pull off a miracle, uncomprehending patients are quick with a lawsuit. It also reflects some of the soul struggle a person endures when a loved one is endangered. This looks to be an interesting series, and I look forward to the next installment.

Jeanette Cottrell, Reviewer
http://www.ebook-reviews.net
Author of "There's No Such Thing!"\

WordMuseum.Com

Review:
Illegally Dead contains all the elements of an enjoyable mystery.  Author, Gregg Brickman has penned an enjoyable tale of murder and medicine.

The medical staff of South Florida's Sawgrass Medical Center is under attack, not by the usual medical problems they'd be called upon to treat, but rather by an onslaught of malpractice suits represented by Valentine, Hansen, Henninger and Schmeck. 

Attorney, Warren Valentine, represented his client in a malpractice case under Judge Kelsey. The jury found for his client, but as the words of the judge still hung in the air, Valentine collapses to the floor.   Paramedics race him to the Sawgrass Medical Hospital where he's pronounced dead.  Several hours later, Judge Kelsey has become a patient in the same hospital. 

Emergency Department's Nurse Manager, Anthony "Tony" Conte, finished the code on Valentine and stays with the body as it's prepared for the family to view.  It's ruled a fatal heart attack due to his medical history. After an interview with the widow to glean information for the medical examiner, Tony returns home to find his wife, Jennifer, resting in bed, an unusual thing for her to do.  She's concerned about a lump in her armpit and so is Tony.  To make matters worse, Tony finds a letter in the day's mail notifying him he's being named in lawsuit which he hides from his wife to spare her worry.  His good friend, Dr. Chamberlain Thorn schedules Jennifer's biopsy surgery for the first in the morning. 

Howard Epstein's investigation is going no where fast, so he pays a visit to his friend, Tony Conte, to brainstorm.  Tony tells him of the almond smell detected by the doctor treating the judge, which lead them to determine he was suffering from a mild case of cyanide poisoning.  Epstein doesn't like coincidence, and this was too much of one for him to overlook. Tony relays that he thought Valentine smelled like almonds too, although at the time he thought it was the Amaretto Valentine drank.  Epstein acting on this information has Valentine's body exhumed and sure enough, he didn't die of a heart attack but rather arsenic poisoning.  Next Epstein visits Valentine's law firm, reviewing his cases.  He finds Dr. Chamberlain Thorn is the subject of two malpractice suites and now considers Thorn to be the prime suspect.

Tony feels compelled to exonerate his friend and find the real murderer.  But, can he do it without becoming a victim himself?
 
For those who enjoy a good amateur sleuth, Illegally Dead, certainly fills the bill.  This one will keep you up reading long past your bedtime.

Reviewer: Donna E. Bedrick
The Word Museum Review Staffwww.wordmuseum.com