Act of Negligence: A Medical Thriller

In Act of Negligence, something unusual is going on with the dementia patients at Pleasant View Nursing Home and Doc Brady is determined to find out why.

About Act of Negligence

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.

My Thoughts

I have thoroughly enjoyed the other books in the Doc Brady series so I jumped on this one and dived into the novel right away (I could not put it down!). John Bishop did not disappoint – this novel exceeded all of my expectations.

In this novel, the story centres around Pleasant View Nursing Home and the patients that are arriving in Dr. Brady’s care and who are passing away from typical every day orthopedic procedures (very unusual for him and his practice). Dr. Brady is not satisfied with the obvious reasons given for their passing (age and comorbidities) especially when they all have in common: dementia, thyroid issues and the same nursing home. Something just doesn’t add up to him and despite multiple warning signs, he is determined to seek justice for his patients.

What he uncovers blows your mind away – unethical practices, lies, murder and even medical success (but with great cost and not done ethically). Once again, Doc Brady puts his own life on the line to defend and protect his patients and to bring to justice those who have harmed them.

I loved the plot in this story although it hurt me to see someone prey on the emotions of the elderly and their children, who just want to see their parents in their ‘normal’ state again. We learn about nerve regeneration in this novel, something that sounds almost too incredible for words which makes me understand why some would go to the extend we see in this novel but this does not make it right. And while there are technical terms in the novel especially as tied to the nerve regeneration (I had to reread some of the very excited Pathologist sentences over to make sure I understood), it does not take away from the intensity and plot.

This novel is intense, well paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The plot is unique and I love the way he brings Doc Brady to life. He is just a naturally curious, down to earth, good person who loves to question why (which is always to the betterment of his patients!). I loved every moment of this book and can’t wait to see what Doc Brady gets up to next!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

John Bishop is an orthopedic surgeon from Houston, Texas. When he isn’t dreaming up new Doc Brady exploits, you can find him on the golf course or playing his piano. Act of Negligence is the fourth book in the Doc Brady Mystery series

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.