A Surgeon Living the High Life… and a Detective that Can’t Wait to Retire!Richard Kurtz is a surgeon with a growing practice, a luxury apartment on the East Side of Manhattan and a beautiful girlfriend. Lew Barent is a police detective. He has chronic migraine headaches, a son-in-law he can barely stand and a job that he’s looking forward to leaving.>>>Third Time’s a Charm… Unless You’re … Time’s a Charm… Unless You’re Dealing with Murder
Kurtz and Barent have solved two improbable murders at Easton Medical Center and neither of them are expecting a third, but when elderly philanthropist Eleanor Herbert dreams that she’s witnessed a murder and a young hospital administrator is found strangled, Kurtz and Barent are drawn into a twisted tale of greed, conspiracy and long simmering revenge.
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A friend who knows I love cops-and-doctors stories recommended this thriller. I enjoyed it! Surgeon Richard Kurtz and his friend, police detective Lew Barent, investigate a murder that occurred in Kurtz’s hospital. The surprise is that, in between all the medical description and police procedural, there is humor – reminding me often of the wisecracking in Spencer for Hire.
A wealthy, elderly woman named Eleanor Herbert goes briefly into cardiac arrest, then revives to say while she was “out” she saw the murder of a young woman. Delusion? Eleanor is one of the hospital’s trustees, so her allegation gets quick attention from nervous hospital honchos, and a young doctor is suspected. Two days later, the young woman Eleanor described is found strangled and dumped in the woods.
What follows details corruption in a wealthy family, plus hitmen, mysterious deaths in the past, and a psychotherapist helping Kurtz and Barent investigate. The story is enjoyable, with the one problem of perhaps too many characters. But things soon even out, and just when you think you’ve solved the case, you are thrown for a loop. Cheers for you if you figured it out. I didn’t. Five stars!
Seizure features a surgeon, Richard Kurtz, and a police detective, Lew Barent, working together on a third case, having solved two murders at Easton Medical Center.
The story opens with a realistic description of the daily grind in the operating room, where Katz loses one patient after another. Then, Eleanor Herbert, an elderly philanthropist, goes briefly into cardiac arrest. Once revived, she claims to have seen the murder of a young woman. A couple of days later, the young woman she described is found strangled and dumped in the woods. Kurtz and Barent consult with a psychotherapist as they delve into the complexity of the case, which is ripe with corruption, greed, vengeance and mysterious deaths.
The dialog is written at a fast clip and to the point. “I hate coincidence,” Barent says. “I don’t believe in coincidence. Eleanor Herbert dreams she sees a woman being murdered and wouldn’t you know it, the woman turns up murdered. Cutting through all the bullshit, what does that tell you?”
Five stars.
Disclosure: I discovered Richard I. Katz’s work when we were both invited to take part in the box set Do No Harm.
Robert Katz, a doctor of anesthesiology himself, is uniquely qualified to write gripping medical thrillers that draw readers into a story, mesmerizing them with vivid descriptions and authentic characters. Thrust into another murder mystery, surgeon, Richard Kurtz and Detective Lew Barent must work together to solve a murder, but this time, a woman swears she witnessed the murder—or did she see it in a dream?
Twists and turns abound in this riveting medical mystery with a plethora of interesting suspects. Readers might think they solved the mystery—then boom—a new clue or another character spins the story in a different direction.
If you love medical thrillers with authentic detail, you should definitely pick up a copy of Robert Katz’s Seizure.
Favorite clip: The gun went off. Kurtz felt a wash of heat graze his cheek…He heard somebody screaming, realized it was himself and didn’t care. He punched the guy in the jaw and felt the jaw break, then grabbed the hand holding the gun and shattered the elbow over his knee.
One of the reasons I might pick one novel over another is not only the entertainment value but also a peek behind the curtains. Author Robert Katz not only performed as an anesthesiologist for many years, he eventually became professor and vice chair in the academic field. A murder plot line that happens in a hospital gains fine detail and nuance in setting, character development, and action through Katz’s professional experience.
This novel, filled with a plethora of characters and red herrings, walked us through a complicated medical thriller/mystery. Here, Dr. Richard Kurtz, a surgeon, and his friend Lew Barent, a police detective put their minds together to solve the murder of a young woman whose death was witnessed by a patient in cardiac arrest. Tense action was balanced with humor. This novel kept me guessing until the very end.