Second Opinion

by Francis Roe

Dr. Simeon Halstead, New Coventry Medical Center's brilliant brain surgeon, performs miracles in the operating room. Outside that high-tech arena, his uncompromising personality, along with his refusal to cover up other doctors' mistakes, has earned him dangerous enemies.

416 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

Aka C.F. Roe

Reviews

[Matías · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia que muestra la relación médico-paciente en relación a Andy Markle, un joven de 14 años, junto a las distintas aristas de la vida más íntima de los protagonistas.
Un libro de 1998 que, del punto de vista médico, resulta realmente interesante, como un viaje en el tiempo para conocer algunas prácticas impensadas en la actualidad; a la vez que evidencia que la distancia emocional de la atención clínica, muchas veces funcional, nos priva de uno de los grandes placeres de la Medicina: la gratitud.
No le doy 5 estrellas, pues cuenta con algunos errores conceptuales, tal vez en la traducción al español. Además de que el final podría haberse desarrollado un poco más y no ser tan intempestivo (mucha información en pocas hojas).

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps not quite on the level of medical thrillers as say a Robin Cook or a Michael Palmer book, 'Second Opinion' borders more on the romance side of the genre, as Dr. Simeon Halstead falls for both his patient, Andy Markle, and Andy's mother, Fiona. Andy is a teenager diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and Halstead feels frustrated that he can't do more for Andy but commits to figuring out if there is some sort of new treatment out there. Meanwhile, Halstead has walked in on his wife having a tryst with another woman and knowing that his marriage is all but done, bonds with Fiona, first over trying to heal Andy but soon evolving into more, especially since Fiona has her own history with a philandering spouse.
Fiona's ex, Victor, senses the chemistry between the two, and wonders if Halstead is focused more on his son, or his wife. The second opinion alluded to in the title is Victor's desire to have another doctor see Andy, and it just so happens that the director of Halstead's department is a longtime foe who would be happy to find fault in Halstead's treatment of Andy.
I felt there was a lot of backstory in these characters that wasn't fully explained, and like many books where the character set is self-contained (i.e. they aren't part of a series), there were too many coincidences necessary to make the plot flow. For example, Fiona works at a school and is friendly with the principal, whose brother happens to be a primary care doctor. That doctor collaborates with Victor on the second opinion in an effort to prove that Dr. Halstead is inappropriately treating Andy. Oh, and the doctor's teenage daughter is a candy striper who falls for Andy.
The parts of the book that dealt with the medical side of things were interesting, but there was a lot of romance and internal politicking that interrupted the flow and didn't make this the kind of book I would have trouble putting down at night. I'll probably read other books by Roe, but only if I can get them for cheap at a used book sale or something, not worth a full-price purchase.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

another story of a single mother with a kid with a brain tumor--but pretty good. The medical stuff would never happen!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Knowledgable writing about brain tumors and recovery from brain surgery.