Second Chance: An Alex Benedict Novel

by David Perry

Pharmacist Alex Benedict's career and personal life are collapsing around him. Battling his own exhaustion, a powerful physician, and an unforgiving boss, he fights to uncover the reason behind a series of mysterious deaths in his hospital while preparing for a life-altering crisis. The suicide of a colleague thrusts Benedict into a hunt for clues leading to the ultimate, improbable answer. In the end, Benedict discovers the unthinkable, and in a climactic, unforgettable scene must make an agonizing, life-defining choice that will haunt him forever.

400 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 2013

About the author

“When a writer is able to experience the whole range of human emotions, from deep depressions to glorious highs, it creates a whole inventory of feelings and musings from which they can choose and infuse into their words and characters.” –David Perry

Reviews

[Anushka · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My rating on this book is undecided, something from 2.5 to 3 Stars but sorry, I cannot be any more generous. This is not because it’s an extremely detestable book which should be burnt to death, no. Second Chance by David Perry is a fairly good thriller which could have been a lot better if more attention was paid towards few, simple tweaks.

My copy had quite a few spelling and phrasing mistakes, I hope they were corrected before publication.

Apart from the similar mistakes on the syntax layer, some issues, in my opinion that needed more attention are these –

First, the premise.
I liked the fact that the thriller was set around pharmacists which I’ve never read before but its sub-plot – the main character who is very devoted to his job has a wife on the deathbed has a chance to save her through a deadly chase. Such a cliché. I’ve read this in so many other books that I’ve lost count.

The main-plot was structured in a treasure-hunt format, which I find really exciting. Well, blame it on Dan Brown but I expected more.

The subject of this “treasure hunt” was something that had the power to revolutionize the whole human history, people would poke each other in the eye for it, countries would go on war and blah blah. But I never felt it. It was conveyed through dialogues many times but I never got the feeling. To me, the whole hunt was like an Enid Blyton’s book instead. Kiddies following breadcrumbs.
I could never acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and it seemed like everything solved itself. The solution to the puzzles came very easily to them, with minimal efforts. A group of people chitchatted for a few minutes and bam! They got the answer. The hunt should have been more complex and interesting, that doesn’t mean more complicating but with more "thrill factor", more gripping, heart-thudding moments. There were none, not for me, at least.

What I stated above could also have been the side-effect of a plot that didn’t start moving until 60% mark. It took me 5 days to finish this book, the first 30% taking me two days alone! All the characters were introduced in the first quarter, it almost seemed like it had been done in a hurry. To put everything from characters to setting just out there.
In my opinion, it is okay to take your time and introduce in parts, it is not necessary to push everything all at once in the beginning and then not mention the side characters again in the middle of the book because when they are brought up later towards the climax, you rack your brain to remember who they are. Happened with me here. I forgot who’s who.

Let me get back to the point I was actually making. The pacing.
The real chase began at 60% + mark and stayed around 85% of the book. I felt it was too short because Alex Benedict going on a quest was the most attractive part of this book, it is what was supposed to pull the reader in.
Alas, it took me more than 3 days to get properly sucked in but it was over before I had the time to enjoy. This kind of pacing makes you lose interest and everything you read after that seems dull anyway which is why I might have developed so many complaints about this book.

But the little twist at the end actually managed to make me gasp. Points to you there, sir! If I elaborate more on this, I might spoil the secret so I better zip it.

The ending.
Ehhhh, except the aforementioned surprise everything about the ending was predictable but I wouldn’t blame the author too much for it because in books like these, the pleasure is in the hunt and not the prize or its results. So, I’m not going to dwell too much over it but one last thing I will mention is that the epilogue was too long. Long and uninteresting. I directly skipped to the last page and it didn’t make a difference.

2 stars for effort because I know how tough it is to come up with puzzles! And 0.5 for that little surprise element in midst of the climax.

[Patricia Mcmahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a local Yorktown, VA author, this mystery is filled with local lore and references to streets and locations I frequently travel. Well written, kept my interest to the end, and a fun storyline. Worth the read. For locals, David Perry attends local markets to sign and sell his books.

[Beverley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from NetGalley. A story of love and death. A mystery wrapped up in a puzzle. A page turner that tugs at your heart. It isn't a book you will want to put down once you get into it.

[Elizabeth Scronce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing suspense novel. Lots of grammatical errors but nothing that interferes with the storyline.

[Theresa Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Pharmacist Alex Benedict’s career and personal life are collapsing around him. Battling his own exhaustion, a powerful physician, and an unforgiving boss, he fights to uncover the reason behind a series of mysterious deaths in his hospital while preparing for a life-altering crisis. The suicide of a colleague thrusts Benedict into a hunt for clues leading to the ultimate, improbable answer. In the end, Benedict discovers the unthinkable, and in a climactic, unforgettable scene must make an agonizing, life-defining choice that will haunt him forever."

Alex Benedict works as the lead pharmacist in a hospital that's primed for a takeover. By accident during the code of a cancer patient, Alex discovers a suspicious IV bag. The IV bag has been laced with a mysterious ingredient and turns out to responsible for at least two other deaths in the hospital. Alex's wife is also fighting an ovarian cancer battle of her own and decides to stop treatment once and for all, which will speed up her transition to her death. Alex's colleague, working under duress, commits suicide and leaves Alex a mysterious CD loaded with a scavenger hunt of sorts. It is then up to Alex to solve the riddles, find the pieces of a recipe that cures people of all sickness and find the last dose of a successful preparation of that recipe so that he can save his wife's life.

At first, I thought a three-part book with forty chapters was going to be ultra long, dragging in spots, and hard to read. It was the exact opposite. This book moved really fast! It was fast-paced and kept me awake all night long. The medical and pharmaceutical knowledge in the book was top notch. I expected it to be "dumbed down" but as a nurse, I could easily tell it wasn't. David Perry does a great job tho at describing what medicines were for and what they could do. There are some fake medications in the book as well but it was creative to say the least.

The examination and speculation of what a discovery of a cure for all human ailments would do to the world's population is astounding without taking sides and really makes the reader think while being entertained by an excellent book.

We do meet another character named Angel in the book. The introduction of Angel gave me a huge aforethought to a possible ending of the book and I was right. But, you'll have to read for yourself to see if you can figure it out and to find out if you're right.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second Chance tells the story of Alex Benedict, a devoted husband and hospital pharmacists who ends up getting dragged into a hunt for clues to find the most sought after drug in the world ��� the elixir of life. Alex has a personal reason to want to find it, as his wife is terminally ill in hospital.

It took me several months of trying to read Second Chance before getting past the first few chapters, as the story is not that gripping to begin with. It does soon pick up, and becomes very readable from around the 60% mark. I did enjoy reading it, although it���s not a book I���d read again given that I now know the plot.

I did feel that Second Chance was slightly let down by some plot weaknesses. For example, it���s never properly explained (as far as I remember) why the IV bag samples didn't yield the ingredients used in the drug. The clues to find the hidden formula seem to be very easy to decode, and nothing seems to be too difficult, be that getting a plane or accessing documents after-hours. Due to that, there was a lack of real threat. The most believable moment is ���the��� scene near the end of the book, where Benedict truly comes alive as a character.

The story also wasn't helped by a rather large cast of characters, some who are introduced near the start of the book, only to disappear till the end. This left me racking my brains trying to figure out who they were and what they had to do with everything.

Overall Second Chance is a decent mystery, but not one that I���d like to re-read. It is available from Amazon UK for ��8.23, and from Amazon US for $13.57.


[Review copy provided by NetGalley]

[Karen Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex Benedict is a hospital pharmacist whose wife has terminal cancer. He has a challenging job, a harsh boss and is battling exhaustion as he tends for his wife. If that isn't enough he then discovers patients are mysteriously dying and after the suicide of a colleague is thrust into an investigation that will threaten his life and test his beliefs.
This thriller reminded me a bit of Dan Brown's books, a man uncovers a conspiracy and is forced to follow clues that will lead him to an incredible and previously unbelievable discovery whilst his life is in danger as others also race to discover the mysterious formula. It's not really my sort of book, whilst I could suspend my belief for the premise of the story I still think the book often felt too unbelievable. Benedict's friends, who agree to help him with very little persuasion despite the threat to their lives, all turn out to be able to help him decipher what appear to be obsure and puzzling clues amazingly quickly. Benedict himself is badly injured yet within a few pages and it seems only a few days later has recovered enough to become embroiled in a dangerous fight.
That said it's an easy to read book with plenty of chapter ending cliffhangers and so although it's not a book I would choose to read again I think plenty of people will enjoy it.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publishers through Netgalley in return for my honest review.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

SECOND CHANCE is a medical thriller which begins when Alex Benedict attends a code blue and afterward finds a suspicious iv bag in the trash. He reports this to superiors and an investigation is started. At the same time, Tidewater Regional Medical Center is expecting a survey visit from the Joint Commission and is hoping to avoid a buyout based on these survey results.

Unbeknownst to the hospital staff, an experiment is occurring which could change the world as we know it by eradicating disease. There is just one problem, the man who developed it has committed suicide after his one successful trial and left only one viable dosage for Alex's wife. If Alex can decipher the clues and find it, he can not only cure his wife but also possess the formula.

The characters were likable and I found myself tearing up at times while reading the storyline between Alex and Rose. Other times, I found myself wanting to skip over the pages as I was wishing the characters would just get to where they were going and get it over with when they were attempting to find the clues. Luckily there were only a couple places when this occurred, otherwise the story offers us an engaging thriller, which begs us to think what would we do should we have the chance to save our life at the cost of others? Would we use the formula to save ourselves or give it to our neighbor lying in the bed beside us? If you like Robin Cook, give this story a try.

[Alex McGilvery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second Chance is the story of a pharmacist caught up in searching for clues to a wonder drug. The clues are left to him by a man who committed suicide after perfecting the recipe, fearing the world wasn’t ready for the consequences of the drug.

Alex Benedict works as a pharmacist at a private hospital and he detects problems with the medications that some of the

patients received. Patients who died horribly soon after. The real quest begins when the mysterious medication works as it was intended to and soon he in on a search for the recipe, dogged by people who have their own plans for the formula.
I like the character of Alex Benedict and the other people who populate the book. The plot itself is interesting and the ethical questions are fascinating. I wish that the book wasn’t quite so choppy in its format. We are moved from character to character very rapidly even in the middle of the already brief chapters. There were times I had to stop reading to allow my head to stop spinning. However this problem may be a result of my own preferences since I have since a number of novels in which POV shifts with dizzying rapidity. I would have preferred a longer chapters and scenes, but it didn’t detract too much from the book.
I would suggest that people who like medical mysteries and the battle between the hero and shadowy evil will enjoy the book.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review copied from my blog http://ineedthatbook.blogspot.com

It's taken my quite a while to read this, I think it's been weeks which (if you read my blog) you'll know is quite unusual especially considering this isn't exactly a lengthy novel.

The novel starts off quite well, it seems like the standard mystery that I expected from reading the blurb, mysterious patient deaths, a suicide and possible someone behind it all. Later things started getting a bit more unusual, more like sci-fi than mystery which I can live with, plenty of authors manage to blend the two dramas together nicely but it didn't feel quite right here. I struggled to do the whole suspension of disbelief thing as the universe didn't seem to follow it's own rules. I mean a character can be shot, be in serious pain and a few chapters later (and the whole book only seems to span a week or so) the same character can be in a fight with the pain from the injury and even the injury itself not even being mentioned. The story itself had a lot of promise and the characters themselves appeared to be consistent it's just the little niggles where the author doesn't follow the rules of the universe the characters live in made it a bit difficult for me to enjoy the book.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if someone you loved was dying, and there was a way to make them well. What if you were left only days/hours with your loved one would you spend it with them or go in search of the potion to cure them. What if the potion had not only the ability to cure your loved one, but all the aliments in the world. There would be no sickness, no death, no need for hospitals or doctors. What if someone else wanted that potion just as much as you and were willing to kill for it. Second Chance is a beautifully spun tale of corruption, greed and intrigue. Set in a large private hospital, head pharmacist, Alex Benedict accidentally finds a saline bag with an unusual contents in the room where a patient died. Knowing it is unusual and may potentially have been the cause of the patients death, he delves into its origin and uncovers other deaths possibly tied to the same substance. When he reports his concerns he finds himself embroiled in a situation that is potentially life threatening for himself but may also save the life of his terminally ill wife. This book is well written and although somewhat predictable it holds your attention to the very end. I was given a copy to read for my honest review and I strongly suggest reading this book.

[Linda Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Local Virginia novel. Very hard to believe.

[Tamra LeValley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the plot!

Alex is sure that something is happening in the hospital he works for as a pharmacist. There are too many deaths that have unusual bruising on the ribs. IV bags with unusual liquid in them. He soon discovers that one of his employees has developed a serum that help saves lives. The problem is that this drug was tested on live humans who died. Now he has to find this solution to save his dying wife. Three clues will not only lead him the the formula but the last does ever made. It will also lead him to the very people he trusted and now want him dead.

The characters are written well. This is a typical murder mystery with all the action and hoopla. What saves the story for me is the dying wife and the typical ending. Without them it would not be a heartwarming tale of humanity.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was filled with so many unnecessary details, it felt like I was reading a story that an elementary kid devised from his imagination and decided to put into a novel. The characters and events involved were very fictional and I found it hard to be absorbed and finish the book quickly as it lacked any suspense. I cannot imagine a group of people - lawyer, former SEAL, pharmacist, doctor, one with a jet, a tow truck driver with a boatload of knowledge on American History, being friends. It is so unreal. The story failed to establish any solid background with the characters and I failed to connect with them and even empathize with Alex and his turmoil. For me, it's just an action packed fantasy novel that failed to deliver any real suspense, any real mystery to it all.

[R.Z. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspend belief and enjoy this story. While filled with medical and pharmaceutical jargon that is not defined, the reader can still get the jist of this book. The search for the special formula that will cure any disease and prolong life is not a new theme, but it takes a different twist here as the searchers compete with one another with deadly consequences within the hospital setting where they work. The story gets a little bogged down at times, but there is enough action to keep the reader interested.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting dilemma, if you were given the formula that would change the health industry as we know it and if there were only one dose to use....would you use it for you terminally ill wife, or save the life of a child you only just met???

This is what Alex Benedict has to choose. The story takes several twists and turns from an ordinary pharmacist's day at the hospital to a scavenger hunt that leads to clues that at the end put the formula together.

[Jay Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid suspense thriller with perhaps a little too much medical explanation and way too much concocted coincidence. I saw the ending coming, but it was written well enough to make me emotional about it. I could envision this becoming another "National Treasury" movie. I found it hard to get invested in the characters. They all lacked depth and were super stereotypes. It was a quick read, but had little lasting effect.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a ARC from NetGalley of this book.

There is not many books that keep me up reading all night but this one I could not put down it had my interest from the vey first page.

This is the best i have read so far of this year. Looking forward the next book from Mr Perry. Shame I could not give more stars than five.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast paced thriller. Great, well developed characters. I hope a sequel is in the works.