Debridement: A Novel

by Sean Dow

Dr. Jack Hastings had what he considered a satisfying life as a dedicated critical care physician. He had no outlandish dreams, only wanting the personal satisfaction of a life well lived and the knowledge that he had made a difference in the lives of his patients. But fate can have other ideas. In Jack's case, that came in the form of a groundless malpractice suit. He knew all too well what such a suit could do--he'd seen it happen far too often to his fellow physicians. To make matters worse, the attorney handling the suit was the worst of his kind, ''a scumbag who made spoiled milk smell like a fresh spring day.'' Looking at the impending destruction of his life, Dr. Hastings formulates a plan--one that takes such exquisite shape in his mind that he can do nothing else but carry it out. He will rid himself and the medical community of the problem lawyer. The plan goes smoothly, but Jack might have done things differently, if only he had known what would come next.

344 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2012

About the author

Sean Dow lives in Great Falls, Montana, after spending three years in Las Vegas. He practices Critical Care and Pulmonary medicine.

Sean has three children, all of whom live in Oregon, Sean's second home, where he worked for many years. Many of the delightful people of Klamath Falls remain close friends.

Writing has been a life long dream for Sean. He has published three fiction novels. When not writing or working, you will find him in the kitchen working to perfect his New York cheesecake, or tossing dry flies to the wild trout of his new state.

He welcomes comments, and is always happy to share stories of the Northwest. Please feel free to e-mail or send Facebook messages through his website, Seandow.com.

Reviews

[Haight Ashbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review**
I was immediately drawn to the cover when I saw the book. The title, however, made me stop and question whether I would be interested in reading the book. I don't think the majority of people know what "debridement" means unless they work in a scientific field. Having looked up the meaning of the word, I found that it does fit perfectly with the story.
This book is written in the first person and I feel as though it would have been much better if it wasn't. The first 20-30 pages were filled with the narrator whining and complaining and basically stating "my life is so tough, you should feel bad for me. Look how hard I have it." I understand that the book was probably written in such a way that the reader is not supposed to love the protagonist but I don't think we are supposed to hate him either. I hated him right from the beginning.
The use of cliches throughout the book was extremely distracting. The narrator even brings mention of it which just made it even worse for me. 2-3 pages of asking and telling where the statements originated was about all I could handle.
The story line itself was interesting and I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened and I am glad that I stuck with it through the end. With that, knowing that it's fiction, I can give a little leeway, but the story was not that believable. I may be a bit more aggressive in my judgements because I read a lot of true crime, mainly focusing on serial killers and murderers. If this story had taken place in the 1960's- early 1970's it would have been much more believable but with all the forensics we have out there today I don't believe the protagonist would have made it half as far as he did.

[Yatish · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent debut novel by Sean Dow! It's witty and funny putting a real life and fun spin on a doctor turning into a hit man. The lead character was well fleshed out and his initial steps of turning into a hit man were hilarious. The medical knowledge of the author came in handy in making believable scenarios where the deaths appear accidental.

[Klaudia Aleksandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had potential, but it was so unrealistic in some moments to the point where it made it a lot less entertaining to read.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Debridement is the removal of unhealthy tissue from a wound to promote healing. It can be done by surgical, chemical, mechanical, or autolytic (using your body's own processes) removal of the tissue.

I received a copy of this one from Netgalley in return for a review. I was hoping that this would be a medical thriller but was sorely disappointed.

We know that American society is extremely litigious, in particularly the medical profession, so it was no surprise to learn that Dr Jack Hastings is about to be sued for malpractice. Naturally he’s pissed off about this, particularly as he considers himself to be an excellent and principled doctor, so he hatches a plan to commit the perfect murder of the lawyer who is bringing the malpractice claim.
Unfortunately, he was seen by a fellow doctor who blackmails him into murdering his wife, and then puts him onto another doctor who is willing to pay to have the lawyer suing him for malpractice - for money.

So far so good? No, because the author’s style of writing is old fashioned and contains so much superfluous detail, I was wondering whether the story was written in the 70’s or 80’s because the author’s writing seems at odd with current times.

The third murder is implausible. A stabbing in broad daylight outside a courtroom with loads of cops and bystanders? From a previously mild and amiable doctor who so quickly has no conscience or fear? Now he’s a paid hitman – devoid of principle and emotion? Really?

Nevertheless I was intrigued to find out why the novel is called Debridement (see definition above). By page 143 I realised that the medical definition wasn’t going to be applied to the story and was relieved to give up on this one - I didn't care enough to see this one through.

[Star]

Dr. Jack Hastings has it all – a good career as a critical care physician, a beautiful wife, and great kids. When he’s served with papers for a lawsuit, Jack’s world crumbles around him. He knows he did no wrong, but the stigma of a lawsuit can ruin a doctor’s career in less than a heartbeat. It doesn’t help matters when the lawyer who is working for the plaintiff is the lowest of all ambulance chasers. Jack needs to find a way out of this lawsuit and his only idea is to get rid of the man who is a plague on himself and the medical community at large. This opens up a whole new world to Jack and will change his life forever. DEBRIDEMENT: the usually surgical removal of lacerated, devitalized, or contaminated tissue. In this case, the title truly fits the plot. Written in the first person, we see events through Jack’s eyes and his biases. I think the story was written so you didn’t feel much compassion for many of the characters. There were certain aspects of the plot for which I had to suspend disbelief, but overall I found DEBRIDEMENT to be an enjoyable escape from the real world.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: DEBRIDEMENT by Sean Dow

Jack Hastings M.D. is an Oregon pulmonary and critical care specialist, leading a life he deems appropriate and fulfilling. With an overly busy practice, a beautiful wife, three sons--two grown and one nearly, a lovely home, nearly an "empty nest," what could go wrong? Well--everything. Due to the greed of a former patient's ex-wife, and of a malpractice attorney, Jack is served in an unfounded malpractice suit. If he had stopped there, he might have managed; but no, Jack, too full of himself, decides to play  God, and to eradicate the threat-permanently.

I couldn't dredge up much sympathy for the protagonist: taking everything for granted, and too suffused with self. I much preferred hi buddy and colleague, Dr. George--not a nice guy, but at least straightforward with it.

[Dixie Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild ride!

Never dreamed this story would evolve the way it did! I truly empathize with the physician's situation, because he was truly not at fault. The steps he took, however, definitely took me by surprise! There were times I had a lot of empathy when a doctor had done no wrong. The corner turned on that, though, when he took on the lawyer in Louisiana. The book, in my opinion, was well written and written in such a way to create suspense and then finish at breakneck speed! Truly an interesting premise and a really well written first person story!

[Mark Mccleary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read, very impressed with story line, (I would have included a manic RT, but that just me), looking forward to the next installment. MM

[Gina Bent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good. Very interesting and I find it very entertaining all throughout. Excited to read Dr Dow's new book " A Leafy Green World".