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Brainstorm: A Medical Murder Mystery
"One Friday night in Chicago, two friends leave their neighborhood bar and go home. One man never makes it. Stabbed in the heart by a crazed assailant, the victim is brought to a nearby hospital. A respected young carpenter who seems to have it all-wife, children, friends-finds himself in the same hospital. Mysterious stomach pains, violent mood swings, and uncharacteristic forgetfulness have plagued George Gilmer. Though he remembers nothing, it was his knife that killed the man, his blood on the man's body.
Brainstorm leads the reader into a world where the human capacity for evil extends beyond belief, into a world where it is hard to draw the line between insanity and innocence."
Brainstorm leads the reader into a world where the human capacity for evil extends beyond belief, into a world where it is hard to draw the line between insanity and innocence."
267 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 23, 2011
Sheldon Cohen has created a very unusual mystery. At first, it seems like just a simple medical mystery and I was sure I could “solve” the case as a natural progression of the story. But there is much more to unfold as the plot leads to many previously unsuspected people and places.
The story begins with Donald Snyder, a Chicago carpenter, who is just a regular guy. He and his family have a happy and normal life until he begins having medical problems. Naturally, like most of us, he tries to ignore his problems, making less of the symptoms than they really are in order to continue going to work each day and keeping his life “normal”. Things do come to flashpoint though when Donald is arrested for murder, and from that point forward, nothing is normal and all their lives are forever altered. Donald believes that “all things happen for a reason” and that belief leads him into some interesting interactions. I don’t want to spoil the story by saying too much because the reader should not have foreknowledge of any of the unexpected twists and turns before reaching that particular point in the book. Suffice it to say that medical, legal, and mafia tangles make for an unforgettable story. A story that could be ours as easily as it was Donald Snyder’s.
There was one point in the book when the author seemed to really come down long and hard on the use of malpractice lawsuits. While I may agree with his points and his view, I did become irritated that it pulled me away from the main story for longer than I felt was useful. The reason I felt that way, and to the author’s credit, may well be because he has created a story so enticing that I just didn’t want to get off on any side topics. I just wanted to get on with the story to see what happened.
“Brainstorm” is a very good first novel from Mr. Cohen. I recommend it and hope to see more from the author.
The story begins with Donald Snyder, a Chicago carpenter, who is just a regular guy. He and his family have a happy and normal life until he begins having medical problems. Naturally, like most of us, he tries to ignore his problems, making less of the symptoms than they really are in order to continue going to work each day and keeping his life “normal”. Things do come to flashpoint though when Donald is arrested for murder, and from that point forward, nothing is normal and all their lives are forever altered. Donald believes that “all things happen for a reason” and that belief leads him into some interesting interactions. I don’t want to spoil the story by saying too much because the reader should not have foreknowledge of any of the unexpected twists and turns before reaching that particular point in the book. Suffice it to say that medical, legal, and mafia tangles make for an unforgettable story. A story that could be ours as easily as it was Donald Snyder’s.
There was one point in the book when the author seemed to really come down long and hard on the use of malpractice lawsuits. While I may agree with his points and his view, I did become irritated that it pulled me away from the main story for longer than I felt was useful. The reason I felt that way, and to the author’s credit, may well be because he has created a story so enticing that I just didn’t want to get off on any side topics. I just wanted to get on with the story to see what happened.
“Brainstorm” is a very good first novel from Mr. Cohen. I recommend it and hope to see more from the author.
March 4, 2016
Great book
I couldn't out this book down. I hope the author writes more of these medical thrillers. Lots of suspense and surprises.
I couldn't out this book down. I hope the author writes more of these medical thrillers. Lots of suspense and surprises.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews