Doc Doc Zeus: A Novel of White Coat Crime

by Thomas Keech

Still mourning the baby she gave away a year before - and feeling rejected by the same church people who had so cheerfully arranged that adoption - sixteen-year-old Diane seems to find a supportive friend in her gynecologist, Dr. Zeus. Diane is intelligent and bold but often leaps before she looks, and now she questions why he has to examine her so often, and why he prescribes her so many drugs.

The state medical board also has suspicions about Dr. Zeus, but the official inquiry inches forward very slowly as its new investigator stumbles over his own hang-ups.

342 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2017

About the author

Mr. Keech has written seven well-reviewed novels based on his experiences as a juvenile counselor, a legal aid attorney, an administrative law judge, and an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland as well as his time spent as a father and a former teenager himself. Besides writing, he has worked as a volunteer attorney and is a member of the ethics review panel of his local board of education.

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Zeus is slime. He's a serial cheater and he likes them young. He also likes them addicted to drugs and if they aren't when he first meets them, they soon are.

Diane is 16 years ago. She was pregnant at 14 and gave her baby up for adoption. She finds Dr. Zeus a good listener, but she's really starting to question why he needs to examine her so often.... and why he writes so many prescriptions for her when she doesn't need them.

Dave is an employee of the state medical board. He stumbles over an old case of a woman filing a complaint of Dr. Zeus. According to her, she saw him for an injured knee. He got her hooked on pain killers .. and then he assaulted her.

Dave is a little concerned about complaints that go nowhere. He gets an anonymous call about Dr Zeus and then a video of the doctor touching a young teenage girl.

These lives intertwine and there are consequences to be faced.

This is a crime thriller ... what is called a white coat thriller. No dead bodies ... no police chases.. no explosions. Suspense starts with the first page. Characters are so credible I wanted to slap some sense into Diane. I imagined all sorts of things I could do to the doctor.

I know we've all heard horror stories of one kind or another about some physicians who are not on the up and up. As someone who worked many, many years for OB-GYN physicians, I feel it very necessary to point out that in this specialty, a doctor .. male or female... a nurse practitioner, physician's assistant or any other kind of provider is never, ever left alone in an exam room with a patient. There is always at least one employee in the office until the patient walks out.

Not an original theme, but it is well-written.

Many thanks to the author / Real Nice Books / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars. Told from three different points of view, this was an interesting story about a narcissistic doctor, a vulnerable teenage girl, and an ardent investigator at the medical board.
At age 14, Diane fell pregnant and after giving birth to a baby girl, gave her up for adoption. She has been seen regularly by Dr. Hartwicke Zeus who takes a special interest in her. Diane is vulnerable, feeling lonely, and easily falls for the charms of forty-something Zeus.
David is new to his job at the Board of Medicine. A job he mainly took to earn some money to pay off his large student debt. When he comes across a file with a complaint against Dr Zeus, he is intrigued.
I found the medical board investigation aspect of this really interesting. Not knowing the first thing about this process, I can't judge how realistic any of this was, but it felt completely believable to me. The strength of this was in the characterization of the three characters I mentioned above. You really got to know them. In the case of Dr Zeus, this wasn't a pleasant experience. The man had no redeeming features whatsoever and didn't even hesitate to use his own teenage daughter as a pawn with no regard for her emotional well-being. His attitude towards females in general was beyond belief. If you enjoy getting into the mind of a totally egotistical, manipulating, and contemptible person, he's your man.
Diane was frustrating. One moment, she was incredibly naive and kept repeating the same mistakes over and over again, the next moment she came across as quite clever and with plenty of empathy for other people.
I really liked David. He's your generally nice guy who is trying to do his best. At the end, I would have loved to read about his meeting with his fiancée's Dad. I didn't like the open ending to that part of the story, or put it another way, I needed more.
The only other thing that was a bit off was the portrayal of Diane's parents who somehow turned from completely inadequate at the beginning into the most caring and understanding parents ever.

Overall, something a bit different and really interesting. Contains some strong language and sexual situations, but not graphic or gratuitous.
I received an ARC via NetGalley.

[Jane Shambler · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, this book was not for me. I know it happens. But I didn't enjoy reading about it.

It's a book about a doctor who abuses his patients sexually and hooks them on drugs.

Just not my cup of tea.

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immediately this book reminded me of the opening scene in Hand that Rocks the Cradle. Where the gynecologist is clearly not using gloves as he's "examining" his female patients. Dr. Zeus takes it a step further with drug induced rape and taking advantage of a teenage girl.

This book volleys back and forth through the POVs of Dr. Zeus and his sexual misbehavior, David, a lawyer who looks deep into the case of women accusing Dr. Zeus of sexual misconduct and Diane, the teenager that Dr. Zeus manipulates and feeds drugs to so he can conquer and feed his sexual appetite - his wife and mistress and other "girlfriends" don't hold a candle to her young, innocent skin.

This doctor is a deplorable human being on every level. You hate him from the very first page. You applaud David for not looking the other way for an easy victory in court and you want to shake some sense in Diane. The author does an outstanding job of putting you in their minds. The fact that this can, and does happen, is skin crawling. Physicians abusing their power is a very real thing and while this is a fictional book, the subject matter is all too real. As someone who finds the human psyche fascinating and especially in the case of real to life situations, I was deeply engrossed in this novel. While the subject matter may be difficult for some readers, it does not take away from how well written it is. I could go on and on and on about everything the author explores in this book, but I won't - I will just suggest that if the above is anything at all that you're interested in, pick up a copy of this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

Maggie Ross does a great job with the narration on this book! She handles all the characters extremely well and has a soothing and easy to listen to voice. The story has many triggers and can be quite controversial. I found it all very interesting and entertaining but I hate that these types of stories can easily be real and happen far too often. I really felt for the young girl that trusted and fell for the doctor and hope people will educate themselves to these dangers. I would recommend to anyone who is alright with lots of triggers and likes bad doctor stories.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading the Kevin Mallory books I couldn’t wait to read this book by Thomas Keach I really think I should’ve read the Kindle version as opposed to the audio because although the narrator had a lovely voice I thought the characters seemed flat and again soon did a pretty good job with character distinction I just think it almost sounded generic if that makes sense. The book is about heart cliff Zeus a Doctor Who takes advantage of his young patients and anyone else who he sees that can benefit him the name and first victim is Diane Bolt after giving her baby up she is ostracized by the adults in her life and her peers but makes a name for herself as a drug addict and the only real true friend she has is a guy name Woody. She met Dr. Zeus while pregnant because he worked at the church is maternity clinic in soon after giving birth he started grooming her and got her addicted to the drugs she would eventually depend on. I was really hoping this book would end differently but I guess just like real life sometimes we don’t get what we want. I did enjoy this book and do think if you read it you should definitely read the Kindle version but that’s just my opinion. I did find this book interesting I just wish they would have may be had a different narrator I think the narrator would do good at children’s books and self help but as for fiction and or thrillers I don’t think she is a good fit. I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Gloria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
This is a book about a despicable doctor who sexually abuses some of his patients and gets them hooked on drugs. It really doesn't have much to commend it. The characters are not well developed and most of them are not likable. The descriptions of sex are matter of fact and not interesting. The action is slow until the last part where it picked up enough to keep me reading. The description of the book and the background of the author made me hope that a strong Medical Board would step in. That was not really the case. 2.5 stars.

[Stacey E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Content Warnings:
- Sexual Abuse/Rape
- Child Grooming
- Language

When I picked this book, I thought it was more about prescription drug abuse and the doctor who prescribed them. This story does touch on that, but it is mainly about the sexual abuse of a minor by her gynecologist, Dr Zeus. I am normally not one to be triggered by content, but I found this to be a very uncomfortable read. The writing was okay, and the narration was great, but I just did not enjoy this based on the content. I ended up DNFing a little less than halfway through.
Thank you, NetGalley, Real Nice Books, and IBPA, for the opportunity to listen and review this advanced copy.

[Donna Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and Real Nice Books for the DRC, which I read free and early in exchange for this honest review. This novel was published earlier this month and is for sale now.

Doc Doc Zeus is a tough one to review. There are strengths that drew me at the outset and I thought I was going to love it; unfortunately, the literary aspects and a blind spot or two regarding women and rape have kept me from cheering and promoting the way I expected.

Conceptually, it’s innovative and gutsy. We have Diane, who at 14 has been manipulated by a conservative Christian group and agrees to carry a baby rather than have an abortion.

Diane’s physician is Dr. Zeus, and he is being paid by the church that is housing Diane. Diane is thrilled because she is made to feel heroic, special, for deciding not to end the pregnancy. At age 14, she is right in the throes of the all-about-me stage of adolescence, and this is the strongest part of Diane’s development as a character. Of course, once the baby is born and sent off to live with adoptive parents, Diane is no longer being spoiled and petted, and so she is in a vulnerable place. Her parents are not as available as they might be, so she is isolated, and makes an excellent target for a guy like Zeus.

Zeus is pond scum, a serial rapist, a liar and a thief. He conspires to direct his hospital’s lab business through an intermediary company he owns for no purpose other than to drive up costs and line his own wallet. The guy is so toxic and free of any redeeming qualities that I couldn’t read this story for very long at a time; there are other reasons, too. I’ll get to them in a minute.

Our third main character is Dave, who works for the state’s medical board. Dave is frustrated by the lack of interest on the part of the state in pursuing Zeus legally. Why is this guy allowed to practice? There’s plenty of documentation to show that he should not only be stripped of his license, but be behind bars. Why can’t this happen?

The best part of the book is the opening, not to mention the quirky, engaging title. When we begin, the narratives by Diane and by Zeus make me alternately laugh out loud and groan. It’s dry humor, savagely funny. I want it to stay that way.

Sadly, by the thirty percent mark, I am starting to wonder whether a high profile editor might be needed to assist with the literary aspects of this thing. The last time I saw this sort of problem was also with an author that had a lot of technical expertise and a lengthy, successful career in an area that dovetailed with his novel; Keech is retired from a state attorney general’s office. He has plenty of knowledge regarding state bureaucracy as it applies to physicians, but the elements a novel requires—character development and above all a story arc, with the action and urgency rising around the 75 or 80 percent mark and then falling back toward a conclusion, are simply not present. Our hero, Dave, is trying valiantly to shut Zeus down, but readers won’t engage with the amount of bureaucratic detail here. This area needs to be condensed, and Dave needs development as a character. The setting is nearly absent.

The other problem here is a certain tone-deafness regarding the book’s audience. Potentially, this story could be a rallying cry for women that have experienced rape and for anyone that has been molested as a child or when they were vulnerable. There are so many out there.

But for these readers, this is a hot-stove issue. Less is more. This reviewer has not even been there, and yet the level of detailed sexual predation in this book is painful to me, and unnecessarily so. Chapter after chapter; page after page. Most people that would otherwise champion a novel like this one, won’t finish it because it’s too hard to read. The crime itself should wink in briefly, decisively and memorably, and then the story should be built around it.

I would also change the ending.

To be sure, I am convinced that Keech is on the side of the angels, and I would bet my last dollar that he has seen or heard of a situation similar to the one in this story. I suspect that he’s a good man who is transitioning from his career in state government to a career as a novelist, and trying to use fiction to make a difference. For this reason also, I wanted to be able to promote this book and send out a Twitter storm telling people to read it. I avoided writing this review, because it isn’t the one I had hoped to write.

With a great deal of TLC, this story could be rewritten in a way that would work. The idea is strong, but the execution is lacking. A high profile editor might be very useful here, and if that happens and a rewrite significantly improves this work, I would be willing to reread and review again. But as it stands, I cannot recommend it.

[Cat Ellington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured at the Review Period with Cat Ellington from 2018-10-31 - 2018-11-14, Doc Doc Zeus by Thomas Walton Keech has been archived for its place in the Reviews by Cat Ellington Complete Anthology book series.

• Thank you kindly, Real Nice Books, Thomas Walton Keech, and NetGalley!

The Review Period with Cat Ellington: https://catellington.blogspot.com/

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the goofy title, this book is serious and often disturbing. Dr. Zeus uses his position to sexually abuse young women. One young woman, Diane, grows suspicious of Zeus’s behavior as he grows more violent in their relationship. The book seems particularly timely as this reader lives near Lansing, MI and the descriptions of abuse mirror the descriptions of alleged abuse by the MSU gymnastics coach. Further, the story of a powerful and arrogant Zeus who rapes Diane has numerous ties to Greek Myth. Overall, this book is more complex than anticipated and worth a read.

[Kati Berman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diane is a teenager, who got pregnant at age 14 and gave her baby up for adoption . She was under the care of Dr. Zeuss, who continued to want to see her, even after there was no longer a medical need for that. He first befriends Diane, then supplies her with drugs and develops a sexual relationship with her that becomes more and more abusive as time goes on.
David is an investigator with the medical board and investigates Dr Zeuss after a complaint of rape by another woman and is frustrated when his efforts are thwarted by this and other investigations.
Doc Doc Zeuss grabbed my attention when it became available on NetGalley, because I worked at an insurance company fraud department, where we investigated the schemes described in this book. The upcoding of services, the inaccurate medical records, the kickback schemes etc. I also experienced first hand the reluctance of the medical boards to convict the doctors, rather a slap on the hand, continuing education and fines, so they can go back and continue their schemes. The author accurately reflected this reluctance in describing David's frustration of being able to bring charges against a repeated offender, Dr. Zeuss, who in addition of misrepresenting his medical records, also sexually abused innocent women.
The book was a real page turner and an easy read. I would have liked to know a little more about the circumstances that led to Diane breaking up with the baby's father and giving up her baby. Overall 3.5-4 stars.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

[Randi Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diane was young girl who had gotten pregnant at 14 and gave the baby away. She was helped by a church that was almost a cult and had attended their church school. Now she was back at her regular school. She felt that she did not fit in anywhere. The kids at both schools treated her like a freak. The one person she could talk to was Woody who had been into drugs in middle school and was clean now, living in a garage and working two part time jobs.
Doctor Hartwicke Zeus was an obstetrician working for the church’s free clinic. He was treating Diane for postpartum “problems” doing gynecological exams every other week and “counseling” her. Diane trusted him and felt he was the only person she could talk to about her problems. Their friendship became sexual with the help of the pills he gave her to “relax”-Xanax and oxycodone to the tune of 480 prescriptions. Luckily Woody convinced Diane not to take the drugs and he kept the prescriptions.
Doc Zeus was a really creepy despicable villain who thought he could do whatever he wanted because he was a rich doctor. As I became more and more disgusted with him I kept reading hoping he would finally get his. I won’t spoil the ending but I was partially satisfied.
I requested a copy of this book from Netgalley because I love medical mysteries. While this book does not qualify as such it was a satisfying read. Thomas Keech’s background as an attorney and counsel to the Maryland Board of Physicians and as a juvenile counselor served him well in this book. I am looking forward to reading more of his works.

[Lisa A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am new to this author and while this book was thoroughly disturbing at times, I did enjoy it for the most part.
Dr. Zeus is a despicable character, a narcissistic serial cheater who grooms vulnerable young women and teens, introducing them to drugs & sexually abusing them. The hardest part is knowing there are people like him walking amongst us. I enjoyed the other characters more - Diane, a vulnerable teen coming to terms with giving up her baby for adoption and the struggle to fit in with her peers after this. I felt like her struggles were very real and relatable, even being drawn into Dr. Zeus’s web. Her naivety was annoying at times, but again, probably an accurate portrayal of a vulnerable young woman. I enjoyed getting to know David, the newbie investigator with the medical board who pushed to have files on Dr. Zeus re-opened and discovered irregularities with a young female patient, Diane, who Dr. Zeus was currently treating. It was interesting learning about the ins and outs of prosecution in a case like this. Having read the author’s bio, I imagine these scenes are very realistic and accurate.
I listened to the audio book which was well narrated by Maggie Ross. I feel I may have coped better with the content if I had read the e-book, which would have allowed me to skip over the more disturbing scenes. Overall an insightful book and if you like this genre, I think it would appeal.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advanced audio copy.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book is told from the POV of 3 separate characters. The first POV is 16-year-old Diane. She is grieving the baby she gave away when she was 14 years old. The second POV is Dr. Zeus, Diane's depraved doctor and all-around pervert. The third POV is Frank, a rookie medical board investigator who stumbles across an old case about Dr. Zeus that never went anywhere. When a new complaint (about Diane) comes in from an anonymous source, the Board starts to investigate in earnest.

This book reads a little bit like narrative non-fiction. It was so plausible (even though disturbing and horrible) that, at times, I forgot I was reading a fiction book.

I thought the characters were well-developed and realistic, even if not likable. I was rooting for Frank to take down the deplorable Dr. Zeus (whom, of course, I hated), and I was at times aggravated at the choices Diane made. I had to keep reminding myself that she was only a teenager, and so was thinking with a teenage brain. She didn't see anything wrong with a 16-year-old dating her 43-year-old doctor, even though every adult immediately realized this was statutory rape and a betrayal of trust. I became really invested in the outcome of the story and was eager to find out whether everything worked out okay.

I would definitely recommend this book; however, I would caution anyone who is sensitive to such stories, especially those who are sensitive about issues of statutory rape, abuse of minors, or other similar triggers.

[Krisi Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have never read a book like Doc Doc Zeus, which is partly why it interested and intrigued me.
We hear stories of Doctors with less than a stellar moral code, and we listen to true crime podcasts, but I’ve never read a fictional book about it before. I liked what seemed like a fresh (not to mention gutsy) idea to me.

Aside from the doctor, I liked all the main characters and the subplots of the book. They were intriguing and I enjoyed piecing all the different aspects together.

That being said, I personally had a hard time reading this book. It was very uncomfortable (as this topic is probably designed). Reading details of a doctor preying on all women, let alone a minor is tough. In that regard, my discomfort was a note of good writing. However, at times I was distracted by choppy and sudden changes of character or circular conversations and themes that had already happened that did not further to reinforce a point or plot of the story. I also feel that the ending was very abrupt and was kind of unsatisfactory. Overall I think it was a brave choice, that for the most part worked well as a book. It’s just not my genre I tend to lean towards.

[Kasia Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doc Doc Zeus is one of those stories that is so horrifying and yet could so very well happen in real life that it's really scary to think about. Zeus Hartwick is a sociopathic predatory doctor that preys on his innocent and vulnerable patients, manipulating and grooming them to become addicted to opiates as well as putting their trust in him, to his advantage and not their well being. Diane is a young lady who happens to have gotten pregnant at a young age, and after giving her baby up for adoption ended up in Dr. Zeus's care for after treatment. In the state of distress that she was in, it seemed so easy for Dr. Zeus to really hone in on her specifically and start trying to manipulate this young lady to allow him to do as he pleases. It was really hard to listen to this as he seems to have no boundaries that stop him, and those around seemed to be fairly clueless as to what was really going on. Fast paced, definitely triggering for those with backgrounds of vulnerability, but the story moved along that made you really want to know what happened.
Narrated by Maggie Ross, who was easy to listen to and the pace was on point.
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

[Irene Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free advance e-copy of this book and have chosen to write an honest and unbiased review. I have no personal affiliation with the author. Dr. Zeus is a unscrupulous and despicable physician who sexually abuses a very vulnerable and impressionable underage girl. This isn’t the first and won’t be the last unless he is caught. He also prescribes addicting medication for each of them to ‘help’ their maladies and make them feel better. This man is unconscionable and without remorse as he attempts to control each of them. He seems to have a need to wield his power and control over every situation in his life and he appears to be sociopathic. He is a major manipulator and a real slime ball. This is an extremely well written novel as Mr. Keech describes in great detail each step that leads into the abuse and the hold the abuser continues to have over the victim. Great character development. We also see how the medical board and our legal system work in such cases and all the safeguards for the protection of all parties. This is an eye opener and well worth the read. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Keech in the future.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to be able to rate this book higher. It starts off well, but then rather stagnates and drags on.

The story is told from three different points of view: a misogynist doctor, a vulnerable teenage girl, and a determined investigator at the medical board.
I liked the way that the story had the different perspectives. It defenitatly kept it interesting. It is a powerful topic and had the potential of being a really great book.

[Patricia Moren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story of a 16year old girl grieving over an illegitimate baby that she had to give away and being abused by a perverted gynaecologist. I struggled with this, no likeable characters or any I could relate to .The writing style wasn't enabling and the descriptions pedantic. Not my kind of story and seemed to border on voyeurism.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written story about some sensitive topics. You may not want to start this book unless you know you have time to finish it in one sitting. There are some situations that are graphic and go into detail, but you will end up more educated and better for the knowledge.

The book is very good. I highly recommend it. It is entertaining. You won't want to put it down.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Real Nice Books for the audiobook ARC!

I definitely found myself repulsed by the events described in Doc Doc Zeus, which I think is kind of the point. It's sad that there are opportunistic evildoers in this world, and way too often they get away with it.

But what the heck is with the corny, dad-jokey name? Minus one star at least, just for that.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didnt actually enjoy this , it was both the subject matter and the tone it was written.
I'm not sure how I kept going to the end, but I did, and for that alone it deserves extra points.
The whole thing was just not my cup of tea.

[Jaime Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. Totally predictable and the basis for a lot of made-for-TV movies but kept me interested. I knew the ending before the end of the first chapter but enjoyed the journey. The main characters were all ridiculously dumb but ya can't win them all.

[A. Lorna Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

The writing wasn't my favorite on this one but still kept my attention despite that. Definitely an interesting subject matter, and all too real. The narrator did a good job.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to get into BUT once into the book very interesting read.
Complicated issues but all worked out appropriately at the end.
Very interesting twists and turns both good and evil.

[Wynter J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

**2.5 Stars**

[Kathryn Heimpel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr Zeus is not who you want as your doctor.

A cheater, a liar, and all from a place of authority over young women. Drugs and sexual assault. The storyline had a lot of potential.

The story is told from multiple perspectives which helps bring the moving parts of the story together. However, I wanted a bit more from the storyline. At time I felt like information was muddled and the pace felt slow.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and Real Nice Books for the opportunity to provide an honest review.

[Vnunez-Ms_luv2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gynecologist that preys on young women, is addicted to drugs, Did I mention he is also a cheater? This book is told from 3 different perspectives: the doctor, a 16 yr old patient and a relentless investigator who has issues of his own. Bring these three people together and what you receive is one heck of story. I could not put this book down. Awesome read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. I will look for this author again

[Marcie Saldivar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a weird and twisted story of a doctor taking advantage of everyone in his life. Cheating on his wife, sleeping with a nurse and patients, 1 being a 16 year old girl. Also giving drugs to patients to take advantage of them. He seems to think he is above the law. Even outright lying when he's been caught. The other main character, the 16 year old girl, seemed to be taken advantage of by several people in her life. I was glad in the end there was closure for the characters.