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Alexandra Destephano #1
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center
The divorce was final…
…and the pain still lingered.
Will her first date with Mitch be what she needs?
Starting over can be hard. Alex worked her butt off to become a nurse and law school was just another challenge she had to conquer. Her drive got her the job as inhouse council for Crescent City Medical and she loved it. There was just one problem…
Seeing her ex every day.
Date night didn’t go as planned. When she got the call, Alex was just about ready, but dinner with Mitch would have to wait. The wife of Louisiana’s Governor had been found, unconscious and covered in blood. Who would do such a thing?
This was the first domino to fall…
…and the Big Easy has many secrets.
Will Alex get in over her head?
In a world of politics, underworld, and voodoo, Alex starts down a path she may regret. There are forces at play she didn’t know existed.
You’ll love this psychological thriller, because it will take more than strong character to come out the other side, it will take brains. Alex has both.
Get it now.
…and the pain still lingered.
Will her first date with Mitch be what she needs?
Starting over can be hard. Alex worked her butt off to become a nurse and law school was just another challenge she had to conquer. Her drive got her the job as inhouse council for Crescent City Medical and she loved it. There was just one problem…
Seeing her ex every day.
Date night didn’t go as planned. When she got the call, Alex was just about ready, but dinner with Mitch would have to wait. The wife of Louisiana’s Governor had been found, unconscious and covered in blood. Who would do such a thing?
This was the first domino to fall…
…and the Big Easy has many secrets.
Will Alex get in over her head?
In a world of politics, underworld, and voodoo, Alex starts down a path she may regret. There are forces at play she didn’t know existed.
You’ll love this psychological thriller, because it will take more than strong character to come out the other side, it will take brains. Alex has both.
Get it now.
439 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 18, 2013
994 people are currently reading
1626 people want to read
About the author
Judith Lucci
63 books426 followersDr. Judith Lucci is an Amazon bestselling author who writes what she knows. She is the author of the Alex Destephano Medical Thriller Series and the soon to be released Michaela McPherson, Private Eye, a series centered on a retired homicide detective from Richmond, Virginia who really can’t retire.
“Before I wrote fiction, I was an academic writer who published research, theoretical works, text books and just about anything a nurse or college professor needed to publish to survive. The differences in academic writing and writing fiction are dramatic. Writing what I know propels me to pull from my clinical experiences, some good, some not and use popular fiction as a means to teach and advocate for others. My books have three purposes, to engage the reader, to entertain them and to educate about healthcare and perhaps, the darker side of hospital life.
I am a nurse and hold graduate and doctoral degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia. I have always been a reader and a writer and I love it. I am a member of the Virginia Writers Club, The Shenandoah Valley Writers and Sisters in Crime.
When I’m not writing I am probably teaching, paining on silk as I am a multi-media artist or playing with my many dogs. Please feel free to contact me at judithlucciwrites@gmail.com. I am excited about meeting you!
“Before I wrote fiction, I was an academic writer who published research, theoretical works, text books and just about anything a nurse or college professor needed to publish to survive. The differences in academic writing and writing fiction are dramatic. Writing what I know propels me to pull from my clinical experiences, some good, some not and use popular fiction as a means to teach and advocate for others. My books have three purposes, to engage the reader, to entertain them and to educate about healthcare and perhaps, the darker side of hospital life.
I am a nurse and hold graduate and doctoral degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia. I have always been a reader and a writer and I love it. I am a member of the Virginia Writers Club, The Shenandoah Valley Writers and Sisters in Crime.
When I’m not writing I am probably teaching, paining on silk as I am a multi-media artist or playing with my many dogs. Please feel free to contact me at judithlucciwrites@gmail.com. I am excited about meeting you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
October 31, 2020
This one seems to have a little of everything ... The Big Easy nightlife ... politics .... voodoo ... a little romance ... healthcare.
Alexandra is a nurse and in-house counsel for Crescent City Medical Center. She loves her job, but the one thing she never counted on was seeing her ex-husband every day. It's true , she's dating, but the ex still seems to pull her in.
She also hadn't counted on someone attacking the Governor's wife while she was a patient recovering from abdominal surgery. When the floor nurse made her rounds, she found the first lady of Louisiana unconscious and covered in blood. Her room had been torn part .. leaving behind a dead chicken and other signs of a 'hex'. Yet no one saw or heard a thing... how can that be?
And this was just the beginning ..... . To make matters worse, patients have left the hospital against medical advice, and staff have refused to work.
Hospitals are supposed to be safe places, aren't they?
This is a rather slow paced mystery with lots of voodoo information weaving its way through the simple plot. The characters are pretty well fleshed out, some much more likeable than others. It was an interesting read and I'd like to take a look at Book 2 in this series.
Many thanks to the author / Bluestone Valley Publishing / Goodreads Give-Away for the digital copy of this crime fiction/mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
June 9, 2014
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Centre by Judith Townsend Rocchiccioli is a superb medical thriller and top-notch entertainment. The author has created some of the best characters this reader has met and by far the most outstanding is Alex Destephano, female lawyer for the hospital. Alex has her hands full dealing with the day-to-day legality and is looking forward to Mardi Gras with her new boyfriend. I love how the author weaves into the complex story the workings of a big hospital and never loses sight of the pace and action. Brilliant stuff!
But Alex's orderly world is cut short as patients leave the hospital even if their lives depend on its care. Then nurses call in sick creating total chaos. She has to investigate matters and solve this impending chaos soon. Her dealings with hospital CEO Don Montgomery and tough but fair police Captain Jack Francoise are expertly laid out with great dialogue and a liberal sprinkling of hospital technobabble that never once confused this reader.
So if you are into taught, high-tension medical thrillers, love Cajun food, Mardi Gras and especially Voodoo and the dazzling colour of New Orleans then this book will fulfil all your desires.
A FIVE STAR medical thriller and very highly recommended.
But Alex's orderly world is cut short as patients leave the hospital even if their lives depend on its care. Then nurses call in sick creating total chaos. She has to investigate matters and solve this impending chaos soon. Her dealings with hospital CEO Don Montgomery and tough but fair police Captain Jack Francoise are expertly laid out with great dialogue and a liberal sprinkling of hospital technobabble that never once confused this reader.
So if you are into taught, high-tension medical thrillers, love Cajun food, Mardi Gras and especially Voodoo and the dazzling colour of New Orleans then this book will fulfil all your desires.
A FIVE STAR medical thriller and very highly recommended.
August 28, 2014
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center by Judith Townsend Rocchiccioli is a wonderfully exciting medical thriller filled with ongoing suspense. There are medical politics that will keep you entertained and crime investigation that will grab your attention.
I loved the characters and enjoyed the ongoing drama.This is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I didn’t want to put it down. So well written that you could see the scenes play out in front of you.
Chaos is a great escape with some mind blowing scenes that take place in New Orleans. The author knows what she is talking about as far as the medical references. Great job. I would highly recommend picking up this book or any book by this author. Very impressive!
Hold onto to your seat. This book is going to take you for a ride!
Quote ~
Alex thought for a moment. “A plot? I don’t think so. We’re certainly encountering some unfortunate events but we have no knowledge or evidence of a plot and don’t know a reason why anyone would plot against Crescent City Medical Center.”
I loved the characters and enjoyed the ongoing drama.This is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I didn’t want to put it down. So well written that you could see the scenes play out in front of you.
Chaos is a great escape with some mind blowing scenes that take place in New Orleans. The author knows what she is talking about as far as the medical references. Great job. I would highly recommend picking up this book or any book by this author. Very impressive!
Hold onto to your seat. This book is going to take you for a ride!
Quote ~
Alex thought for a moment. “A plot? I don’t think so. We’re certainly encountering some unfortunate events but we have no knowledge or evidence of a plot and don’t know a reason why anyone would plot against Crescent City Medical Center.”
May 14, 2014
Such a colourful novel! From ‘the pungent smell of Cajun spices’ I was hooked. By ‘Brie, heated with honey and almonds’ I was salivating. To read about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans nightlife was simply intriguing. But what happens to a 600 bed hospital when 50% of the nursing staff call in sick on the same day? And how come the newspaper is aware of names and details of every event before the press releases. Who is responsible for that? This is a pacey good/evil read with great characters, like The Ordinary Man, and Alex, and her previous grumpy husband. Tensions are surely running high when a group of gunmen try to take over the hospital, and there is a battle of machine gun versus defibrillator. Murder and mayhem at its best. Well done!
July 10, 2014
“Chaos at Crescent City Medical Centre” by Judith Townsend Rocchiccioli is an excellent and very enjoyable medical thriller. Not only does it take place in the complex world of hospital administration and its legal aspects, but it also capitalises greatly on the fantastic location of the hospital in New Orleans with its lively ambience, characters and an ongoing Mardi Gras.
Alex Destephano, a lawyer at the hospital, has her hands full, not least because of her ex-husband who also works at the hospital and has a reputation for bending the rules. When a local celebrity is found unconscious in her hotel bed things get really going.
Alex is a well written protagonist with her desire for order and excitement alike.
The author has created excellent and colourful characters that you instantly get and like. The story combines the best of hospital drama and crime investigation, it is lively, exciting, action packed and full of great ideas. The author is clearly very knowledgeable about hospitals, health care and New Orleans which made this a very enjoyable read and a real treat.
Alex Destephano, a lawyer at the hospital, has her hands full, not least because of her ex-husband who also works at the hospital and has a reputation for bending the rules. When a local celebrity is found unconscious in her hotel bed things get really going.
Alex is a well written protagonist with her desire for order and excitement alike.
The author has created excellent and colourful characters that you instantly get and like. The story combines the best of hospital drama and crime investigation, it is lively, exciting, action packed and full of great ideas. The author is clearly very knowledgeable about hospitals, health care and New Orleans which made this a very enjoyable read and a real treat.
July 20, 2016
I'm a huge fan of medical thrillers, and I enjoyed reading Chaos at Crescent Center Medical Center from the very first page. The characters were well developed and I could see them in my mind's eye. I loved the attention to detail about New Orleans. The author obviously knows the city, its history and the culture well, and it shows in this debut novel. The plot was fast moving and the ending was fantastic with descriptions of the Mardi Gras Ball. This is a thriller to remember. Can't wait for No. 2.
March 22, 2014
I am friends with Judith on Good Reads,so I am hoping that she gets to see this review.I am a fan of medical thrillers and Robin Cook is my favorite athor,so I went into this book,admittedly skeptical about it being as good as his books,but after reading for a while,I found this book as page turning and susupensful and was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend Judith's book for reading.
August 29, 2013
Amazon Reviews
"A real page-turner. Once I got into the book, I couldn't put it down. Dr. Rocchiccioli does a great job of weaving a good into the fabric of New Orleans culture!" VA Rockstarz
March 25, 2017
It’s post-Katrina in New Orleans and people everywhere are ramping up for Mardi Gras. A unique setting for this, the first of the Alex Destephano novels by Judith Lucci. If vibrant, multi-layered NOLA isn’t enough on its own, Lucci throws into the mix a major hospital complex under siege, mobsters and crooked politicians, big conglomerates willing to do anything to get their way, terrifying killers and spooky voodoo – a heady mix indeed. This fast-paced tale of mayhem and death is populated by colourful characters you won’t forget in a hurry, as it races to a devastating climax during the most important celebration in the Carnival calendar.
Author Lucci brings to this medical thriller an intimate knowledge of both large hospitals and their inner workings, and her love for New Orleans, laying a strong foundation for her tale of deceit and double-dealing. Her knack of populating her novels with intimate details that place the reader in the Big Easy adds to the authority with which she tells this story.
They call her the ‘Queen of New Orleans Medical Thrillers’ and it’s a title well deserved. Highly recommended. Move over Robin Cook, the Queen is here!
Author Lucci brings to this medical thriller an intimate knowledge of both large hospitals and their inner workings, and her love for New Orleans, laying a strong foundation for her tale of deceit and double-dealing. Her knack of populating her novels with intimate details that place the reader in the Big Easy adds to the authority with which she tells this story.
They call her the ‘Queen of New Orleans Medical Thrillers’ and it’s a title well deserved. Highly recommended. Move over Robin Cook, the Queen is here!
May 26, 2014
Voodoo, Politics, Murder, & Romance!
This book held my attention from start to finish! Consistent with its title, 'Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center' delivers the chaos and much more! As a reader and someone with a health care background, I was fascinated by the author's ability to effectively integrate complex healthcare issues and policies into her well developed plot and story line.
Dr. Rocchiccioli makes it easy for readers to understand the relationship of healthcare policies to the political process and more importantly to the relationship of quality of care for patients in need of medical services. Her opinions on the topic are clearly presented as she incorporates her perspective into the novel.
To top it off, the author adds a healthy dose of voodoo; a dusting of the challenges of running a hospital; a sprinkling of romance and the intensity of a murder investigation. The effective combination and interplay of these ingredients make this a great read!
This book held my attention from start to finish! Consistent with its title, 'Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center' delivers the chaos and much more! As a reader and someone with a health care background, I was fascinated by the author's ability to effectively integrate complex healthcare issues and policies into her well developed plot and story line.
Dr. Rocchiccioli makes it easy for readers to understand the relationship of healthcare policies to the political process and more importantly to the relationship of quality of care for patients in need of medical services. Her opinions on the topic are clearly presented as she incorporates her perspective into the novel.
To top it off, the author adds a healthy dose of voodoo; a dusting of the challenges of running a hospital; a sprinkling of romance and the intensity of a murder investigation. The effective combination and interplay of these ingredients make this a great read!
June 3, 2014
I enjoyed reading this book. It is nice that the author knows medicine and doesn't just make stuff up. I really wish the editing and proofreading was better.
August 5, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center! A thriller that you will not forget!
August 27, 2019
Interesting from the start and kept going. Mystery, romance, betrayal, and more. An enjoyable evening’s reading.
April 15, 2015
Deep Like Graham Greene
Ms. Judith Lucci’s “Chaos” stands up there in my list of all-time favorites right beside Graham Greene’s “The Power and the Glory”. Why? The scented trail of Voodoo! Her New Orleans of today reeks like Papa Doc’s Port-au-Prince of the 50s. Mardi Gras comes to life in all of its cultural depth and color. But it’s the humanity of the people and the way the medical tale weaves in and out of the life of the city that intrigued me.
About Green’s book, it is said that the Pope himself reassured the author about his criticisms of the priesthood. Judith Lucci’s social polemic reaches into the depths of the medical system in America today. Her peoples’ lives cut incisively into the system by example and lay bare the ‘heart of the matter’.
The food, the drinking, the nightlife and all the lust and fantasy surrounding the Mardi Gras intertwined beautifully with the story of the gorgeous Alexandra’s complex life in Crescent City Medical Center. I am a fan. Will pick up her other books and read ‘em all in a row.
October 16, 2014
This story has so much going for it and didn't disappoint in its delivery. A nurse finding a dead celebrity in her hotel bed, and a backdrop of New Orleans, with Mardi Gras, and voodoo rituals included, made this a special read.
I visited New Orleans and loved the atmosphere, so well depicted in this story. It is a medical thriller with great details from an author who obviously knows all about hospital life, and the politics surrounding the medical profession.
I was really impressed by the detailed accuracies and writing style. I have read other books by Ms Rocchiccioli, and this one is as good as the other two.
I visited New Orleans and loved the atmosphere, so well depicted in this story. It is a medical thriller with great details from an author who obviously knows all about hospital life, and the politics surrounding the medical profession.
I was really impressed by the detailed accuracies and writing style. I have read other books by Ms Rocchiccioli, and this one is as good as the other two.
September 11, 2018
I am enjoying the Around the world in 52 books challenge as it is pushing me too fast d new authors. This challenge was for a medical or legal thriller and Chaos is both. It was tightly plotted with fun characters and a nice exploration of New Orleans and voodoo. I will probably read more. My one complaint was the not subtle political jibes and anti-ACA diatribes thrown in - some just didn’t fit at all within the context and I found it irritating. I get it that hospital administrators may have some opinions on this s topic, but there was an agenda I think. Also some Virginia wine suggestions - those were ok. I’ll see how the political tone is in the next book or two.
August 4, 2014
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center by Judith Townsend Rocchiccioli is an exciting and engaging book.
I love a good medical thriller and this author is at the top of my list now, thanks to the 'Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center'
I love a good medical thriller and this author is at the top of my list now, thanks to the 'Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center'
August 4, 2014
Timely read with regard to healthcare and catastrophic events. Well-developed plot that held my interest. Recommend!
August 9, 2014
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Centre by Judith Townsend Rocchiccioli is fabulous. A medical thriller and top-notch entertainment. Excellent characters and a jaw dropping story. Kudos Judith.
August 5, 2014
Just the way that I like it, action filled drama...
August 4, 2014
Review coming soon.
June 1, 2021
The editing on this book was atrocious. Dumaine Street was referred to as Domaine Street. A man was referred to as "a curly, white-haired, person" rather than a person with curly white hair, leaving me to wonder what a curly person looked like. Comma abuse and run-on sentences were rampant.
And all of that is a shame, because it was a major distraction from what would have been an excellent medico-legal thriller. Alex DeStephano (or maybe Destephano, as both were used interchangeably) is the chief counsel for a private hospital in New Orleans. Her ex-husband is a surgeon there, and it seems that somebody has it out for him. This being New Orleans, of course there are also creepy voodoo curses. Oh, and someone wants the hospital to sell to a major conglomerate.
There are vague references to how health care reform (really health insurance reform) is going to wreck everything for doctors ... but no specifics about how this might be so.
I can say, having worked in hospitals, that the internal workings of Crescent City Medical Center felt very real. However, I found myself wondering several times whether the author had ever even been to New Orleans. Her references to the city were vague, she got a street name for a real place wrong, and more.
Overall, I was disappointed. Three stars for a good plot that deserved a better book.
And all of that is a shame, because it was a major distraction from what would have been an excellent medico-legal thriller. Alex DeStephano (or maybe Destephano, as both were used interchangeably) is the chief counsel for a private hospital in New Orleans. Her ex-husband is a surgeon there, and it seems that somebody has it out for him. This being New Orleans, of course there are also creepy voodoo curses. Oh, and someone wants the hospital to sell to a major conglomerate.
There are vague references to how health care reform (really health insurance reform) is going to wreck everything for doctors ... but no specifics about how this might be so.
I can say, having worked in hospitals, that the internal workings of Crescent City Medical Center felt very real. However, I found myself wondering several times whether the author had ever even been to New Orleans. Her references to the city were vague, she got a street name for a real place wrong, and more.
Overall, I was disappointed. Three stars for a good plot that deserved a better book.
March 2, 2020
This book describes how someone who has evil intentions can mask what is going on. In this case the evil doers are using the New Orleans fear of Voodoo to try and take over the hospital. Alex thinks she is falling for Mitch, but has no idea that he started out duping her. She gets to join her ex-husband in solving the problem.
September 27, 2020
Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center is Book 1 in the The Alexandra Destephano Medical Thriller Series by Judith Lucci. In this book, we are introduced to Alexandra (Alex) Destephano, attorney for the Crescent City Medical Center in New Orleans. Alex is happy in her position, and has many great friends and associates, including her ex husband, Robert Bonnet. After learning that one of Robert's patient's has been brutally attacked and left in a coma hanging from a thread, Alex and the hospital must race to find out who is responsible. Even more so, because this patient happens to be the wife of the Governor and very important to the lifeblood of the hospital. In talking to Adam Lee, Alex's Grandfather and a U.S. Congressman, Alex wonders if there is something going on that is far deeper than what it seems. She brings her concerns up with her new boyfriend, Mitch, in the hopes that he could offer a new view from the outside, but still doesn't know who would be behind such a heinous attack. Then there is another attack. Who is behind these attacks? Is Crescent City Medical Center under siege because of her ex? Or is something far more sinister going on?
This book is written along the likes of Robin Cook and many of the other authors of medical thrillers. It's fast paced and edgy, guaranteed to keep you up a little later than you planned as you go-for one more page, one more chapter while the tension builds. I love the characters and the way the author paints the backdrop so that I can practically feel the wind that she's describing and see the people that she's writing about right in front of me.
This book is written along the likes of Robin Cook and many of the other authors of medical thrillers. It's fast paced and edgy, guaranteed to keep you up a little later than you planned as you go-for one more page, one more chapter while the tension builds. I love the characters and the way the author paints the backdrop so that I can practically feel the wind that she's describing and see the people that she's writing about right in front of me.
October 21, 2020
A New Orleans Mystery at its finest.
Combine Mardi Gras and Voodoo and you have a New Orleans mystery that will keep you turning page after page.
The main characters in this book are Alexandra "Alex" the hospital's lawyer. Don Montgomery, Crescent City Medical Center's CEO who seems to add to the problems more than help them. Robert Henri Bonnet, MD - Alex's ex-husband who remains friends with her. Then we have Captain Jack Francois who seem to butt heads with Alex at every turn. Will they put their differences aside long enough to work together to stop the Chaos at Crescent City Medical?
And will these people have the knowledge or time to find out why a voodoo curse have been place on Crescent City Medical Center? And can they stop it in time before anymore patients or medical staff succumbs to the voodoo curse?
Combine Mardi Gras and Voodoo and you have a New Orleans mystery that will keep you turning page after page.
The main characters in this book are Alexandra "Alex" the hospital's lawyer. Don Montgomery, Crescent City Medical Center's CEO who seems to add to the problems more than help them. Robert Henri Bonnet, MD - Alex's ex-husband who remains friends with her. Then we have Captain Jack Francois who seem to butt heads with Alex at every turn. Will they put their differences aside long enough to work together to stop the Chaos at Crescent City Medical?
And will these people have the knowledge or time to find out why a voodoo curse have been place on Crescent City Medical Center? And can they stop it in time before anymore patients or medical staff succumbs to the voodoo curse?
October 25, 2014
I was excited when I saw this book was set in New Orleans. Having been to the city several times, I was pleased to see the author had done her research and captured the atmosphere of the city beautifully. The environment of the medical center was also very well portrayed. I love the pace of the story. This is a thriller with lots of action, murder, voodoo and the ongoing drama at the medical center. I especially like the voodoo ceremony, drums, snake, cat and all, were all very enlightening. Thank the gods the baby was rescued. Lovers of the art will certainly enjoy this novel.
September 29, 2016
The debut novel of the Alex Destephano series couldn't be better as a first book. The plot is intricated and full of twist and turns, the main character, Alexandra, has a complicated personality that helps her solve the cases she's involved in. The setting is quite fascinating as it's very medical oriented, but also mixed with elements of the classic mystery stories.
Ms Lucci's clear writing flows smoothly and keeps you engaged until the last page.
Ms Lucci's clear writing flows smoothly and keeps you engaged until the last page.
November 18, 2019
I've read several of Judith Lucci's books, she never fails to keep me mesmerized by her talent! How she comes up with her stories is beyond my comprehension. An excellent story line, faced paced, and characters you come to love, and some you come to hate. Always fresh, always believable, she writes a perfect picture! A must read author, you won't be disappointed!.
April 11, 2022
Chaos indeed
Wow what a gripping, on the edge of your seat and heart stopping book. It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down. I quickly engaged with the main characters and felt like I was right there with them. By the end of the book I was hooked and can't wait to read the whole series.
Wow what a gripping, on the edge of your seat and heart stopping book. It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down. I quickly engaged with the main characters and felt like I was right there with them. By the end of the book I was hooked and can't wait to read the whole series.
August 7, 2014
Fabulous series. If you love mystery suspense, you will love this book. Lots of innovative insider stuff on hospitals, ER's, and intrigue.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews