A Swarm in May: A Novel

by Mark Anthony Powers

Dr. Phineas Mann has come a long way from the darkness in his past. He has a loving wife, two bright children, a lively interest in beekeeping, and a rewarding career in intensive care medicine. And then a challenging case an elderly man in the throes of full-blown tetanus. To make a difficult case worse, the patient’s openly racist son abuses and threatens his father’s medical team, especially the Black intern. When inexplicable setbacks occur, the son’s threats escalate, and the darkness from Phineas’ past comes roaring into the present. A Swarm in May is the debut novel of a doctor and beekeeper and weaves systemic racism, Little League baseball, and the art and science of beekeeping into a riveting medical mystery.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 5, 2021

About the author

Mark Anthony Powers grew up in the small town of West Lebanon, NH. At Cornell University, he strayed into Creative Writing and Russian while majoring in engineering. After receiving his MD from Dartmouth, he went south to the University of North Carolina for an internship and residency in Internal Medicine, followed by a fellowship in Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine.
After almost forty years in clinical practice and teaching, he retired from Duke University as an Associate Professor Emeritus of Medicine and began his exploration of other parts of his brain. Writing, growing food, IT, and magic courses were just some of the enjoyment that followed. A deep dive into beekeeping led to his presidency of the county beekeeping association and certification as a Master Beekeeper.
Two cups of coffee and two hours of writing most mornings produced A Swarm in May, Breath and Mercy, and The Desperate Trials of Phineas Mann. His short story Rabbits can be found in the journal Does It Have Pockets, and The Monsta' will be in the spring/summer edition of Moonshine Review.
The Desperate Trials of Phineas Mann has been shortlisted for the Hawthorne Prize in Fiction and won the Independent Author Award in the medical thriller category of Literary Global.
To learn more or connect with Mark, please visit www.markanthonypowers.com.

Reviews

[Dick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beekeeping. critical care medicine, racial prejudice, local color - all wrapped up together,

I usually find constant switching of POV bothersome, but here it works exceptionally well. A well executed tale.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This intelligent mystery features an all-too-timely plot about racism and intolerance in a medical setting. The hero, Dr. Phinneas Mann, is a doctor who is doing his best to care for his patients while hiding a dark secret from his past. Dr. Mann is also an enthusiastic amateur beekeeper. Powers has created a complex, relatable protagonist who is dedicated to his family, his staff and his patients and is putting himself at risk trying to keep them all safe.

This well-written debut novel pulls weaves together these disparate strands into a satisfying whole. I enjoyed the suspenseful story and gained insights into the care and keeping of bees and what life is like behind the scenes in a busy hospital. I found this engaging, thought-provoking book a captivating read which always held my interest.

[Karen Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This book has it all: a plot with many unexpected twists and turns; well developed, engaging characters and dialogue; frightening antagonists and situations; fast paced action; family conflicts, and fascinating medical and natural science. It is written in a style that is easy for the average reader to understand and thoroughly enjoy. And the ending--would could have seen that coming?

I highly recommend this debut novel by this very talented and knowledgeable author. You will not be disappointed.

[Carol Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining thriller with accurate medical/technical details which I enjoy. The protagonist seems an unlikely hero for a thriller but the author develops his character well (a bit slow to start with, but the details are quite relevant as time goes on) and uses good dialogue to move us toward and exciting and unexpected finish. Good read!

[Christopher Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really excellent mix of medical mystery and commentary on race in America…and did I mention the bees (great conclusion!).

[Rachel Zwiacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cross Pollination of Contrasting Worlds

Cleverly intertwines the different and contrasting worlds of medicine, beekeeping, the human maturation process and racism into an intriguing and thoughtful plot that keeps you enamored until the honey sweet end.