In this completely engrossing novel, Eleazar Lipsky addresses himself to one of the urgent issues of the day. Arising out of the circumstance that doctors are increasingly subject to suits for malpractice, it poses a thorny the question of degree, if any, to which the medical profession should be answerable to the law for the diagnosis and treatment of their patients.
Eleazar Lipsky was a prosecutor, lawyer, novelist and playwright born in the Bronx, New York, USA. He wrote the novels that formed the basis of two very successful films, Kiss of Death and The People Against O'Hara (based on his detective novel). Other novels include Lincoln McKeever (1953), The Devil's Daughter (1969) and The Scientists (1959), a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.
I enjoyed this book because of the philosophical theories explored concerning why a doctor's opinion and responsibility to his patients should be respected, and the right of a patient to sue if they don't like the final outcome. Eleazar Lipsky manages the legal jargon very well, and should since he was a trial lawyer, and presents arguments for both sides very convincingly. On the down-side, the fast-paced dialog reads almost like a screenplay, which made it a little choppy and hard to follow at times. The characters are strong and realistic in the book's setting. I give this book four stars because of the end. Totally unexpected and worth wading through the entire book for. I highly recommend this one.