Protagonist Jim Bob Brady is a likable and plain spoken Texas orthopedist and part time sleuth (this time with the backing of the Houston Police Department). A chance accidental meeting with a fellow practitioner leads to him being drawn into a convoluted plot of murder, revenge, and the labyrinthine intricacies of medical malpractice.
The medical terms are well explained in context and layman accessible. The elements of violence are not graphic and occur off-scene. The language is very clean. It's refreshing to see Dr. Brady's healthy relationship with his wife (some innuendo, and a couple moderately explicit scenes) and his adult son, who helps him out in his investigation.
The pacing was good, the plot moved along at a pleasant clip, and I never felt like it was a slog or a race. The characters were well written, fleshed out and distinct and true to their various internal motivations and personalities. The full-on Texas dialogue got to me a few times, but I'm a Yankee, and, well, Texans do Texas (y'all). It was at least very true to the local vernacular and had the absolute ring of verisimilitude. The author's a Texas native, clearly.
Four stars. Well written and entertaining.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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