This is a plain spoken directly written and engaging mystery set in 1995. It was the first of the series I've read and I was immediately hooked by the down-to-earth and likable protagonist and his genuine and loving family. He's an orthopedic surgeon in the middle of a multi-million dollar malpractice suit. I didn't find it difficult at all to dive into the story, the author is quite adept at providing backstory without spoon-feeding or info dumping. It works very well as a standalone. The background and the medical procedures are explained concisely and are easy to understand (layman accessible) in context.
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.
The only mystery which remained unresolved for me at the end of the book was just how much of the narrative was autobiographical. Another well known plainspoken author, Mark Twain, said "Write what you know", advice that Dr. Bishop clearly has taken to heart and used well.
Four stars. I've requested a review copy of the third book in the series and intend to go back and read the first book very soon.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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