terrO.R.

Joseph J. Neuschatz
Booklocker.com (2006)
ISBN 160145015X
Reviewed by Thomas Gabrielli for Reader Views (5/07)

Dr. Phillip Newman is an operating room anesthesiologist at Soundedge General Hospital on Long Island. During a routine operation on a young man to remove several tattoos, the patient suffers complications and dies. His parents refuse an autopsy on religious grounds and, subsequently, Newman is eventually sued for malpractice. Over the Internet, he forms an ally with a west-coast physician who experienced a very similar case and together, they uncover a plot that involves insurance and malpractice fraud.

Thus begins this novel by Dr. Neuschatz, an anesthesiologist himself. The novel is interesting not only for the plot concept, but also for the information gained along the way. I enjoy reading fiction that also imparts knowledge about a particular subject, and this book certainly does that. For example, there is an early section about non-regulatory tattoo inks used and how they can interact with different types of anesthesia to produce sometimes fatal results.

Additionally, the characters in this book are very well-developed. The reader is given a genuine empathy with Dr. Newman and his plight, which keeps the reader involved, almost right to the finish. Almost.

There is also a good amount of hospital humor throughout. For the more sophisticated reader, referring to an intravenous anesthetic as “Milk of Amnesia” may seem juvenile, but I had a few good chuckles from these.

However, given the excellent plot concept, you would expect an excellent suspense thriller -- unfortunately, not so.  Two-thirds of the way through the book, Dr. Newman jumps to an unfounded conclusion and immediately (and conveniently) the FBI is on the case. And while the plot could have gone in numerous directions, it ends up falling conventional and flat, all too quickly.

Furthermore, the book is in need of an editor. There are numerous typos throughout, a personal pet peeve of mine.

Despite all of this and a few minor plot introductions that go unexplained (what is with that Hummer?), I would still recommend “terrO.R.” for the plot, humor and insight into anesthesiology practices. A word of warning, though: The final chapters diminish the book by transforming it into an editorial on insurance policies and what the author seems to feel is an outdated Hippocratic Oath. To a reader outside the medical profession, this seemed a tad self-indulgent.

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