Book Review: Act of Murder, by John Bishop (A Doc Brady Mystery, Book 1)

Guest review by: Becki Bayley
We had a slight argument Saturday morning. I wanted to go into town, do a little research at the UT Medical Branch Library, and find out what I could about osteogenesis imperfecta. My curiosity was burning inside of me.

“Jim Bob,” she started, “we had a wonderful afternoon and evening, didn’t we?”

Nod.

“I brought you down here to relax, not to go running off to the library to get involved in something that’s none of your business. Jim Bob, there are trained professionals to do that kind of work. Would you want an untrained person replacing your hip or fixing your broken ankle? Well, would you?”

I shook my head.

“Then why in the world are you getting involved in all this? If it’s my fault because of the interview I convinced you to do, I’m very sorry. If I had known it would lead to your playing detective, I never would have agreed to it. You’re not Matlock. And we are definitely not Hart to Hart. If there is something bad going on out there, I do not want you involved. I want to keep you all to myself, until you’re a wizened old man. I love you, and I don’t want you to take any unnecessary chances. Are you listening?”

“Yes.” I felt like a school kid, but in a very different way than the night before. Maybe more like a puppy who had forgotten what it meant to be housebroken.

“But you’re going anyway, aren’t you? Aren’t you?”

“Yes.”
While this is labeled as the first book in the Doc Brady mystery series, no information is available saying when subsequent books may be expected. It was a great read on its own, and there were no unresolved plot lines.

Official synopsis:

On a beautiful spring day in Houston, Texas, in 1994, Dr. Jim Bob Brady, orthopedic surgeon at University Hospital, witnesses a hit-and-run accident. The victim is his neighbor’s child, Stevie Huntley, who suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a brittle bone disease. Stevie is dead at the scene, and detectives declare the event an Act of Murder. Detective Susan Beeson, the lead detective and daughter of the Police Chief, enlists Brady, his wife Mary Louise, and their son J. J. in discovering the identity of the killer. Soon, there are two more deaths, as the team encounters a macabre conspiracy involving unsavory people in the medical and legal professions. From the ivory towers of academic medicine, to the downtown skyscrapers full of attorneys, to the shores of Galveston, Brady sadly finds the old adage holds true…the love of money is, in fact, the root of all evil.

Lost for over 20 years, Act of Murder is the first rediscovered novel in a new medical thriller series set in the changing environment of medicine in the mid-1990s. Bishop’s sense of humor and surprising wit create a story of medical miscreants capable of murder, mayhem, and greed. His 30 years as a practicing orthopedic surgeon give the reader a unique glimpse into the medical world with all its problems, intricacies and complexities, while at the same time revealing the compassion and dedication of most health care professionals.

Dr. Jim Bob Brady is so charming. He’s a somewhat simple minded (yet smart enough to be a doctor) "good ole boy." His wife, who he loves and lusts after regularly, may be the brains of their marriage. She keeps him comfortably in the dark about things that may stress him out more than necessary. The arrangement seems to work for them.

Jim Bob is frequently working at his wife’s prompting when it comes to social graces, or finding more clues in the mystery of finding out who would want the child living next door to them killed. She knows people, but he knows the medical bureaucracy he’s worked in for most of his career. Together they’re getting the information to connect the dots and bring the poor neighbor’s killer to justice.

This book was definitely a page-turner. While the attempted romance felt forced and extraneous, the murder mystery and medical thriller plot kept the story moving at a quick pace. I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for adults who enjoy medical thrillers.

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Becki Bayley enjoys crushing candy, watching Glee, reading, and getting plenty of sleepy-time, while she dreams of wandering Target again someday. Find out when she finally makes it at SweetlyBSquared.com.