Dead Ringer - A Book Review

I was approached by Astor + Blue Editions to review the Allen Wyler novel: Dead Ringer.

I jumped at this opportunity as I had thoroughly enjoyed reading and reviewing Wyler's earlier novel, Dead End Deal (review here) ...

I was looking forward to reading more scientific thrilleresque drama and Wyler did not let me down.

Dead Ringer:

While speaking at a Hong Kong medical conference, neurosurgeon Dr. Lucas McCrae slips the cloth off a cadaver’s head during a routine medical demonstration, and is overwhelmed by what’s staring back at him: The face of his best friend, Andy Baer.

Stunned, McCrae races back to Seattle to discover that Andy is in fact missing and may have been murdered by a gang of body snatchers who operate a legit funeral business and make a fortune by selling recovered body parts to medical researchers.

McCrae teams up with an unlikely pair—a beautiful but hardnosed female cop and a gang member whose family was victimized by the cadaver ring—to try and expose a macabre web of corruption that involves law enforcement, politicians, funeral home curators and murdered prostitutes.

Internationally renowned neurosurgeon Allen Wyler takes us deep into a nightmarish scenario, shockingly ripped from recent headlines, to deliver a horrifically plausible, page-turning thriller.

###

EDITOR’S NOTE

Medical research has always been a cornerstone of medical innovation, and thus of our society. But throughout history, many suspect that the gathering of human bodies for research has never been purely ethical or legal. Many believe that today, sophisticated international syndicates exist that traffic in body parts for medical research; the most recent incident appearing in the New York Times just weeks ago. (http://nyti.ms/NfU5kU)

We feel this crime has been elusively clandestine, easily dismissed, and in many cases overlooked for cynical reasons. We would like to go on record as agreeing with ethics scholars that everyone involved in the medical community, be they students practitioners, media or affiliates should remain vigilant and forthright; and embrace the high standard of responsibility inherent in the ethical conduct of medical research, especially when it involves human remains.

My review: This subject matter is beyond deplorable yet Wyler handles the situation with ease. The pages just seemed to turn themself as Lucas McCrae's world is literally ripped away from under him. The characters are believable and I found myself despising the bad guys (exactly what you want to do when you read a good book!)


I loved the fact that Wyler is also a Sandford fan and he mentioned him several times in the book.


I highly recommend reading this book!!