Doctor Peter Branstead’s neurology department at St. Mark’s Hospital in New York’s picturesque Greenwich Village is flooded with a series of critically ill vagrants exhibiting identical symptoms. Confused and agitated upon admission, they rapidly progress into convulsions, cardiac arrest, and death. The deaths are too methodical to be a coincidence, but how—and why—are they being killed?
Peter’s investigation leads him into a dark underworld of international intrigue and into the center of a plot to destroy the president of the Ukraine, Anatoly Labrinska. Peter learns that his patients have been given a mysterious drug that is also being administered to President Labrinska. But tracking Peter’s every move is a savage Ukranian Mafia killer—an assassin so ruthless that the most vicious criminals on two continents live in fear of his wrath.
With the political stability of Europe hanging in the balance and the lives of those he loves in jeopardy, Peter desperately works to foil the plot and escape with his life.
A well-informed, well-written, timely medical thriller!Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022
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Virginia author Gil Snider earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan and completed his neurology residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital, New York City. He practices neurology in Chesapeake, Virginia. BRAIN WARP is his literary debut.
Though this novel was originally published in 2009, due to the current global situation with a focus on Ukraine and Russia this story becomes even more involving. The author’s father was born in Ukraine. Given the author’s in depth knowledge of medicine it is not surprising that his creation of a medical thriller is accurately informed.
The magic of the writing is immediately present in the Prologue – ‘It was dark in the niche between the packing crates. Dark and almost intolerably cramped, but safe. Alex Rinsky knew this was the best place in the factory to hole up for an ambush. From his vantage point, he had a perfect view of the entire factory floor below, and he controlled stairway and elevator access to the walkway he was on. All he had to do was to sit and wait. Whoever had called him with a transparent pretense for this meeting must have thought he was an idiot, but you don’t survive in his business by being gullible. He went nowhere and did nothing without obsessively factoring for his safety…’ A hint of terror!
Dr. Snider’s storyline is well distilled as follows: ‘Doctor Peter Branstead’s neurology department at St. Mark’s Hospital in New York’s picturesque Greenwich Village is flooded with a series of critically ill vagrants exhibiting identical symptoms. Confused and agitated upon admission, they rapidly progress into convulsions, cardiac arrest, and death. The deaths are too methodical to be a coincidence, but how—and why—are they being killed? Peter’s investigation leads him into a dark underworld of international intrigue and into the center of a plot to destroy the president of the Ukraine, Anatoly Labrinska. Peter learns that his patients have been given a mysterious drug that is also being administered to President Labrinska. But tracking Peter’s every move is a savage Ukrainian Mafia killer—an assassin so ruthless that the most vicious criminals on two continents live in fear of his wrath. With the political stability of Europe hanging in the balance and the lives of those he loves in jeopardy, Peter desperately works to foil the plot and escape with his life.’
This is a superb medical thriller, one that is greatly enhanced by the subject matter at this time in history. Gil Snider is a fine novelist who, hopefully, will now add to his repertoire of medial thrillers. Very highly recommended. Grady Harp, March 22
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