BELLEVUE

3.5 stars out of 5

Overall, I enjoyed this book - at least the premise of it. Abandoned former hospitals are not uncommon in many communities these days - there's one not far from my house - and there's nothing gets the old heart rate skyrocketing than the thought of a few unhinged ghosts wandering around in them. 

In this instance, it's the old Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in New York City - long since closed but not torn down - still standing next to the current Bellevue Hospital. As a teaching facility, new classes of residents are admitted each year, and this season's group includes twenty-something Michael Fuller - known as Mitt. He's a bit surprised to have been selected for the residency, although he's aware that family ties might have played a role; several of his ancestors were noted physicians who practiced at the old Bellevue over the years dating back to its beginnings. 

In addition to his medical skills, Mitt has another one that he doesn't acknowledge publicly: precognitive ability (a.k.a., sixth sense). As he begins to work with patients under the supervision of seasoned physicians, it starts to kick in - but not in a good way. To begin with, he "sees" a young girl wearing a bloody dress and hears screams from people who aren't there. Then, during the surgery he's assisting with for his first "assignment," a couple of strange things happen. But that's not the worst part; inexplicably, the patient dies. 

Although what happened creeps Mitt out a bit, he chalks it up to happenstance. When the second of Mitt's assigned patients dies under unusual circumstances, though, it's a bit harder to shove under his mental rug. After the third, well, he starts to wonder if he's somehow responsible. That, in turn, makes him wonder what awful things really happened at that long-closed psych hospital - and what part his ancestors played in the horrific goings-on.

All that leads to an ending that, all things considered, wasn't too surprising. And while it held my attention throughout, in the end, it was repetition - and to a certain extent, predictability - that kept me from loving this book (as is my custom for books by this author). Still, I enjoyed it very much and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Bellevue by Robin Cook (G.P. Putnam's Sons, December 2024); 351 pp.

ADVERSE EFFECTS

3.5 stars out of 5

Too many characters (made worse because
most have more than one identity), too many plot twists, too much technical information. The result? Way too much of what could have been a good thing. Because of the subject matter - an experimental drug gone wrong - I wanted very much to love this book. But in the end, for the most part, I'm not at all sure I "got" what happened.

That out of the way, I'll try to summarize my thoughts on the plot: Christina Silva, a gorgeous Latina psychiatrist, is participating in a trial of a drug called Recognate on behalf of the manufacturer (a company that appears to be operating off the industry radar). Supposedly, the drug helps regenerate lost memories, or replace bad ones, or both - I think - and so far, it seems to be helping Christina's patients. That is, until it doesn't; suddenly, one patient goes berserk - and then another. Did the drug, which is related to betaendorphins, trigger the aberrant behavior, or did something else happen?

Right about then, Christina is accosted by a nasty looking man who tells her she isn't who she thinks she is. She doesn't believe him, exactly, but part of her own memories - most of which she lost when she was in an auto accident in which her parents were killed - hint that maybe the guy knows what he's talking about. All she's sure of is that she's got a few secrets of her own - most of them lost for the time being, one not that could result in revocation of her license to practice - and she desperately wants to learn the truth about her past.

Along come the cops, notably in the form of local detective Gary Wilson, plus a couple of FBI agents who seem to enjoy playing good cop, bad cop and making life miserable for Wilson. He tends to believe what Christina tells him, though (his opinion bolstered by what could be a fatal attraction to the psychiatrist). Clues point to a clandestine organization called Zero Dark - and from that point on, as Christina tries to find out about her past while dodging bullets (literally),  things began to get murkier than they already were. 

As I said early on, I really wanted to love this book. And I'm sure if it gets to the right readers, it will be; it's technically well written with a well-researched, timely plot, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the pre-release copy to read and review. My experience, though, was summed up at the end by Christina (or whoever she really is) as she basically says hey, I'm not sure what went down, but I've determined not to worry about it and just get on with my life.

Yeah. Me too (sigh).

Adverse Effects by Joel Shulkin (Blackstone Publishing, September 2020); 352 pp.

EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES

3 stars out of 5

I've read and enjoyed a handful of books by Lisa Scottoline, but none in the last couple of years. When I saw that this one has a medical slant - and even more special to me, psychiatry - I just couldn't pass it up. But alas, it fell a bit short of my expectations; when it came time to rate it, I waffled back and forth between 3.5 and 4 stars, finally settling on the lower number because while it was very readable, there were just too many things that kept it from being great.

Before I decided to tackle this one, I did what I always do: Check reviews from other readers. One of the biggest complaints is that there's too much exposition regarding the workings of psychiatric care; while I tend to agree somewhat, it really didn't bother me much because - although I didn't learn much I didn't already know - I have a strong interest in the field. Rather, my biggest concerns are that the central character Dr. Erick Parrish, a highly regarded chief of the Psychiatric Unit of a hospital near Philadelphia and father (with an ex-wife) of a 7-year-old daughter, turned out to be an annoyingly obsessive person who, given his profession, should know better. As a father, his emotions are overwrought and over the top, but understandable; as a practicing psychiatrist, they cross the line into the realm of ridiculous a few too many times. 

Interspersed throughout are chapters written from the perspective of a sociopath - one who, I assumed, is out to bring Eric down. But who is it, and will the police (and/or Eric) discover the identity before it's too late? I read those chapters with great interest, looking for clues but found none; at best, those chapters simply outlined manifestations of sociopathic behavior, making me wonder why they were there at all.

As the story unfolds, Eric meets 17-year old Max, who's got a druggie mother and a grandmother he adores; so when she dies, he's devastated. He's also got an OCD personality, needing to tap his head and recite a few words every 15 minutes on the dot (in a Gestalt "Aha," the apparent source of the book's title). The good doctor is concerned about the young man's mental well-being and takes him on as a private patient, seeing him at home. But when Max's supposed girlfriend is murdered, he goes missing. Could Eric have missed the signs that Max is capable of murder? Ever more concerned, Eric tries to find the boy and ends up a suspect himself.

I also got a bit weary of all the issues that plagued Eric - from custody battles over his daughter to his house being torn upside down by police carrying out a search warrant . Often, I thought of Michael Corleone's line from "The Godfather": "Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in." Just when you think things can't get any worse here, the temperature of the hot water Erick is in already climbs higher. Combined  with his obsessive personality, by the time that water reached the boiling point, I said enough, already - I don't much care much whether it cools off or not.

If you enjoy medical thrillers, this really isn't a bad choice; I'll simply say that it's not Scottoline at her best.

Every Fifteen Minutes by Lisa Scottoline (St Martin's Press, April 2015); 446 pp.