Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Debut Showcase: Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

Beat the Reaper (US - Canada - UK)
By Josh Bazell (Website)
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (January 7, 2009)
Hardcover: 320 pages Excerpt (Link is on page)  

Publisher's Description: Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital, with a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he'd prefer to keep hidden. Whether it's a blocked circumflex artery or a plan to land a massive malpractice suit, he knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.

Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwna is a hitman for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Relocation Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he's the last person you want to see in your hospital room. Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown's new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might-just might-be the same person ...

Now with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours — and somehow beat the Reaper.

Mulluane's Take:
This is a medical thriller written by Josh Bazell who has a BA in writing from Brown University and a MD from Columbia University and is currently a medical resident at the University of California, San Francisco. Interesting credentials! Thrillers are more Tia's thing so I'll leave the actual opinion to her. For more information you can also read this review Fantasy Book Critic where Robert calls it violent, wickedly funny, and shocking…

Tia's Take
This book was part of a seven-figure book deal! Very impressive. I'm not at all sure if it is speculative, but we err on the side of inclusion here. The "death itself" sentence hints that it might be. The blurb also hints that the doc and the assassin might be one and the same, but it would be a shame if the blurb gave away the whole plot, so I'm thinking that can't be right.

His website is awesome, and even has a game!

What do you think? Is this one for you? Or not?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

This one is for me. I'll be disappointed if it's not at all speculative, though.

ediFanoB said...

No book for me but maybe for my wife.

ediFanoB said...

After reading Robert's review and a deeper look at the Beat The Reaper page including listening to an audio book excerpt, I changed my mind.
Now I will put it on my list.

ediFanoB said...

Can anyone tell me the name of the song which is played on http://beatthereaper.com/
as background music.

Tia Nevitt said...

In tiny print at the bottom of the page, it says that the website and music is by Jefferson Rabb. I think. The text is so small it's hard to make out.

I emailed Robert to ask him if it is speculative.

ediFanoB said...

Tia, thank you very much. You really take care on your readers.
I'm short-sighted. So I didn't notice.

Now I returned to Beat The Reaper
and I clicked on Jefferson Rabb
And yes he wrotes the music.
Jefferson's music is available on iTunes.

Tia Nevitt said...

I got curious, myself.

I heard from Robert--not speculative. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

ediFanoB said...

My wife is also interested in this book. That means we will buy it soon and read it both.

So thank you very much for presntation of Beat the Reaper