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Brain Storm

(Angela Richman, Death Investigator #1)

Elaine Viets

3.92 · Rating details · 694 ratings · 123 reviews

The ultrawealthy families of Chouteau Forest may look down on a woman like death investigator Angela Richman, but they also rely on her. When a horrific car crash kills a Forest teenager, Angela is among the first on the scene. Her investigation is hardly underway, however, when she suffers a series of crippling strokes. Misdiagnosed by the resident neurologist, Dr. Gravoi

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Kindle Edition, 322 pages

Published August 2nd 2016 by Thomas & Mercer

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Aug 12, 2016 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1st-of-series, ebooks, net-galley, goodreads-first-reads-winners

3.5 stars

I wish to thank Goodreads Giveaways, Net Galley, Thomas & Mercer and Ms. Elaine Viets for the gift of a copy of Brain Storm in exchange for an unbiased review.

I went into Brain Storm knowing very little about the story. I did know that Ms. Viets has written a number of cozy mysteries, but that this one was a bit darker than her previous works. Only after I finished did I see in the author’s notes that parts of the book are based on her real life! Apparently Ms. Viets sought help at an e 3.5 stars

I wish to thank Goodreads Giveaways, Net Galley, Thomas & Mercer and Ms. Elaine Viets for the gift of a copy of Brain Storm in exchange for an unbiased review.

I went into Brain Storm knowing very little about the story. I did know that Ms. Viets has written a number of cozy mysteries, but that this one was a bit darker than her previous works. Only after I finished did I see in the author’s notes that parts of the book are based on her real life! Apparently Ms. Viets sought help at an emergency room facility for a bad headache and stroke symptoms only to be sent home as being “too young and healthy to have a stroke.” The next day she was found unresponsive, the victim of 6 separate strokes. It took her 4 years to recover. Elaine Richman, Death Investigator in Missouri and Brain Storm’s protagonist, has the same thing happen to her. Like Ms. Viets, Elaine miraculously survives these strokes. We follow her through her hospitalization, which includes surgery for a partial frontal lobectomy, as she struggles to regain both her physical and investigative abilities. While in the hospital an undeservedly revered neurosurgeon (Dr. Porter Gravois), the one who sent her home with the stroke symptoms, is murdered; and a second neurosurgeon (Dr. Jeb Travis Tritt), the one who operated on Angela and saved her life, is widely thought to be the murderer. Angela fights not only to regain her health, but also to find a way to rescue Dr. Tritt from the death penalty.

I wouldn’t call this a traditional thriller. It’s a much lighter read than that, but I found it refreshing after reading several taut police procedurals in a row. I liked the tenacious spirit of Angela and absolutely loved her irreverent best friend, medical examiner Katie. Ms. Viets’ sharp sense of humor is displayed in some great one-liners coming from both Angela and Katie. Katie gets a special award from me for wittiest use of profanity. The main plot itself is very good—I incorrectly guessed the baddie’s identity. There are also subplots going on that add to the story. The simple yet very communicative prose plus short chapters make this a fast easy read.

As a sidelight I do want to mention that the title Brain Storm is perfect (kudos for whoever came up with that) as is the awesome cover.

My major problem with the story is that a murder is committed in a way that as a physician I cannot conceive is at all possible. I have to knock a whole star off for that.

Overall, I really had fun with this book. It was very entertaining and an excellent change-of-pace read from my usual genre (dark thrillers). For that reason I am rounding my 3.5 rating up to 4 stars. I understand there is to be another Jessica Richman novel coming out in late fall 2016, and I do plan to grab it. I recommend Brain Storm to all mystery lovers.
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Aug 04, 2016 "Avonna rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley

Brain Storm (Death Investigator Angela Richman #1) by Elaine Viets is a great start to a new proposed series!

Angela Richman has to overcome her near death medical conditions to solve the murder of Dr. Gravois, loved by all in the hospital, but not Angela because he misdiagnosed and almost killed her. She wants to save the brilliant, but arrogant and gauche Dr. Jeb Travis Tritt, who saved her life and now could end up on Death Row. There is also an Angel of Death nurse working the wards in the ho ...more

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Aug 15, 2016 Sheryl rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-series, netgalley, kindle

Elaine Viets has penned another great new series. This one is quite different than her other series. The protagonist Angela Richman is a Death Investigator whom Ms. Viets has incorporated her own personal history too. Angela suffers from several strokes at the beginning of the book and has major brain surgery the same as Ms.Viets suffered from several years ago.
Angela is working hard at getting back to where she was before she had the strokes but it’s taking a bit of time and effort to get the ...more

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Feb 24, 2019 Patricia rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019, kindle

3.5 stars

I've had this book on my Kindle for a long time and decided to read some backlog of books. This is a cozy novel which I did not realize when I purchased this book. Good book but not what I was expecting. I did however appreciate the author's courage and honesty in describing the character's (and the author's) experience with a true brain storm (massive stroke). Recommend to those who like cozy mysteries with a little more gruesome details. ...more

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Jul 03, 2017 Betty rated it it was amazing

The start of the Death Investigator series. This book is set in a small town located in Missouri. It is called Forest and the first families control the town and it has two class distinction. Angela Richman's parents had served the first family their entire life. Angela was trained as the town death investigator. The story begins as she has been called to investigate the death on one of it first children in a drag race. All involved are members of the elite.
Angela has blinding headaches. On a vi ...more

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Aug 04, 2016 Monnie rated it really liked it

One thing's for sure: The title couldn't be any more perfect. And although I'm a bit less enthusiastic about the rest of the book, it's a solid launch for what I expect to be a series. I'm a huge fan of medically induced dramas (characters like Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, Tess Gerritsen's Maura Isles and yes, even James Patterson's Claire Washburn (she of the Women's Murder Club series) are among my favorites), and this one introduced me to a whole new profession: Death investigator. It i One thing's for sure: The title couldn't be any more perfect. And although I'm a bit less enthusiastic about the rest of the book, it's a solid launch for what I expect to be a series. I'm a huge fan of medically induced dramas (characters like Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, Tess Gerritsen's Maura Isles and yes, even James Patterson's Claire Washburn (she of the Women's Murder Club series) are among my favorites), and this one introduced me to a whole new profession: Death investigator. It is mostly for that reason - and the potential for an excellent series - that rounding up my actual 3.5-star rating to 4 was a no-brainer (half-stars aren't possible at most review websites).

Such is the job of lead character Angela Richman, who is felled by a series of six strokes and saved by the expertise of egomaniacal neurosurgeon Jeb Travis Tritt after being misdiagnosed by another full-of-himself doctor who practices at the same hospital. Interestingly, the author herself had a similar experience, much of which she no doubt used to shape this story.

But as Angela struggles to regain her investigative skills amid medical setbacks and hospital screw-ups, another drama emerges: Despite his obvious talent, no one at the hospital or in the community wants the neurosurgeon (who yes, was named after the country singer) around. He's not, you see, cut from the same cloth as the locals in the very close-knit community called the Forest. Not so for the doctor who misdiagnosed Angela in the first place; his smooth talking manner - and more to the point, his family's heritage and money - make him a local hero whose image is untarnishable.

That the two doctors share a bitter dislike of each other is pretty much a given; so when the popular doc gets bumped off, it's no surprise that the "outsider" becomes the prime suspect. Angela, though, has serious doubts about his guilt (despite his late-night rants in her hospital room about the other doctor's ineptitude), but her mind is so much in turmoil as she recovers from her own brain surgery that it's hard for her to discern what's real and what's not. She gets help from her friend Katie, a doctor/medical examiner who's overly fond not only of salty language but of reminding everyone that the people who land on her table can't talk, sing, swim (fill in the blank). Okay, my dear, we got it the first time - they're dead. Now give it a rest.

In the midst of all this, Katie is trying to round up loose ends on a case of her own; someone at the hospital, it seems, is a serial "Angel of Death," killing patients who otherwise should have survived (ah - could that be tied to the murder of Angela's neurosurgeon)? As Angela moves toward recovery of her former well-honed investigative skills, she unearths clues that lead to the answer of that question as well as the murderer's identity and illicit goings-on in the hospital.

The story doesn't end there, though; an epilogue describes how all the characters ended up after the major brouhaha has passed. That's a nice touch, actually, and I'm left with only one question: When Angela left the hospital, she was taking the blood-thinner Warfarin. But just a few days later, it's mentioned that she's on Coumadin (another brand-name blood thinner). Huh?

All in all, this is a great read-on-the-beach kind of book and I thank the author and publisher, via NetGalley, for a copy in exchange for an honest review. When the death investigator makes her next appearance, I hope I'll be on the list to read it as well.
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Aug 22, 2016 Terri rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thrillers-suspense, mysteries, set-in-missouri

Angela Richman is a Death Investigator whose life is upended when she suffers a series of strokes after being misdiagnosed and sent home by Dr. Gravois. While she is recovering in the hospital, he is murdered and the chief suspect is Dr. Tritt who is the surgeon who saved her life after Dr. Gravois' misdiagnosis. Everyone at the hospital despises Tritt because he is not part of the tight knit society that Gravois was.

Angela is determined to find the real killer and clear Tritt's name despite th ...more

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Aug 23, 2016 Cheryl rated it really liked it

Another new to me author. I am actually glad that Angela had to cope with her situation. It brought me closer to her and made me see her as a real person and not just a character in a story. There were a few stumbling blocks along the way with Angela as she did not always come off as confident in her skills and knowledge. Yet, she is able to keep a clear head. I expect that in the next book I will see Angela grow stronger.

If you like a good mystery story with good characters and writing than yo ...more

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Aug 12, 2016 Susan rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2016-reads, library-2016, wom-2016

I’m a fan of Elaine Viets’ Dead End Job series and was looking forward to this new series featuring Angela Richman, a death investigator in Missouri. The book started out well with Angela investigating two deaths while battling what she thinks are severe migraines. Angela lands in the hospital having suffered multiple strokes. The majority of the story takes place while she is recuperating. I thought it was drawn out too long wit repetitive scenes. It was particularly hard to believe that the ne ...more

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Aug 10, 2016 Linda Baker rated it really liked it

Angela Richman is a Death Investigator in a small affluent Missouri community known as the "Forest". Even though she is a life-long resident she is not one of the insiders. Her parents worked on one of the estates but Angela is not one of the old money pedigreed families. Despite that she is a well regarded, award winning member of the local police force. She is at a very difficult scene, one in which one teenager is killed and another severely injured. Drinking, pot and texting are involved. By Angela Richman is a Death Investigator in a small affluent Missouri community known as the "Forest". Even though she is a life-long resident she is not one of the insiders. Her parents worked on one of the estates but Angela is not one of the old money pedigreed families. Despite that she is a well regarded, award winning member of the local police force. She is at a very difficult scene, one in which one teenager is killed and another severely injured. Drinking, pot and texting are involved. By the time Angela has completed her reports she is laid low by what she thinks is a migraine. She goes to the ER but the doctor says she is "too young and fit" for a stroke even though the signs are there. Six strokes, emergency surgery in which she loses part of her frontal lobe and a medically induced coma later, Angela wakes up to a very different reality.

Dr. Porter Gravois is a real "Forest" insider, handsome, rich and adored by the hospital staff. No one even thinks to call Dr. Gravois to account for the misdiagnosis except the neurosurgeon who saved Angela's life. Dr. Jeb Travis Tritt is arrogant, abrasive, uncouth and loathes Dr. Gravois with a burning passion. When Dr. Gravois is murdered Dr. Tritt is the logical suspect, a suspect whom the hospital staff is fully committed to see punished. Angela, however, wants to see him vindicated, even if she has to do it from a hospital bed. There are lots of things going on at the Sisters of Sorrow Hospital. It appears that the hospital has an "Angel of Death" operating there and Angela suspects an insurance scam. But can her instincts be trusted after such a traumatic brain event?

Brain Storm is a riveting look at the difficulties of recovering from a stroke wrapped in a variety of interlocking mysteries. It is made more poignant by the fact that the author, Elaine Viets, suffered through an almost identical situation and has come through it with flying colors. It is also a cautionary tale about checking your medical bills very carefully; over billing is a regrettable reality that affects us all. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for an advance digital copy in return for an honest review. ...more

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Nov 11, 2016 Stephen rated it really liked it

Angela Richman is a death investigator in the southern town of Chouteau Forest, MIssouri when strange deaths start showing up at Sisters of Soul hospital. Her friend Katie , one of the medical examiners reports to Angela about the deaths. Too many to be a coincidence. But before Angela and Katie can team up to try to sort it out, Angela has a massive stroke that should have killed her. She is saved by the brilliant Dr Tritt, but she almost died because of the lack of treatment by Dr Gravois.
Giv ...more

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Aug 23, 2017 Tricia Douglas rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-suspense

This is my first book by Viets. It was recommended to me by someone on Goodreads. I liked Angela Richman, a death investigator, and how she works around a couple of cases even though she is laid up in the hospital due to a series of small strokes. I will continue the series with the next book which is listed at a higher rating than this one. I thought this was a good book with enough entertainment value to keep me occupied for a couple of days!

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Aug 12, 2017 Patricia Gulley rated it liked it

I wondered if the medical side of this book had to do with the author's illness, it read like a personal journey. Mystery was interesting, but it took a back seat to the medical issue and all the side stories that were a bit interesting got ended as if an after thought. ...more

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Sep 06, 2016 Ed rated it liked it

Shelves: law-enforcement, crime, medical

#1 in the Angela Richman series. I'll start by saying that I have read the previous 29 novels in author Viets other three series and enjoyed them all. I'm of two minds about this book. I found it to have an inconsistent focus. On the one hand there are the medical issues which befall the protagonist, and are taken from the author's personal experience. These are treated seriously and with rage about the faulty diagnosis which lead to the series of strokes. There are also issues with the protagon ...more

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Aug 18, 2016 Laura Salas rated it did not like it

Shelves: netgalley, adult, e-book, mystery, didn-t-finish

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, but I didn't get very far into it before giving up. There was so much jumping around in chronology that I felt both disoriented and apathetic. I didn't ever have a chance to really get into the main character's head and situation because the narrator constantly jumps in to tell us something from the past or future. For instance, on Sunday:

"Angela faked it on the phone and managed to sound alert, but she was too dizzy and heartsick to enjoy her tiny tr ...more

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Aug 04, 2016 Cheryl rated it it was amazing

Super start to a new series

I haven't read any other of author Viets' books, which I understand are cozy mysteries, but I sure enjoyed this first book in the Angela Richman series.

Angela Richman, the protagonist of this story, lives in Chouteau County, Missouri, a predominately wealthy enclave, and is a death investigator for the county. She investigates all the deaths in the county— murders, accidents, and overdoses— that don’t happen under a doctor’s care. She's 41 years old and has been doing ...more

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Sep 01, 2016 Sheila Beaumont rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries-suspense-thrillers

The first in a promising new series by Elaine Viets, Brain Storm introduces death investigator Angela Richman, who suffers a series of six strokes after a misdiagnosis in the emergency room. She was told that she was too young and too fit to have a stroke. After the arrogant doctor responsible for the misdiagnosis is murdered in the hospital cafeteria, the socially inept surgeon who saved Angela's life is arrested for the murder. It's up to Angela, who is still recovering from the strokes and ex ...more

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May 17, 2016 Paula Adams rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

This book was quite different from the cozy mysteries she usually writes. Angela is a death investigator who suffers from horrible headaches. She goes to the ER and they send her home. During the night the attacks begins. She has to have emergency brain surgery by a very unpopular surgeon but very talented. She is put in a medically induced coma for 3 weeks and when she comes out of it her life is so different. She has to face the facts with the help of her friend Katie, the ME. Everyday she get ...more

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Aug 07, 2016 Sarah Monsma rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult-fiction, mystery

I was intrigued by the premise of this book because Angela, the main character, is a death investigator, working with the police department and the medical examiner to be eyes and ears at the scene of a death. The tail quickly becomes a medical mystery as well as early forties and fit Angela suffers a series of strokes and nearly dies. As Angela struggles to regain her facilities after 19 days in a medically induced coma, she also tries to solve a hospital mystery.

I've not read Elaine Viet's mys ...more

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Jul 03, 2016 Marisa Young rated it it was amazing

A death investigator is misdiagnosed at the hospital and she ends up having several strokes. A surgeon saves her life. She then discovers that the doctor who did the misdiagnosis is murdered and her surgeon is believed to be the one responsible.. She uses her skills to try and clear the surgeon.

The interesting fact is the author uses her real life misdiagnosis and strokes in developing this book.

Great characters - great story.

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Sep 02, 2016 Mommalibrarian rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

Tightly written murder mystery. Be sure to read beginning of the Acknowledgements at the end after you finish. Better than Evanovich or Grafton.

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Oct 08, 2017 Debbie rated it it was ok

So I read Brain Storm since it was the first book in Ms. Viets current series (our book club is planning to read book two for our October meeting and I don't like to read out of order). Sadly it was a disappointment.

There were some nice nuances reminiscent of Ms. Viets time in St. Louis that are still true today: plenty of old-moneyed families who only trust their "own", many actual local names dropped into character names for effect (Dr. Gravois, Chouteau Forest, Emily Hanley Du Pres), and ...more

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May 06, 2020 Jill rated it liked it

Shelves: series-to-remember, mystery

I am so behind on reading Elaine Viets' books. This has been on my "Want to read" shelf for years. I have enjoyed her Dead End and Mystery Shopper series. This one is a little darker, but still exudes her signature writing style. You know this is a Viets book right away. And the shocker is reading the author's afterward and discovering that this book is based on her personal experience. Congratulations, Elaine, on surviving and thriving after a massive stroke.

I finished this in one day. Reading ...more

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Aug 10, 2019 Jeannie L. Stuckey rated it really liked it

This was interesting, but rather slow-reading. I didn't know if it was supposed to be a medical story, or a murder mystery. It tried to be both, but I don't think it succeeded very well in making the medical problem very believable, for trying to present the problem of an ncompetent Dr. who was subsequently murdered. There was another who sounds like a country boob, but is portrayed as a skilled surgeon and life-saver. These were some problems I had with the book, but still I felt it was worth r ...more

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Sep 06, 2017 Elaine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery

I've read All of Elaine Viet's Cozies and loved them. I couldn't wait to read this and I was not disappointed.

It's is not a cozy in any way shape or form, if that is what you're looking for it's not this book.
If you are looking for a book with fantastic characters and a heroine who is not afraid to stand for what she thinks is right. Mystery and suspense that will keep you reading, then this is your book.
One warning, don't start it at bedtime, especially if you have to work the next day. You may ...more

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Dec 08, 2017 Joan Cochran rated it it was amazing

Well, I've read and giggled through quite a few of Viets' dead end job mysteries. I'd heard she was planning to take another direction but was still surprised by this novel. It's a fascinating study of an individual's encounter with a massive stroke (and horrible doctor) and what amazed me was her ability to superimpose a mystery over that -- or maybe weave a mystery around the events of a stroke. What was interesting and clever was how the stroke gave Angela access to so many of the clues to th ...more

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Jan 16, 2019 Jen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, suspense, best-of-2019

Dang, this book has it all! Multiple murders, lots of interesting CSI and forensics information, dangerous situations, devious criminals, numerous crimes in progress... a whole slew of characters for misdirection... I found the whole plot fascinating, and the title perfect! I couldn't put it down, even if the main character was a bit excessively off-her-rocker a few times (with good excuse, at least, though I feel it was an unnecessary inclusion). I'm going to have to request my library acquire ...more

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May 30, 2019 Micki Hughes-zitar rated it liked it

A good mystery where I didn’t know who the killer was till the end. However I felt like it took forever to get to the murder. We, as the readers, do need backstory of the main character and the person being murdered but I felt like it took more then half way to get to the actual murder. And I didn’t really like the death investigators best friend. She got in my nerves and I felt was pretty rude at times. This was very well researched on brain trauma and the effects afterwards though. A different ...more

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Jul 06, 2016 Crystal Toller rated it it was amazing

Brain Storm

This was a very good book. Angela Richman has six strokes and undergoes brain surgery after being misdiagnosed in the ER. The story of her recovery also includes the death of the doctor who misdiagnosed her and a billing scam. When she confronts the murderer she almost dies too. Another great book by Elaine Viets told from her own personal experience. Highly recommend this book.

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Jul 05, 2017 Roxanne rated it liked it

I had not read any of this author's previous books but the premise of this sounded interesting. It was very drawn out and repetitive. Way too much of the recuperating and not enough of the mystery for me. I felt a little bad when I ready the author's personal story and found that she had suffered the multiple strokes described in the novel. No wonder she wrote about it in such detail. However, I was looking for a good read and found this slow and not easy to get through. ...more

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About Elaine Viets

Elaine Viets

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As a young girl, Elaine Viets was taught the virtues of South St. Louis: the importance of hard work, housecleaning, and paying cash. She managed to forget almost everything she learned, which is why she turned to mystery writing.

Living in South Florida has not improved her character. But it has given her the bestselling Dead-End Job series. Like her amateur detective, Helen Hawthorne, Elaine actu ...more