The Doctor

by Tom Conti

Nothing is what it seems in Tom Conti's passionate and exciting story of love, duplicity and retribution. Haunted by his past as a Secret Operations Pilot with the Intelligence Services, and in an attempt to shake off the ever-present shadow of his Controller, Hal flees England and the bed of the tempestuous Francesca for a new life in Africa. "That was it. A coup de foudre. I'd heard of it, but never believed in it. I had to get out of there. That wasn't in the plan…" Nothing is what it seems in Tom Conti's passionate and exciting story of love, duplicity and retribution. Haunted by his past as a Secret Operations Pilot with the Intelligence Services, and in an attempt to shake off the ever-present shadow of his Controller, Hal flees England and the bed of the tempestuous Francesca for a new life in Africa. But there, as a pilot with the flying doctor service working in the wild, love and death precipitate him once again into a life of deception and danger. Adopting a new identity and returning home, he quickly discovers that the past is not easily shed, that fear and the unexpected lurk at every turn. Then a moral gun is put to his head, and he is forced to choose between his freedom and the death of another man. 'The Doctor' is actor Tom Conti's debut novel. Sexy, thrilling, often intensely moving, the detail and imaginative twists of his plot are handled with masterly skill. It is compelling.

281 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2004

Reviews

[Veronica-Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think of a scenario and Tom Conti has probably put it in this book. I found his main character and his created situations to be a trifle unbelievable even though I occasionally did find myself caught up in one or two of them. I wanted to like Hal, I truly did, however, something was missing that I couldn't quite put my finger on all the way through the book. There were moments that I did enjoy his writing but overall there was just too much happening and it became, seriously? we are going there now?

[Kilani Bey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the storyline. Introducing all the characters but it was more of a thriller than just an artistic fine line. Many movements, a lot of action. It feels more like a Hollywood thriller. Overall, I didnt mind it. I just wish it wasn't really expected or easy to imagine what will be going on later.

[Grant Trevarthen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having long admired Tom Conti as a fine British actor, I was expecting a great deal from his attempt as a Novelist, I was very disappointed.
I must admit to only reading 55 pages of his novel 'The Doctor', what could have been a good story, was derailed by the main protagonist Hal's sexploits with Francesca & Lorna. There was also a lot of profanity which got very boring.
My layman's advice is Tom don't give up your day job.

[Max de Freitas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost stopped reading this book because the characters were annoying. As I slogged on the story became more intriguing. It turned out to be quite gripping with many unpredictable twists and turns. A cracking good read.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

recently read. how hard can surgery be?