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Eisenmenger-Flemming Forensic Mysteries #6
With a Passion Put to Use
Eisenmenger has reluctantly taken a job as a locum in the pathology department of St Christopher's Hospital - his partner Helena is pregnant and they must prepare financially for the baby's arrival. John doesn't relish the prospect of being back on the treadmill, working within the NHS again, but when he is unwilling to accept his boss' "death from natural causes" diagnosis after autopsies on various bodies, his professional suspicions are piqued. He goes to his old friend DI Beverley Wharton with his concerns. All paths seem to lead to Atopia, a private clinic for the treatment of allergies run by a Dr Adam Dreifus - whose wife has just been found dead...
- GenresMystery
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 22, 2016
John Eisenmenger is working as a locum in the pathology department and is totally unimpressed by the staff leading to queries about the causes of death. Meanwhile DI Beverley Wharton an acquaintance of his, can't convince herself that several deaths are not murder.
They come together to try and determine the truth.
As this is the first of the series that I have read I not sure if events mentioned have occurred in previous books or not, but I think I enjoyed this enough to start at the beginning.
A NetGalley book.
They come together to try and determine the truth.
As this is the first of the series that I have read I not sure if events mentioned have occurred in previous books or not, but I think I enjoyed this enough to start at the beginning.
A NetGalley book.
April 23, 2020
So this was purchased at a library book sale. I haven't read any of the other books in the series, and I don't think I will. I liked the "mystery", but Beverley was a real turn off. What a sociopath. Too bad.
June 7, 2016
I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Endeavour Press.
This is book number six in the Dr. John Eisenmenger Forensic Mysteries. The main characters, Dr. Eisenmenger - pathologist, his girlfriend Helen - a lawyer, and Inspector Beverley Wharton of the police have very long entanglements going back over many years. These relationships are not explained all at once and I often found myself wondering why a character was behaving in a somewhat unusual way until I finally got everybody in their proper place in the dynamics. From this standpoint I have to say the novel was confusing. I also didn't quite ever understand why Dr. Eisenmenger was working as a locum for three months at a hospital in a small town he and Helen had very recently moved to instead of practicing on a permanent basis at a hospital or morgue. But, I continued reading and found myself thoroughly engrossed in the mysteries which were presented.
Inspector Wharton has been assigned a new Detective Sergeant to work with her and they are polar opposites who clash immediately. The first case they are working together has all the appearance of being a suicide except it could also have been a cleverly planned murder. Wharton and her DS begin a painstaking investigation which led them to a possible suspect who then led them to another possible murder. All of this while Dr. Eisenmenger is putting his professional career and future freedom on the line by breaking a law while performing an autopsy. In the meantime Helen is going through her own crisis, this one medical in nature.
This is a very "active" book. There are so many things happening to the characters on so many different levels because of their past histories that there was absolutely no slow-down time at all. There are so many issues from their past which separate the women and John is caught in the middle because of his present relationship with Helen and his past involvement with Beverley. It was all quite entangled. Add in a death which cannot be ruled either suicide or murder and two more deaths which have the appearance of death by natural causes and you have a long strand of tangled threads to be unpicked. The author did a very good job of that because even if you manage to discover the method of death for one case, I seriously doubt you can do it for all of them.
Strangely enough, as much as I admire the way author Keith McCarthy was able to keep me guessing about the solutions to the mysteries all the way until the end of the book, I really didn't like several of his characters. I don't know if I will read more in this series or not. I'm going to have to think about that.
This is book number six in the Dr. John Eisenmenger Forensic Mysteries. The main characters, Dr. Eisenmenger - pathologist, his girlfriend Helen - a lawyer, and Inspector Beverley Wharton of the police have very long entanglements going back over many years. These relationships are not explained all at once and I often found myself wondering why a character was behaving in a somewhat unusual way until I finally got everybody in their proper place in the dynamics. From this standpoint I have to say the novel was confusing. I also didn't quite ever understand why Dr. Eisenmenger was working as a locum for three months at a hospital in a small town he and Helen had very recently moved to instead of practicing on a permanent basis at a hospital or morgue. But, I continued reading and found myself thoroughly engrossed in the mysteries which were presented.
Inspector Wharton has been assigned a new Detective Sergeant to work with her and they are polar opposites who clash immediately. The first case they are working together has all the appearance of being a suicide except it could also have been a cleverly planned murder. Wharton and her DS begin a painstaking investigation which led them to a possible suspect who then led them to another possible murder. All of this while Dr. Eisenmenger is putting his professional career and future freedom on the line by breaking a law while performing an autopsy. In the meantime Helen is going through her own crisis, this one medical in nature.
This is a very "active" book. There are so many things happening to the characters on so many different levels because of their past histories that there was absolutely no slow-down time at all. There are so many issues from their past which separate the women and John is caught in the middle because of his present relationship with Helen and his past involvement with Beverley. It was all quite entangled. Add in a death which cannot be ruled either suicide or murder and two more deaths which have the appearance of death by natural causes and you have a long strand of tangled threads to be unpicked. The author did a very good job of that because even if you manage to discover the method of death for one case, I seriously doubt you can do it for all of them.
Strangely enough, as much as I admire the way author Keith McCarthy was able to keep me guessing about the solutions to the mysteries all the way until the end of the book, I really didn't like several of his characters. I don't know if I will read more in this series or not. I'm going to have to think about that.
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September 23, 2014With a Passion Put to Use, by Keith McCarthy, a-minus, Narrated by Sean Barrett, Produced by Isis Audio Books, Downloaded from audible.com.
John Eisenmenger has gone back to work as a technician in the pathology department of the NHS because his partner, Helena, is pregnant and they must start preparing financially for a family. He hates taking the job as he thinks most government operations are incompetent, and he soon learns that one of the major coroners is someone who doesn’t adequately investigate during autopsies and who should have been retired years ago. In quick succession, there are three deaths, two appear to be suicide and one a natural death. But John is suspicious of all these diagnoses and, despite going against his supervisor’s wishes and breaking the law, he collects tissues from all of them for a second examination, and he finds reason to be suspicious. This gets him into a world of trouble with the NHS. In the meantime, a woman inspector, Beverly Wharton, with whom he has had prior experience, is also suspicious of the deaths and continues doing interviews long after her supervisor indicates that they just want the cases closed. If she can’t have more than suspicions without proof, then close the case and move on. But both John and Beverly continue their covert actions and eventually come upon terrible secrets, but not before there are more murders and injuries. Very good.
John Eisenmenger has gone back to work as a technician in the pathology department of the NHS because his partner, Helena, is pregnant and they must start preparing financially for a family. He hates taking the job as he thinks most government operations are incompetent, and he soon learns that one of the major coroners is someone who doesn’t adequately investigate during autopsies and who should have been retired years ago. In quick succession, there are three deaths, two appear to be suicide and one a natural death. But John is suspicious of all these diagnoses and, despite going against his supervisor’s wishes and breaking the law, he collects tissues from all of them for a second examination, and he finds reason to be suspicious. This gets him into a world of trouble with the NHS. In the meantime, a woman inspector, Beverly Wharton, with whom he has had prior experience, is also suspicious of the deaths and continues doing interviews long after her supervisor indicates that they just want the cases closed. If she can’t have more than suspicions without proof, then close the case and move on. But both John and Beverly continue their covert actions and eventually come upon terrible secrets, but not before there are more murders and injuries. Very good.
April 17, 2016
4 stars
Huge thanks to Keith McCarthy, Endeavour Press and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is the 2nd book I've read in this series and I have to say that I very much dislike Beverley, she is a horrible, horrible person!
I enjoyed the mystery and the continuing story of the two main characters and I will be reading the next book in this series, Corpus Delicti, in a few minutes.
Huge thanks to Keith McCarthy, Endeavour Press and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is the 2nd book I've read in this series and I have to say that I very much dislike Beverley, she is a horrible, horrible person!
I enjoyed the mystery and the continuing story of the two main characters and I will be reading the next book in this series, Corpus Delicti, in a few minutes.
March 24, 2016
This book left me puzzled at the beginning but as the plot and characters developed, I realised just how much I was enjoying it. It picked up the pace and kept me interested to the last page. A good plot with interesting characters.
May 30, 2009
I guess I'm just not a huge fan of the English mystery. I always think they move too slowly. This one did have a rather interesting premise, but just OK.
March 13, 2013
This one is particularly brilliant. McCarthy's caustic wit is sine qua non, and his ability to portray a woman's sense of loss at miscarriage is impeccable. Very good indeed.
April 19, 2016
Excellent as usual!!!
I love this man's books, there so informative and always have an excellent plot, keeps me wondering. Can't wait to get the next one.
I love this man's books, there so informative and always have an excellent plot, keeps me wondering. Can't wait to get the next one.
September 3, 2016
I enjoyed this author very much - I liked his writing style. I'll look for his other books. Probably would have been best to read this particular series in order but I started in the middle.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews