Act of Murder

Doc Brady #1

by John Bishop

Doc Brady became an orthopedic surgeon to avoid being surrounded by death. But now it's everywhere around him.

One spring day in 1994 Houston, Dr. Jim Bob Brady witnesses his neighbor's ten-year-old son killed by a hit-and-run driver. An accident, or an act of murder? After the death, Brady enlists the help of his twenty-year-old son J. J. and his wife Mary Louise in chasing down clues that take them deeper and deeper into a Houston he never imagined existed. In the process, they discover a macabre conspiracy stretching from the ivory towers of the largest teaching hospital in Texas, to the upper reaches of Houston's legal community, to the shores of Galveston.

Doc Brady soon realizes that the old adage remains true: The love of money is the root of all evil.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

278 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2019

Reviews

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Act of Murder is the first book in the series where we are introduced to Dr Jim Bob Brady, his wife Mary Louise and his son JJ, a tech genius who has a knack of solving murders.

Set in 1994 Houston, Doc Brady witnesses his neighbor's ten-year-old son killed by a hit-and-run driver. Stevie has a rare bone disorder and this story has a great medical plot that helped piece together this mysterious death. Bishop’s writing is easy to understand, an easy quick read and a page turner.

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant start to a new series featuring Doc Jim Bob Brady as he turns his attention to solving the hit and run of one of his neighbours' children, ten-year-old Stevie who he, unfortunately, could not save. Stevie had a condition where he had been born with brittle bones, 'Osteogenesis imperfecta' but the degree which he had it let him live a pretty normal life. It soon becomes apparent that it was no accident that killed Stevie, someone had run him down intentionally.
A chance meeting with an old buddy of Brady leads him to see the postmortem of another child with the same medical condition as Stevie but a much more severe form of the bone disease. The likeness to Stevie can't be pushed aside easily so with a few tests it is found out that the boys were actually twins.
The story is told in the first person, not something I am really fond of, to be honest, but the actual story just fascinated me from the beginning. I loved the mix of Brady's work as an orthopaedic specialist and the cases that he was dealing with, to his family life with his wife Mary Louise, an absolute star in this book and his twenty-year-old techno son J.J. who was a whizz at getting into places without evening leaving his computer.
What an incredible story this turned out to be, it really knocked me for six. There is some humour thrown in too to lighten the story. A really well-balanced book that kept me entertained on every level. Looking forward to Brady's next investigation.
I wish to the Anna Sacca of FSB Associates for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

[Rekha Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engrossing medical thriller!
Little Stevie is killed by a hit-and-run driver. Days later, another little boy dies in the hospital where Doc Brady works. The two boys look similar and that is what piques Brady's curiosity. Soon, he learns of the connection between the two boys - and this has something to do a certain somebody from the hospital. With the help of his wife Mary Lousie and son J.J, Doc Brady decides to investigate the case.
The only thing I did not like about this mystery is the steamy romance between Brady and his wife. The story gets a bit too technical at times (related to medicine/hospital/diagnosis) but this didn't stop me from enjoying the story.
Overall, this was a good read. I recommend Act of Murder by John Bishop to those looking for a unique thriller.

https://thebookdecoder.com/2020/04/27...

[BreeAnn (She Just Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Act of Murder by Dr. John Bishop was an exciting medical thriller! A child is hit by a car and the driver leaves the scene. I liked that it was a medical thriller with the doctor investigating what happened!

I thought the story was fast-paced and easy to read. The medical investigation was very intriguing. I stumbled a bit at medical terminology, but not so much that it deterred me from enjoying the book!

I would recommend this for readers that enjoy medical mysteries!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. As far as a medical thriller goes, Dr. Bishop's knowledge really lends well to this book. The main character Doc Brady makes different medical references throughout the book. Yet, in a realistic way that is not overly clinical way.

Despite the fact that I did like Doc and his wife, Mary Louise; I did feel a bit disconnected to the story. Which you could say that I became distracted at times while reading this book. However, readers who like a good mystery thriller that is between a cozy mystery and a psychological thriller may want to check out this book. I do want to check out another book from Dr. Bishop in the future.

[Bookworm86 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for 'Act of Murder' by Dr. John Bishop.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Mantid Press

This is the first book that I have read by this author. This book is the first in the 'Doc Brady Mystery' series.

I was originally drawn to this book by its intriguing cover and blurb. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the storyline lived up to the blurb.

This novel consists of 48 chapters that are relatively short so ideal if you want to read 'just one more chapter' (never happens with me).

The story is presented from Dr Brady's perspective. At times it felt like he was talking directly too me as if he was opposite me having a cuppa.

Doctor Bishop's medical knowledge shines through and there were excellent and vivid descriptions throughout.

Started off really well and I got sucked straight in but then the plot seemed to go off on a bit of a tangent with too much extra information for was unnecessary and I started disconnecting from the storyline and getting distracted.

I personally don't think it's very realistic for a detective to ask a doctor to help with an investigation but I may be wrong.

The characters were all strong and I liked Brady's personality and sense of humour.

Overall I believe this is meant as a medical thriller but I would class it more as medical/crime. I read until the end but I lost interest in the book several times and I was not surprised at the ending which is a shame. There just wasn't enough action for me but other readers may enjoy it more.

If I was to recommend this book it would be to fans of medical and crime books.

282 pages

Free on Kindle Unlimited or £4.29 to purchase. I think this is an acceptable price for this book in paperback but quite steep for a kindle version.

Rated 3/5 (It was OK ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads for more reviews

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[Paula | pastbookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Giving this medical thriller 🌟🌟🌟 out 5 stars.


First of all, the story was actually good. It was a good thriller that centered on the disease named Osteogenesis Imperfecta. I’ve never heard of this disease until i read this book and it served as an awareness to me. I didn’t know this happened to some..

Second, i admire Doc Brady’s character. He’s a great doctor, he’s very attentive, very smart, very caring for his patients and the people around him. His attentiveness, most of the time, gets the best of him because he tends to know more and research about anything that bugged him. He would do anything to get answers to his questions. He was very inquisitive.

On the other hand though, there’s this one issue i HATED so bad (!!!!) that made me give this 3 stars only. I HATE THE IRRELEVANT DETAILS AND THERE WERE A BUNCH. Like seriously, who needs that much irrelevant info? You don’t even need to add those anymore to confuse the story because not everything is revealed in the beginning!!!! Ugh. I mean i get that you just want to picture out something for your readers but to almost take up a whole chapter of irrelevant info is not necessary! Sorry but it really annoyed me to the point that i almost didn’t finish it.

** Thank you NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. **

Anyway, happy reading! ✨

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the Goodreads Giveaways program. Always on the lookout for a new medical thriller series, I eagerly looked forward to 'Act of Murder', and it was good but fell a bit short of great. The predictability and level of coincidence in the book kept the plot tight, but it also made the book surprisingly short, as it was over before I knew it.
Main character Dr. Jim Bob Brady is much like the protagonists of similar books, a physician who turns detective when he notices a similarity between his neighbor's son, who was hit by a car and died in front of his eyes, and another young boy who dies at his hospital following surgery. Brady is a member of a busy orthopedic physician group who specializes in joint replacement surgery, yet it seems like his neighbor, a 10 year-old with brittle bone disease, was also his patient. As I was reading the book critically thinking it was an advance reader copy, there was a minor discrepancy that caught my eye, where Brady states his first surgery on the Monday of his neighbor's funeral is a knee replacement in one chapter but a hip replacement in the other. Not a big deal, but I did pick it up as I was reading. The book is set in 1994, but written within the last couple years, and I could not find any errors in the story where the author included something that didn't exist at that time, so that pleased me.
Set in Houston, a very large city, the way the characters in this book were interwoven such that everyone knew or were related to each other took a bit of believability out of it. Like what are the odds that Brady's son J.J. would be college roommates with the nephew of the head of nursing at Brady's hospital, who Brady clashed with years ago? Or that Brady would have the chief of police as a patient and the chief's daughter, with whom he speaks freely of the chief's medical history, is the officer who investigates the hit and run that killed his neighbor? As I said, it kept the book tight, but as the coincidences kept stacking up, it was getting to be a bit much.
Speaking of a bit much, Brady and his wife Mary Louise have the most active sex life of a couple outside of a romance book that I've encountered in a long time. Most often, it is just a couple suggestive sentences and a confirmation of the deed, but it seemed like every chapter involving the two of them ended that way. I believe his number of sexual encounters equaled or exceeded the number of surgeries he performed. Good for him I suppose.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Act of Murder starts off with what appears to be a hit and run that results in the death of a young boy. As our story unfolds, a plot is revealed that has quite a few twists and turns that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Doc Brady is an orthopedic surgeon, his patients are generally healthy (no terminal cancer patients), he has a great routine, an amazing relationship with his wife and a grown child that is out of the house (who we later learn has some incredible hidden talents!). Life was great for him as he went about his days, until the hit and run of his young neighbour. Doc Brady was one of the first people on the scene but unfortunately there was nothing he could do for the young boy. This was a young boy who he had treated several times in the past for a rare disorder of the bones that caused them to fracture easily. While he knows that there was nothing he could have done for the young child, the pain of the death is still there.

This event is the catalyst for how our story unfolds – why would anyone leave the scene after hitting such a young boy? And how could this ever be viewed as a murder? Who could commit such a crime? We soon find out that money and greed are powerful factors and some people will do anything for money.

I loved the plot in this novel, it was fast paced but not too fast that you felt as though you missed something. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded and we learned how the characters were connected in such small but extremely important ways. Each character played an important role in the death of the young child and the resulting investigations and mysterious deaths that stem from this. The book is well written and highlights how greed can be a powerful motivator for evil actions. A definite must read novel.

[Missi Martin (Stockwell) · Rating 5 out of 5]

How far will one go to hide secrets ?  How low will someone go for money ?

In Act of Murder by John Bishop MD readers will see how far a person will go to keep a secret and also how low they will go for money.

In Act of Murder readers are introduced to Doctor Jim Bob Brady and his lovely wife Mary Louise.  Dr. Brady is an orthopedic surgeon who is in his back yard when he hears tires screeching on the street in front of his house.  As he runs to see what happened, all he can think about is that he hopes it isn't his wife.  Sadly it is the 10-year old boy of their neighbors.  He was rollerblading and was the victim of a hit and run.  Things do not sit well for Dr. Brady and when he is asked to look at the body of another young boy who just died, he cannot help but notice that the two boys could not only have been brothers but they could have been twins.

Dr. Brady cannot let things go between the accident and the boy he sees in the autopsy lab and when the detective investigating the hit and run accident asks him to look into a few things, he goes into it head first.  The things he uncovers blow his mind but he has trouble connecting everything together and the more he thinks about it, the more he cannot believe what he is actually finding out.

John Bishop MD will blow readers minds when they open up Act of Murder.  Readers will be drawn into the story and the case that Dr. Brady gets in the middle of.  You will not want to put this book down.  Act of Murder will take control of readers attention and minds and they will be powerless to stop reading......they will have to see things through.....just like Dr. Brady does.

I loved reading this book and look forward to getting lost in the second book in this series, Act of Deception.

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dr. Brady is an orthopedic surgeon in Houston in March 1994. A neighbor's child is killed in a hit and run in the first chapter. In the same month, two more people die.
The first half of the book is slow slow slow with so many details. We are told the names of the streets and towns whenever the doctor takes a walk or goes for a drive. Buildings and scenes are described to the smallest details. We read about restaurants and food served. Drinks, yes .... details on the scotch and wines. Frequent seduction scenes between the doctor and his wife. I almost threw the book out because of these slow details. As it was in my kindle, however, I didn't want to throw out the kindle.

Would have preferred more details of the medical world, surgeries and diseases instead of a travelogue of Houston and Galveston.

Because of the date, 1994, the technology, movies, and tv shows were a good flashback to history. One unrealistic factor is when the detective cop asks the doctor and his wife to do some investigation after they voice their suspicion. Also it is quite a coincidence that people the doctor knows hire his 20-year-old son to do computer work for them when the doctor doesn't even know his son has this business. I did finish the book, and I was right in guessing who the guilty person was.

I thank the publisher for the privilege of reading this book. Hopefully there is less of a travelogue in future books.

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spring of one year, a neighbor of Dr. Brady dies. He’s hit by a car and that person doesn’t stop and acknowledge what’s been done. The police detective says to the doctor that if he remembers anything, he should contact her. He remembers a red car a few days later.

This is the story of how the murderer is uncovered. It’s all tied in, the death of another twin. A shared health problem. The death of a doctor who could have been alive today had he been treated earlier. The skills of his son, J. J. and his friend, who are computer whiz kids and are able to track bank accounts and people who just might be part of a connection.

All in the middle of a busy orthopedic surgeon’s life. His practice is just as successful and he’s got a great relationship with his peers. He’s got a great wife and a talented son who helps him out in this case. He’s unable to forget this case and it’s this linkage that keeps him going.

What could a murderer do with what’s really a secret? Not going to spoil this one but it’s upsetting to say the least!

This is a great mystery and it’s done in a very realistic way that makes you keep reading!

A medical thriller for sure! Highly recommended reading!

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book, start to finish. well plotted, fast paced, funny, and well written (except for maybe one and a half grammo's that his editor left in to help establish the author's creds as an ole texas boy).
what's fresh here is the author's persona: a gourmet, a musician, a closet smoker, a cat lover, a houston tour guide, an all-around good guy, and a non-athlete whose physical relations with his wife of 18 years -- though never graphic -- will wear you out. ladies, come meet a husband-of-the-decade candidate, jim bob brady.
this is probably the least "noir" crime drama i've ever read. the director who makes the movie will have to make every scene well-lit, and all the dialog audible and well-articulate. (and what director wants to do THAT?)
the medical component is ubiquitous but quite comprehensible; dr. bishop never drops a 12-syllable disease name without immediately translating to english.
he does one other unique thing that those of us who can never remember where are keys and glasses are, much less all the elements of a twisted plot, will love him for: near the end, dr. brady writes himself a note summarizing the key elements of the case.
i'm looking forward to the next books in this series!

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is labeled as the first book in the Doc Brady mystery series, no information is available saying when subsequent books may be expected. It was a great read on its own, and there were no unresolved plot lines.

Dr. Jim Bob Brady is so charming. He’s a somewhat simple minded (yet smart enough to be a doctor) "good ole boy." His wife, who he loves and lusts after regularly, may be the brains of their marriage. She keeps him comfortably in the dark about things that may stress him out more than necessary. The arrangement seems to work for them.

Jim Bob is frequently working at his wife’s prompting when it comes to social graces, or finding more clues in the mystery of finding out who would want the child living next door to them killed. She knows people, but he knows the medical bureaucracy he’s worked in for most of his career. Together they’re getting the information to connect the dots and bring the poor neighbor’s killer to justice.

This book was definitely a page-turner. While the attempted romance felt forced and extraneous, the murder mystery and medical thriller plot kept the story moving at a quick pace. I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for adults who enjoy medical thrillers.

https://booksithinkyoushouldread.blog...

[Sharon Grow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young neighbor boy is hit and killed by a car in front of his home. Doctor Jim Bob Brady, an orthopedic surgeon, rushes to the scene but is unable to save him. Another young boy dies in the hospital where Jim Bob works and he notices a similarity in the boys, both in their looks and their similar medical conditions. When he learns that the neighbor boy was adopted, he questions whether the other boy was related…possibly a twin? As he assists the Houston police with their investigation, could he be putting his family in danger? A complex mystery that will be solved with clues from the past. I felt the story was overly descriptive at times leading to some disinterest, on my part, in details that did not relate to the mystery. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

[Marie (IfCatsCouldRead) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to @fsbassociates for sending me this book for a review.
I enjoyed getting to know Doc Brady and his wife Mary Louise. Their personas came through well as did other characters. Doc's neighbor kid is hit by a hit-and-run driver and Doc is unable to revive him. Stevie had brittle bone disease so had little chance of being saved. While checking on another patient in the morgue, Doc is led to another child, same age as Stevie with severe Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Doc notices how similar he looks to his neighbor and patient Stevie. There is a bigger mystery underneath and Doc helps the detective solve the crime.
All in all, it was a good book. In some places I found descriptions of buildings, restaurants, and food overdone. The story reminded me of Matlock (which is mentioned in the story) or Murder She Wrote, that cozy mystery kind of show. I wondered why it was set in the '90s, but maybe it was how the technology played into finding the killer. There were a lot of coincidences but it was fun seeing how Doc Brady used all of his connections to help solve the case.

[Miriam Downey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read my full review here: http://mimi-cyberlibrarian.blogspot.c...

The Kirkus reviewer notes: “With a marked absence of gore, graphic violence, or offensive language, this novel gives readers an intriguing puzzle to solve yet not an overly complicated one, opening his readership to a young adult audience as well. An engrossing and satisfying mystery with a humble Texas physician/sleuth at its heart.”

I like the idea that this might be a great adult book for enthusiastic young adult mystery readers. One of my grandsons began reading mysteries at age 12. These would have been great for him. But, as I read the first few chapters, I soon discovered that it was great for me as well!

[Michelle Malsbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Bishop, author of Act Of Murder, is a seasoned doctor or orthopedic surgery in Houston, Texas. (2020, inside back cover) His other passions run from playing blues piano to golf. He and his wife live in the Texas Hill Country.
Act of Murder is part of Doctor Bishop’s Doc Brady murder mystery series. In this thriller Doc Brady seems to have an inordinate number of deaths everywhere he looks from neighbor’s children to partners and people he does not even know, but all appear to be somewhat suspicious. As Doc Brady contemplates this scenario his wife insists that their son and his buddy can assist in the discovery of facts or missing information.
The police think rule the hit and run as murder since the young boy died. They are slim on resources and Doc Brady says he will help if he can. The more JJ Brady and his college roommate dig the deeper the hole. So many things simply do not add up.
The child who died in the hit and run had a serious bone disease that is not very prevalent amongst the people of the world, but he was leading a somewhat normal life until the untimely accident took his life.
In the morgue Doc Brady finds a dead ringer for the young boy who was slain. He cannot quit thinking how alike these two young boys are. He calls in some favors from the ME who verifies that they share the same DNA and are indeed fraternal twins. Strange just takes a turn for stranger.
The roommate of JJ is tied to the young boy who is a dead ringer for the young boy killed on Doc Brady’s street. Coincidence? Then the ostentatious aunt of JJ’s roommate comes to pick him up from Doc Brady’s house tossing another wrench into the tool pile.
The leads are beginning to look like an unsolvable puzzle until Doc Brady gets wind of what his son and friend come up with in their research. They present this information to JJ’s mother who passes it along to Doc Brady. Some things begin to make sense while others are still afield. Doc Brady cannot let it rest. He must solve this puzzle and learn the truth.
Can he find the person responsible for the death of his neighbor’s son? How does the other dead boy in the morgue tie into this scenario?
As if that is not enough, the managing partner of Doc Brady’s entire practice comes up with Cancer and dies suddenly after surgery. Too many loose ends. Are these deaths connected? If so, how?
I enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot about orthopedics along the way. If you are looking for a nice Christmas or Holiday read perhaps this is one you should select. It is a page turner.

[Jacob Peled · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book begins with a promising start, with an unfortunate accident that sets the stage for an exciting story.
However, after reading a quarter of the book, the promise of a suspenseful story is not fulfilled.
Instead, the book focuses on the doctor's work schedule in the hospital, with little to no mention of the accident.
It is possible that the original plot will pick up later in the book, but I lost patience after reading 25%.
I will leave the rest of the book to those who enjoy reading detailed medical procedures. What is certain is that this is not how you write a suspense book, which should have a continuous story that does not jump to completely different topics.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐌𝐃. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣
I was sent this book to review by all the lovely folks at @fsbassociates. Thank you!⁣
⁣
I loved Doc Brady! He’s such a standup guy... polite, fun, smart, confident... I’d love to have him as my doctor. I also loved the relationship he had with his wife. His family life really made the story. That said, unfortunately I just couldn’t get into the storyline and the mystery. I think medical mysteries are not my thing. If you are interested in medicine, you would probably love this book!⁣
⁣
⁣Instagram reviews - @stacy40pages

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Bishop's book, Act of Murder is a Doc Brady Mystery. It is also a very entertaining book. It all starts when orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jim Bob Brady's ten year old neighbor is killed by a hit and run driver. Brady and his loving wife, Mary Louise, piece together clues and get help from Detective Susan Beeson and their son J.J. and his roommate Brad. What they discover involves lots of twists and turns and surprises. The events of this book take place in 1994 and secrets that have been kept for many years begin to topple like stacks of dominoes! I really enjoyed this book.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and solid thriller, well written and full of twists and turns.
It's well researched, the plot flows and the characters are interesting.
Sometimes it's too technical but this doesn't stop you from enjoying it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[mike watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC via Goodreads and Mantid Press.
I thoroughly enjoyed my first Doc Brady mystery. It was full of descriptive details that I appreciated and after looking through other reviews that may have lowered others rating. But honestly, it made the novel unique and quite the mystery.

[Rita Indrebo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to quit after 100 pages = didn't see any kind of mystery up to this point.

[Sandra Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strong beginning to the series if you like mysteries and medical drama:

My Review

[Karen]

Very good story.
Very well written.
Kept me turning pages to see what happened next.
Thank you for this book.