The Empty Net

Philip Sarkis Mystery #3

by Peter R. Kowey

Sebastian Bergstrom was the young star goaltender for the Boston Bruins, the franchise player who was going to return the legendary hockey team to greatness. That is, until he suddenly collapsed during a game, launching a contentious and complicated medical investigation that culminated in Sebby’s triumphant return to the ice. But a few months later, Sebby went down again, this time for good. His death touched off a malpractice suit against the Harvard cardiologist who cleared him to play. Though eventually exonerated of any wrongdoing, the case took a horrible toll on the doctor and his family. The Bergstrom case resurfaced a few years later, when the attorney who led the lawsuit against the doctor fell victim to a savage attack on the Harvard Bridge. The police zeroed in on a prime suspect, an old friend of the doctor sued in the Bergstrom case… one Philip Sarkis, MD.

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2014

Reviews

[Judie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wealthy Boston attorney, Thaddeus T. Robinson, specialized in malpractice lawsuits. Ethical standards had little to do with his success. “His recent stretch of good fortune had begun a few years ago when, without warning, and really with little cause, he announced to his wive Effie that he had decided to divorce.” They had been married for more than thirty years but in the settlement, he managed to cheat her royally by using a forged document.
He won his cases by appealing to the jurors’ emotions rather than relying on the facts. As the story opened, he was celebrating the $3 million settlement in a case involving the spinal cord injury to a child during a complicated delivery. After leaving the courtroom, he went to a bar, picked up a woman, and continued his celebration in her apartment. On his way home the next morning, he was attacked on the street by someone who stabbed him in the back, severing his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed below the waist.
There are no shortage of people who didn’t like Robinson but the possibility of them committing or hiring someone to stab him were slim. As the police department set out to find the attacker, they were led to Dr. Philip Sarkis, a cardiologist who was in the area at the time and had a connection with Robinson. Dorothy and Dick Deaver, Sarkis’s live-in partner and her PI father, drove to Boston to try to provide other possibilities if they couldn’t actually find the attacker. In a previous case, Robinson sued one of Sarkis’s friends for malpractice in the death of a young, talented, popular hockey player. While the doctor was cleared, he eventually drove his car off a cliff. In THE EMPTY NET, the stories intertwined at various points.
The book included information about cardiac problems and treatment and hockey and relied primarily on personal interviews and internet information to solve the crime.
Several of the main male characters in the story were rather unsavory. In real life, I would hope that one of the police detectives is not only thrown off the force but also arrested because of his constant hitting on women. Sarkis had a quickly changeable personality. Dick Deaver didn’t treat his daughter with much respect.
The book was a fast read with numerous twists and turns and red herrings. The ending was unexpected.
This is the third book in a series and offers the promise of at least one more. There are references to the cases in the previous two so readers who might want to read them should probably do that first so it doesn’t spoil the reading of those.
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.

[Tex Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 of 5 stars – Enjoyable "Med" Mystery But Left Me Wondering.
[I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Lee!]

This was a nice, easy-to-read "medical" mystery mainly set in Boston. I had not read the first two books in this series, but this one works well as a stand-alone, not having to build on previous cases but briefly mentioning them to give some background.

I liked Peter Kowey's writing style, with fairly decent dialogue and interviewing/questioning. It was interesting that he used an actual medical case; but even though it might be thought of as a "medical mystery," it wasn't heavy on the medical but delved more into the fallout of medical litigation, which is fine as well. (FYI - I also saw a "YA" tag, but I don't think it really was). Kowey has some nice depiction of certain parts of Boston, but it still could have given me a better "feel" of the place. I also liked Kowey's approach of having the POI and MO's (Philip's) girlfriend and her dad come to Boston to help investigate, which actually ended up making them more the MC's than the part Philip played in this one.

The plot moved along well enough with some good twists and foreshadowing; but the ending for me was not all that surprising, maybe even a bit unsatisfying. I'm not always on the mark, but with this one most of my early suspicions were confirmed. And where they weren't, the initiating mystery was actually not fully resolved in my eyes and left me wondering (Was Philip really just in the wrong place at the wrong time?) - and I suspect that was the author's intent.

I did enjoy the journey of the investigation and the medical aspect (based partly on an actual medical case). So it might be particularly enjoyable for health care professionals, especially those who've been caught up in the litigation quagmire that is our legal system.

[Doseofbella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empty Net (A Philip Sarkis Mystery)
By: Dr. Peter R. Kowley Pages.351
Pavilion Press Inc. November 2014
Copy Courtesy of Goodreads First Reads
Reviewed by: tk

An attorney, group of attorneys, doctors, other professionals, are all in a people we are taught to be trustworthy. We trust them with advise, our money, and even our children. However, where do u go when something goes so wrong your life is hanging in the balance. The doctor you trusted makes and mistake… Your child dies unexpectedly…you are going to consult an attorney that you trust to see what your parental rights are…what if you attorney is a untrustworthy…

I found the teaser on the back cover was not even close to the incredible story created by Peter Kowley. His knowledge base in medicine is a breath of fresh air. So many times the terminology or procedures are unbelievable to the story line, yet the reader is expected to just go along with the story regardless. I am not that kind of reader. Thank you for your meticulous care in producing a believable narrative.
I was spell-bound, and read this story in one sitting. I realize there are nasty people in the world, and even though this is a work of fiction…it proves what an outstanding story teller Dr. Kowley is in the plot of things that go wrong, and the interwoven professions and people involved are not always who they seem to be.

I look forward to more…a great read. 4/5

[Thomas Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was OK is about as good as I can say. Let's say I was not inspired to read any of the other books in the series. It started out very good with an interesting attack on a malpractice attorney that appears could only have been done by a doctor. And the main character of the series, Dr. Philip Sarkis, just happens to be right near where it happened. So his girlfriend and her father come running to Boston to investigate the attack. And nothing much happens. They talk to people who don't have much to say and the police seem to be doing nothing more than chasing after the girlfriend because she happens to be beautiful, and that is about it. There is a story about a Boston Bruin goaltender who dies because of a misdiagnosis by a friend of Sarkis but that leads nowhere. And I don't want to give away the end but it is totally absurd. So the fact that I got the book for free makes it OK but if I had bought it then it wouldn't have made it that far.

[Domisty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. This was the third book in the series & while I think it can stand alone there was a lot of reference to the earlier books as well as to the relationship between the main characters Philip Sarkis & Dorothy Deaver. I think having the background knowledge of the earlier books would have helped some.

At first, there was a lot of background information given & I was a little lost but then I picked up on who the main characters were & I found that I couldn't put the book down.

I was guessing till the end & never figured it out on my own. There are a few twist that I did not expect.

**I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway**

[J. Ewbank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Knowey does use the right side of his brain for this novel. I have not read the first two, but if they are as good as this third one, I would be happy to read them. It is a good mystery, with explanations given after the events to explain them. The plot is imaginable and creative. Enjoyed it.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" and "To Whom It May Concern"

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Empty Net was a really good book, engrossing until the end. And then came the end. The ending itself left too many unanswered questions for a good mystery novel. I truly enjoyed the book for the most part, but I like my mysteries to be solved or at least left dangling in an imaginative way.

I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from Goodreads hoping I would review it.