Some Cuts Never Heal

Lenny Moss is a custodian at James Madison University Hospital, but he is rarely seen pushing a broom. More likely he is running from floor to floor, helping his fellow workers as their union representative; more likely yet he is pursuing some lead as an amateur sleuth. He becomes really busy when a pretty young drug rep, Colleen Creedon, is found mysteriously dead in a supposedly unoccupied hospital room.The plot gets rather complicated, as the attractive young woman seems to have been involved with several members of the hospital staff, particularly the famous (and egotistical) transplant surgeon, Dr. Kadish. Figuring out what--and who--caused her death leads to an ever-widening circle of intrigue. Meanwhile work goes on, with the daily struggle of poorly treated workers against a heartless administration and declining budgets. Lenny walks close to the edge, matching wits with the sadistic security man, West, who desperately wants to get him fired. The author clearly has a heart for working people, and, one senses, a certain distaste for physicians, especially pompous physicians.Author Sheard creates wonderful, likeable characters, and the caring community wherein they work and try to support one another. His writing draws you in, and you just keep turning pages. If, in the end, the plot doesn't really hang together, or the explanation of Colleen's death doesn't make much sense--well, who cares? The book is entertaining and it works. Although author Sheard is described as a veteran critical care nurse, he shows some lapses in his description of medical practices and terminology. Still, if you can read this book without taking it too seriously, you will enjoy it. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber

As a physician of forty years experience, I can tell you that the description of the setting and characters in this mystery that takes place in a big city hospital rings true from beginning to end. The only really stereotyped characters are the bad guys, which is one of the conventions of mystery writing, and perfectly acceptable to most readers.What's more, the main characters are hospital workers who do things like housekeeping, nursing, transporting patients, taking x-rays, delivering meals and the like. They are portrayed in loving and apt detail, humanizing the people who really make a big hospital run. Much is made of the stressing working conditions of hospital employees, certainly a big issue in these days of Corporate Medicine.The mystery is solved, neatly dispatched by our main character, Lenny Moss, a custodian and union rep in the hospital. He's a really good guy with both heart and brains. I really look forward to reading more 'Lenny Moss' books by author Timothy Sheard, himself a critical care nurse.Recommended.Scott Morrison

As a Philadelphian, yes I'm partial to a mystery that takes place in my city. But it's so refreshingly different to have a multi-racial ensemble of sleuths who are regular, decent, working men and women. The rewards of this thriller are far more than the question of "who did it". Sheard's book is a welcome change from the cynicism and bleak negativity that permeate so many of today's mysteries. Sheard brings you characters who may not have so-called "prestigious" jobs, but who themselves are interesting and complex. Yet this is not a simplistic depiction of the "good" working-people versus the "evil" doctors and administrators. Sheard's cast realistically includes villains among the workers, as well as noble, decent people among the doctors. Sheard also wonderfully portrays the complex day to day responsibilities of a union activist devoted to his union brothers and sisters. While many people consider being a union steward to be a "thankless" job, Sheard shows it can actually be quite rewarding in developing deeply human ties that break many of this society's class, color, and gender barriers. Many people may not be aware of the dirty politics of a big city hospital. Sheard should be commended for airing the "dirty laundry" he's observed through his many years of hospital experience. I'm a long-time hospital union delegate myself. Throughout this book I found myself favorably surprised by how many of Sheard's scenes rang true with my own experience. I only hope the following books in this series include hospital villains who match the real ones encountered by fellow hospital union delegates and myself! I recommend this book to everyone. Unions and union activists in particular should enjoy it!

With characters as warm and engaging as the author himself, this mystery was a treat to read. And as the economy sputters towards the abyss, unfortunately prescient and topical.