Twice Dying

Here's a book that takes off at a gallop from the first page and never lets up. Dr. Carroll Monks is a well-developed, wonderfully weary, completely believable character and I hope we'll get to see more of him. I did, fairly early on, twig to the plot but it's a credit to Mr. McMahon's writing skills that I was still driven to read on and find out how he carried it off. He did it very well indeed.

A great combination of medical thriller, murder mystery and non-stop action. The characters are wonderfully developed and incredibly real. It's a must read and I highly anticipate reading more about the adventures of Dr. Monk.

A great thriller-mystery (it's got both a serial killer AND amain guy who spends time alone at home w/ his cats!) but the biggestsurprise of all was how the sexual tension betw. 2 x-lovers builds & feels dangerous and real. THe writing's great, nothing wasted but still evocative. END

The guy, Monks is an ER physician and the woman is a shrink (Alison) in a psych ward, and theyre both damaged goods, but still good characters, so when the twisted business starts--somebody is killing sickos, and Alison finds out--yuo really matter what happens to them. The writing is lean and the ER scenes are EXCELLENT, the best Ive read. No this isn't a medical thriller, believe it or not--more like james Lee Burke. They should bring Monks back for another time, he's good.

Dr. Carroll Monks works in the emergency room of San Francisco Mercy Hospital. He is a dedicated and responsible physician, but Carroll remains lonely. However, his loneliness ends when Dr. Alison Chapley reenters his life. Carroll shared a brief fling years ago with his colleague, who provides consulting services to the notorious Clevenger Hospital, home of dangerous murderers who have pleaded "not guilty by reason of insanity" (NGI). Founder Dr. Francis Jephson runs the NGI program but doesn't allow Alison to him help him.Dr. Jephson places sociopaths in his program by labeling them as schizophrenics or manic-depressives. He treats his patients for two years before discharging them as being cured. Thus, cold-blooded killers stalk the streets of San Francisco and other cities waiting for the chance to murder again. Alison once revered Dr. Jephson but now wants the dangerous program ended and asks Carroll to help her attain evidence that will do just that. Unbeknownst to the two physicians, an unknown assailant awaits in the shadows with a strategic plan that includes the pair.In a relatively short novel, Neil McMahon provides quite a powerful left hook to the gut of lovers who demand high quality psychological suspense thrillers. The seemingly straightforward plot spins into a totally unexpected but clever and welcome path that will shock but please the audience. TWICE DYING stars an interesting protagonist who alternately will receive pity and warmth as his obvious flaws make him feel like a friend. The intense story line is dark, chilling, and belies the fact that this is Mr. McMahon's debut novel. Anyone who enjoys an intense medical thriller with legal overtones will relish this terrific tale.Harriet Klausner