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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use
Minor: Vomit
3.5 stars. Entertaining, fast paced, but somewhat lacking in a complete story. Some things weren't fully explained. But overall I liked it.
I actually listened to this book on my iPod. I don't usually listen to audiobooks, but I downloaded some as part of a plan to motivate me to run. Then I gave up running in favor of dissertating. So in the end, I listened to this on my commutes to campus.
This book is crazy! In the end, it was too much for me. The narrator is really good, and the whole story is told first person by a mafia hit man turned doctor. It is really violent and full of sex and swearing (Mom, you would not like it!). The main character is really engaging, though, and there are lots of awesome medical asides. But seriously, it is full of grossness and violence. Wow.
This book is crazy! In the end, it was too much for me. The narrator is really good, and the whole story is told first person by a mafia hit man turned doctor. It is really violent and full of sex and swearing (Mom, you would not like it!). The main character is really engaging, though, and there are lots of awesome medical asides. But seriously, it is full of grossness and violence. Wow.
A killer with heart - and an extensive knowledge of the workings of the human body. I found the footnotes to be some of the more interesting, insightful and funny writing of the book - regardless of the fact that I’m a big fan of footnotes to begin with. I strongly suggest reading them, especially since they help the book come “full circle”. Pietro will always have a place in my heart as one of my favorite good bad guys.
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell is full of information about medicine and the mob. It’s ridiculously well-researched, which is a weird thing to say about a work of fiction, but there it is. A former hit man for the mob goes into the Witness Protection Program decides to do life-penance by becoming a doctor and saving the lives of the innocent. For some reason, the Witness Protection Program doesn’t make him move to another city, so one of his patients turns out to be someone he knew from his past life. Insert mayhem here. Great literature it is not; but it’s fast, easy, and fun to read.
I heard about this book on a podcast and the reviewer described it as “Totally Bananapants!” and I don’t think there’s a better description. It’s raunchy and not for the easily offended or the weak of stomach.
As a medical professional, it was a smart, guilty pleasure. I could have done without the outrageous ending but, like I said, bananapants.
As a medical professional, it was a smart, guilty pleasure. I could have done without the outrageous ending but, like I said, bananapants.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is part of my wellness journey by being the first of hopefully many reads this year. Peter is fucking nuts but comes across like a cold man.
Apparrently I'm the last person in the world to get around to reading this - I recall seeing ubiquitous ARCs of it at BEA last summer - and yes, I enjoyed it, for having enough smarts to pull of the smartass routine. (I can especially appreciate this having recently read Charlie Huston's comparable but MUCH stupider "The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death.") Biting acerbic wit, gallows humor, interesting little medical factoids sprinkled throughout, some great turns of phrase and well-timed humor = A very likeable winner for all but the most squeamish/prudish. And probably a great book to (NOT!) suggest to older teens, so that they (DON'T!) wind up reading it.
i generally enjoy whacky murder mysteries, so i picked this one up after reading the back cover. i believe that this is the author's first novel and it is far better than most first novels i have ever read. the idea of a tough, intelligent guy living in witness protection after turning on his mob friends is great. the humor and story twists are excellent. i am looking forward to sequels! highly recommended for fans of Carl Hiaasen, Ben Rehder, etc.
Great book - a bit different, but I loved the author's voice and plot.