3.48 AVERAGE


I grabbed this old Michael Crichton book, A Case of Need, to take on vacation. It was published in 1968, and frankly, it didn't age well.

Abortion is illegal, and Dr. Berry's friend is arrested for performing an abortion on a rich girl who later died from it.

Besides the stereotypes on gender and race that are rampant, this really didn't make a ton of sense. Who is Dr. Berry? Why did he just walk out on his job as a pathologist to solve this case? Why did everyone open up to this strange man with anger issues?

Confusing. I enjoy medical thrillers but this didn't do it for me. It stayed behind in Florida.

I know this is an old novel, but still the sexism and racism is disturbing.

It took me a few chapters to get into this one. But I'm glad I stuck with it. I'm almost done, and the suspense of "who did it" is killing me. I never figure things out like that. That's probably why I love suspense books. So this book really disappointed me in the end. He left a lot of holes and unanswered questions. It really bugged. But it was Michael Creighton's 1st book.

I picked up this book because it has Michael Crichton's name on it. It's his first book, published in 1968, an important detail because abortion was still illegal then. This is a medical mystery centered on a botched abortion and one pathologist's attempt to prove his friend didn't do it.
The timeline is a bit compressed - sometimes it's hard to believe he could cover as much in one day as this story suggests. And, the ending doesn't clear up a couple of things as clearly as I'd like, you're left deducing a few things on your own. But all in all a good read, worth picking up.

As many other reviews have said, it is pretty dated.  Ending was anticlimactic but it did all come together. 
fast-paced

Great book.. Finished it in a few days. I love how he well he implements his medical knowledge and creates the perfect amount of suspense

Very dated. I think the only attraction of the book is that Michael Cricton wrote it.
informative mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Not as good as TLW and certainly not as good as JP. A re-read wouldn't be necessary, though it wasn't bad... It was even gripping at times, and certainly educational. The conclusion just didn't incite any strong emotions.