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A review by weaselweader
The Oath by John Lescroart
3.0
A timely cautionary tale on the profit motive in health care!
HMO executive, Tim Markham, is hit by a car during his regular morning run and subsequently succumbs to his injuries in the ICU unit of his flagship hospital. Despite the fact that his death appears to be a slam-dunk case of hit-and-run vehicular homicide, there are circumstances surrounding the man and how the hospitals are managed that lead investigators to consider it may in fact have been a murder. Further investigation gives rise to the possibility that the halls of the hospital are being haunted by some sort of Angel of Death who has committed as many as a dozen murders over the last few years. The question is “why?” and the sleazy business practices of the hospital’s administration are definitely one of the possibilities.
Although THE OATH was written the better part of 20 years ago, it’s a workmanlike, enjoyable legal and police procedural that questions the myriad conflicts of interest that arise between the profit motive of HMOs and the best medical interests of patients unfortunate enough to need their care. Given the current political conflicts over the issue in the lead-up to the 2020 election, it’s certainly a timely novel that would likely raise more eyebrows today than it did when it first appeared on bookstore shelves. That the villain of the piece is easily predictable takes away marginally from THE OATH’s impact as a legal or medical thriller, but its interest as a political statement that is very relevant today remains.
Recommended as an enjoyable and controversial diversion.
Paul Weiss
HMO executive, Tim Markham, is hit by a car during his regular morning run and subsequently succumbs to his injuries in the ICU unit of his flagship hospital. Despite the fact that his death appears to be a slam-dunk case of hit-and-run vehicular homicide, there are circumstances surrounding the man and how the hospitals are managed that lead investigators to consider it may in fact have been a murder. Further investigation gives rise to the possibility that the halls of the hospital are being haunted by some sort of Angel of Death who has committed as many as a dozen murders over the last few years. The question is “why?” and the sleazy business practices of the hospital’s administration are definitely one of the possibilities.
Although THE OATH was written the better part of 20 years ago, it’s a workmanlike, enjoyable legal and police procedural that questions the myriad conflicts of interest that arise between the profit motive of HMOs and the best medical interests of patients unfortunate enough to need their care. Given the current political conflicts over the issue in the lead-up to the 2020 election, it’s certainly a timely novel that would likely raise more eyebrows today than it did when it first appeared on bookstore shelves. That the villain of the piece is easily predictable takes away marginally from THE OATH’s impact as a legal or medical thriller, but its interest as a political statement that is very relevant today remains.
Recommended as an enjoyable and controversial diversion.
Paul Weiss