A Particularly Nasty Case
A Novel
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
A chaotic young doctor might be the only person who can catch a killer in this "hilarious, macabre, and heartrending" (Lucy Foley) debut mystery from Adam Kay, former doctor and BAFTA-winning author of This is Going to Hurt.
“A thrilling, twisting mystery. . . . Impossibly funny but also deeply moving and often heartbreaking.” ― Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark
When his toxic medical director dies of a heart attack, fellow doctor Eitan Rose smells foul play. Nobody else does, though, including some quite crucial players like the police and the medical examiner. So Eitan vows to uncover the truth himself.
But Eitan's own past and reputation are far from spotless, despite his budding relationship with Cole, a handsome hospital porter, and reluctant camaraderie with his office mate, Margaret-with-the-cats. As his colleagues become increasingly concerned about his mental health, Eitan's investigation spirals out of control. Could a killer really be stalking the wards? Or is Eitan making a catastrophic mistake?
For lovers of Listen for the Lie and My Sister, the Serial Killer, this fiendishly clever and deathly funny debut is filled with acerbic wit, lovable characters, and plenty of twists—alongside texts, transcripts, medical reports, and all the evidence you’ll need to help solve this particularly nasty case.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
An unreliable doctor investigates deaths that are suspicious—but only to him—in this fast-paced, humorous, hospital-set whodunit. Following his breakdown, Dr. Eitan Rose isn’t the most reliable observer. But when a consultant and then another doctor turn up dead, the highly unstable Eitan knows he’s got to prove to his colleagues—and to himself—that there’s a murderer on the loose. With his often uncensored wit and scalpel-sharp humour, Adam Kay skewers the medical profession (in this case, Britain’s NHS) and the hilariously detailed cast of characters who circle in and out of Eitan’s life. In Eitan, Kay brilliantly deploys an amateur sleuth who may or may not be rational following a bipolar episode and also may or may not be on drugs. But whether or not we trust his troubled protagonist as he gathers up clues, we know we can laugh at his foibles and those of the hidebound hospital system where he toils. Funny, smart, and ultimately deeply caring, A Particularly Nasty Case kept us on edge until the final reveal.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Former physician Kay (This Is Going to Hurt) delivers a hilarious if uneven medical mystery farce. The only bright side of consulting rheumatologist Eitan Rose's return to work after a bipolar breakdown is his budding romance with charming hospital porter Cole. But when Eitan's boss—and soon after, the replacement boss—both die of heart attacks, Eitan becomes obsessed with the idea that foul play is afoot. Eitan is already on shaky ground mental health–wise, and his subsequent sleuthing lands him in hot water with friends, colleagues, and medical review boards alike. Scene by scene, the plot is a risqué riot; memorable episodes include Eitan stumbling into a gay bathhouse, trying to examine a corpse's rear end during a funeral, and inadvertently dosing his supervisor with a cocaine-filled inhaler. But all that zaniness comes at a price: the book's more serious moments fall flat, most of the investigation feels low stakes, and readers are likely to stop caring who the murderer is long before their identity is (clumsily) revealed. Those looking for a lighthearted farce will adore Eitan's over-the-top antics; more hardcore mystery fans will likely be disappointed.
