Bleeding Time

'Bleeding Time' is a novel about the tension in an operating room, the terror of a post operative hemorrhage, the anxiety of responsibility, the frustration of failure to convince anyone that someone is intent on killing patients.


When following surgery one of his patients almost bleeds to death, the surgeon begins to believe someone is attempting to kill his patients. Determined to prove this is happening, uncovering how, why and who, he is dismayed by the unwillingness of his colleagues to consider the evidence that supports his suspicions. He becomes convinced there is a conspiracy among senior members of the medical staff and administration to cover it up. He believes the medical center is contaminated by many with corrupt secret agendas. Stressed by these events, his relationship with his wife approaches the breaking point. She believes his obsession is driven by the desire to prove he hadn't done anything wrong in the operating room. She worries the compulsive traits fundamental to his success will lead to his downfall as the rift between them widens. An investigation by the executive committee of the medical board ends with persistent doubts. A cascade of events leads to his having to accept that there will be no resolution for him. The reader will likely come to different conclusion.