Bitter Medicine

The true crime account of the wife-killing doctor found not guilty by reason of insanity from the New York Times–bestselling author of The BTK Murders.

Two deaths

Port Angeles, Washington, is a small town of pretty houses and smiling people, surrounded by acres of pristine wilderness. Everyone thought it was the perfect place to live . . . until two local doctors made headlines.

Two doctors

On a chilly January night, Dr. Eugene Turner hastened the death of a three-day-old baby boy who had been pronounced brain-dead. Six weeks later, ER physician Dr. Bruce Rowan hacked his wife to death with an axe, then tried to kill himself—claiming he snapped after witnessing Dr. Turner’s euthanasia.

A Small Town Rocked by a Shocking Fatality

What really happened? What drove Dr. Bruce Rowan—a man who was entrusted to heal the sick—to so savagely take the life of his own wife? Acquitted by reason of insanity, Dr. Rowan was committed to a mental institution. And though the trial is over, some fascinating ethical and legal questions have been raised by its outcome.

Now, bestselling true crime writer Carlton Smith reveals the never-before-told facts and the stunning truth behind two doctors, two deaths, a surprising trial, and the picturesque town standing in the shadow of a ghastly killing.