"Personally, if I were going to kill someone, I would use a neuromuscular blocking agent. No muss, no fuss--you just stop breathing and that's it. It would be an awful way to die, though. You remain conscious right up till the end, but you can't move, and you can't call for help, and eventually you can't breathe, but you don't lose consciousness until the brain gets hypoxic enough. Why," I warmed to my subject, rubbing my hands together fiendishly, "you'd have time to tell your victim exactly why you had killed him, and he'd have time to think about it before he died!"
"Hal shivered. "Toni, you scare me sometimes. Remind me not to get you made at me. Come on, let's go to bed."
~~~
Murder Under the Microscope
Debut of Toni Day Series
By Jane Bennett Munro
As a winner of an IP Book Award for Excellence, I wasn't the least surprised that this book was selected. Written by a pathologist, based upon years of experience, Munro takes us directly into the life of Antoinette Day, who leads a small department at Perrine Memorial Hospital in Idaho. And then creates a life for her, as she says on the back cover, that becomes "a living hell..."Which always makes for a good murder mystery, of course... This is a solid, well-written novel, but the poor main character, Toni Day...I'm surprised that she made it through all that was thrown at her in her first book! Will she be able to be the lead in a series, if her writer is going to be doing this? LOL...Seriously, just when you think you've begun to get a handle on whodunit... The bodies keep appearing!
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| "I told you to shut up, bitch." "Oh year? Who died and made you king, dickhead?" "I don't have to listen to you whining all day, cunt." "Yes you do, fuckhead. "You're in a cage just like me." "So, what're you in for? Stealing lingerie from Macy's" he sneered. "Don't you wish, big boy." "You better shut up, bitch, I'm not gonna tell you again." "Good," I said. "I was getting tired of it. "You better not get smart with me, bitch. I can tear you into little pieces. You'll wish you'd never been born. I'll beat your pretty face to pulp. I'll carve it up with a hunting knife. No man will ever look at you again." My blood ran cold, and I shivered. Thank God this animal was in a cage. "Is that what you're in for?" I asked. "I beat up my girlfriend. She was steppin' out on me. Nobody does that to the Bruiser and gets away with it," he bragged. "I hear you," I said, suddenly inspired. "My boyfriend did the same thing to me. But he'll never do it again." "Yeah?" he said, interested in spite of himself. "What'cha do to him?" "I strangled him with a pair of her panties and carved my initials on his scrotum." "I heard what I thought might be a little gasp." "With a razor blade..." ~~~ |
Oh, yeah...An old stalker of Toni's also shows up--but he's threatening Hal, Toni's husband!
Toni was fairly well established and respected for her department's work, except by one man. But when a new temporary doctor came--a beauty that had all the men drooling, it seemed that nothing was going to satisfy her!
And she used Tyler as her front man to get Toni into trouble... First they fired one of Toni's long-time employees!
Of course, Toni took immediate action and got her back on the job... But then she was hit by a car in the hospital parking area, and was off work for months! Surprising Toni even more was that a new qualified young woman was found and on the job by the next day!
When that young woman made a serious mistake which could have gotten Toni in trouble, Toni really began to watch and worry about what was happening!
Somehow Dr. Shore, the new doctor had to be involved--but how?! But when the body of Dr. Shore is found...in Toni's office... everybody was suspicious!
Toni even called for her mother to come to be with her (one cool lady!)
Now most of us, these days, because of the many television shows which delve into forensics, would probably think that Toni is going to find the answers through her own work...Not!
Toni is a pathologist, not into forensics, so you will learn the difference, while Dr. Day continues to be called upon to do her normal work, during surgeries, to assist there...and more... In one way, this is closer to a cozy mystery since the pathologist is acting to investigate the crimes through the normal interview, tracking, and analysis phases. This in itself is a different twist that I enjoyed, especially since many TV programs slot these specialists into jobs that they do not normally do in everyday life.
What this does for readers is allow us to experience the reality of pathology, while at the same time working to solve a murder mystery. I applaud Monro, for staying true to her professional credentials and sharing her experience in an important medical field.
The angle Munro used to slowly eliminate suspects, by death, LOL, was fun as well, since readers have to keep on working on the mystery right up to the end. Yeah, we get some hints at that point, but, you'll be guessing wrong, I'm thinking, even when surprises are revealed along the way. Not many thrills, but a steady strong whodunit that is sure to please those who love to play the investigator along with the main character.
Toni, by the way, fooled me at first...I thought she was somewhat of a wimp...LOL...I was wrong... Enjoy!
GABixlerReviews
Unlike most pathologists in murder mysteries, my protagonist, Toni Day, MD, is not a forensic pathologist, and neither am I. Like me, she is a hospital based general pathologist who has forensic autopsies thrust upon her. Instead of the usual morgue scene, Toni's work involves all the other things pathologists do that nobody knows about; surgicals, cytology, the clinical laboratory; all this in addition to solving the odd heinous crime.
Reviewers have suggested that I develop a platform upon which to provide information for those who have lab work done, or must have something biopsied or removed at surgery, and the interrelationship between pathologists, surgeons, and oncologists (cancer doctors) which are so frightening and mysterious to the average patient.
The readers of my books will at least get an idea of what the average pathologist does all day besides autopsies.
We're not all Quincy.
Some of us are Toni Day.
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