cover image Final Dictation: A Medical Mystery

Final Dictation: A Medical Mystery

Lawrence M. Vincent. St. Martin's Press, $16.95 (230pp) ISBN 978-0-312-02915-9

Like the author, the protagonist of his first novel is a radiologist. When Dr. Townsend Reeves arrives at his lab in a Kansas City hospital, he discovers the body of his contentious colleague, Barry Zimmerman. Realizing that Zimmerman's death may be tied to the mysterious disappearance of some X-rays, Reeves decides to help homicide Lt. Tony Mauro solve the case. But what might have been an intriguing situation is buried in slack writing, esoteric medical terms, extraneous characters and incidents. Vincent does provide clues in the doctor's favorite sport, basketball, but they are lost in the muddle until the overdue finale. To reach the denouement, readers must believe that Reeves would go far beyond permissible behavior, straining the friendship with Detective Mauro. While Vincent's debut suffers from verbosity, he has the imagination that can produce thrillers once he gains experience. (Aug.)