The Aesculapian

Given his experience as the former head of the AMA, Cloud seems well qualified to fictionalize some of the recent crises that have plagued the powerhouse medical organization, although this fast-paced debut thriller is hindered by stiff and hackneyed prose. Cloud's protagonist is a Phoenix thoracic surgeon, Joe Hawkins, who finds himself thrust into the national spotlight when the AMA's sexy young PR director, Kate Murphy, sees him at a local civic function and decides he's the perfect person to deliver a response speech after a presidential attack on corrupt doctors. Hawkins succeeds with a vengeance, so much so that he finds himself being drafted for a leadership role in the AMA, much to the chagrin of Letitia Jordan, the brilliant but power-hungry current president of the medical organization. As Hawkins reluctantly builds his power base, he slowly learns of deep-seated corruption within the AMA, which extends to members of Congress and includes a diabolical involvement with Japanese organized crime. After Hawkins's wife dies when her car runs off the road, he discovers that Jordan herself might have been responsible for what was clearly not an accident. The extent of AMA corruption emerges during a business junket that also includes a gooey whirlwind romance between Hawkins and Kate Murphy. The trip culminates with a revelation in Japan that sets up a surprise ending. Cloud has most of the right stuff for a second career writing medical suspense novels--specialized knowledge and a flair for non-stop action, but he needs to enliven his prose. (Dec.)