Dying to Have a Baby: A True Story

Former journalist Zausner (Bad Brake: Ford Trucks%E2%80%94Deadly When Parked) offers a blow-by-blow account of a tragic medical malpractice case. The book opens with the tragic backstory that led to trial: Doctors Suzanne and Tony Matteo, desperate to have a child together, place their hopes in Philadelphia fertility specialists Jerome Check and Ahmad Nazari. Nazari performs egg retrieval surgery on Suzanne, whose aspirin intake in the month prior put her at significant risk of post-procedure bleeding. This mistake has fatal consequences%E2%80%94Suzanne experiences significant blood loss, and dies. The bulk of the book is set in 2001, during the three-week trial, and offers extensive excerpts from the court transcripts, along with diversions%E2%80%94such as the judge's curiosity about a lawyer's snack, or a scene at an NBA game%E2%80%94that take up space without adding anything. The trial did feature some brilliant work on the part of the lead plaintiff's attorney, Tom Kline. There is a particularly exciting moment during the cross-examination of a defense expert witness. Overall, however, the superficial depictions of the people involved place this several rungs below the gold standards of the genre, such as Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action.(Aug.)