Monday, July 1, 2013

Murder under the Microscope, by Jane Bennett Munro

Murder under the Microscope, by Jane Bennett Munro



Dr Toni Day, the pathologist of a small hospital in Idaho, discovers a body in her own office - that of her arch-nemesis Dr Sally, no less. Dr Sally may have been at the hospital for only a month, but she succeeded in her mission to make it the worst month of Dr Toni's career. The evidence seems to point to Dr Toni as the murderer. It is up to Dr Toni to find more evidence that will clear herself, and implicate the real murderer.

This is a fast-paced book, one that I didn't want to put down. The storyline is very good, or, rather, storylines. In addition to the mystery of the whodunit, there is a second mystery – one involving a person from Dr Toni's past.

The characters and story are well written. My favorite character, by far, is Dr Toni. Dr Toni defends her lab staff when conflicts arise between her staff and the other doctors, because she knows her staff is using proper laboratory procedures and protocols. I am a Medical Technologist, as are her lab techs, and so I am partial to such supportive behavior.  I also enjoyed reading about a realistic lab and hospital, where the lab work is performed by actual Medical Technologists.  (Did you ever notice on the TV show House, that the lab was always inexplicably deserted except for Dr House's minions, who were running the lab tests themselves?) 

There is some cursing – including several F-bombs.  The language is not used gratuitously, however, and does not detract from the book. I feel that many people would use the same language under the same circumstances.

This is the debut novel by Jane Bennett Munro, a semi-retired pathologist of a small hospital in Idaho. The advice to “write what you know” certainly applied in this situation. Murder under the Microscope is an excellent book. Dr Munro has written a second book about Dr Toni, Too Much Blood, which I am anxious to read.

If you like Romantic Crime mysteries, with a medical aspect similar to that of the old TV series Quincy, M.E., you'll love Dr Toni and Murder under the Microscope. I rated it 5 out of 5 kitties, and highly recommend it!





Note:

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, in return for my unbiased review.



Read more about Murder under the Microscope at Goodreads and Amazon