The Hollow Men

When textbooks start blurring one's vision, what should a medical student do? In Rob McCarthy's case, he chose to write his first thriller. The Hollow Men puts McCarthy's studies into practice through his tormented police surgeon/anesthetist protagonist, Dr. Harry Kent.

Kent is called to a hostage situation when Solomon Idris, a teenage gunman demanding a lawyer and a BBC reporter, needs medical attention. Before Kent can treat the patient for his respiratory distress, a gun is fired and police sharpshooters descend on the building. No one knows who pulled the trigger on that first shot, but Idris is left fighting for his life, and Kent is determined to find out what drove the youth to take such extreme measures. When Idris's life is threatened again in the hospital, the stakes rise even higher and Kent suspects a fellow doctor is hiding skeletons unfit for anatomy class in his closet.

The Hollow Men is gritty and intense; it's complex and explosive. McCarthy's expertise provides dramatic authenticity in the hospital. The pacing is swift, engaging readers in McCarthy's London. Kent is a deliciously troubled hero, and in an effort to fill the hollow inside himself, he's fighting for the folks who've been forgotten. Seasoned mystery buffs may not be overly surprised by the outcome, and the denouement could have been tighter, but the characters in this debut are exemplary and McCarthy is unquestioningly a writer to watch. --Jen Forbus, freelancer

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