• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About the author and her website
  • References
  • Archives
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact Page

Defrosting Cold Cases

Research website by Alice de Sturler

  • My Research Method
  • How to search for cases
  • Cold Case Database
    • Index
      • Cases Index A-G
      • Cases Index H-N
      • Cases Index O-Z
    • Summaries
      • Case Summaries A-G
      • Case Summaries H-N
      • Case Summaries O-Z
  • Case of the Month: Lakota Renville
  • Book Reviews
You are here: Home / Book Reviews / Act of Revenge by John Bishop, MD

Act of Revenge by John Bishop, MD

November 12, 2020 By Alice

Act of Revenge John BishopRevenge runs rampant in the third book in the Doc Brady Mystery Series written by John Bishop, MD. The second book in that series, Act of Deception, was reviewed earlier.

The Characters

Dr. Jim Bob Brady and wife Mary Louise start off the story on the ski slopes of Snowmass Village, Aspen, Colorado. The Doc’s ski skills make him collide with another doctor. Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Louis ‘Lou’ Royce Edwards and his wife Mimi are also on vacation there.

The least Brady can do is facilitate treatment for Edwards while Mary Louise goes over to their cabin to inform Mimi. We soon learn that Mimi’s health is deteriorating as she has lupus, suffers the effects of chronic steroid therapy, has kidney failure, and cause of this all, is her cosmetic breast surgery performed by her own husband. This collision snowballs into a full fledged criminal investigation when Edwards is suspected of murder.

As the insurance company canceled Edwards’ malpractice policy, he had been operating uninsured. As he’s not the only one who wants answers, he joins the protests in front of the insurance company’s building. He even gives an interview for a morning show. And it is a good thing he did because during the same time frame, that insurance company’s president, Paul Allen Thompson, is killed.

The Story

We see a detailed investigation with Brady even being made a special investigator with the Houston Police Department. We learn about penthouse keys and elevator access. The Edwards marriage is suffering and is bound to buckle so, are we also facing adultery?

I like how Bishop makes Brady write lists to repeat what we know, what we need, and how to get there. It is a simple but very effective writing technique before switching gears.

Thoughts

I am very conflicted about this book. It started so slowly that I had to put it away several times. The pace is just too slow for the premise.

Reminder, the set up is malpractice lawsuits from women who had ruptured breast implants combined with an insurance company canceling malpractice policies from several plastic surgeons under the guise of going bankrupt due to all the settlements.

The insurance company’s founder and president, Thompson, is murdered in his penthouse. Edwards had his insurance canceled and he operated on his own wife who now faces serious health issues. This alone is huge and can easily fill a few books. If left at this, it would have been a very strong and tight plot.

But that wasn’t enough for Bishop. He needed to add something to the story that reflected on the insurance company’s president moral character. He did so in a two-pronged approach. The first prong is absolutely possible, probable to the crime investigation, and believable. The second prong distracts and weakens the story. To discuss why I say this I have to give away some of the plot, sorry.

SPOILER ALERT!

That Thompson would find out the financial swindle in Edwards’ office is highly probable but how he deals with the culprit, is not. Blackmail is believable. Checking up on their correct future bookkeeping, is not. Abusing the culprit’s daughter, as vile as it is, is probable. That daughter having a best friend who wants to help her, is also probable. The rest is not. I will stop here but there’s a lot more to the second prong that makes you shake your head at the end.

Note

I received a copy of this book from FSB Associates‘ Senior Publicity Manager, Anna Sacca, in exchange for an honest review. All my other book reviews can be found here.

Thank you for sharing!

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Book Reviews, John Bishop

Primary Sidebar

Dina Fort

Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

Protected by Copyscape

Categories

Top Posts & Pages

  • Cold Case Database
  • How to search for cases
  • Neosho Grace Doe is Shawna Beth Garber
  • Gina Renee Hall partial remains found
  • What happened to Woodrow Rae Harr?

Subscribe to DCC by email

Enter your email address to get new posts notifications in your inbox

RSS Defrosting Cold Cases

  • Neosho Grace Doe is Shawna Beth Garber
  • Serial Killers by Joni Johnston, Psy.D.
  • Fatal Intent by Tammy Euliano
  • Lakota Rae Renville (1983 – 2005)
  • Helen Ruth Conwright Young (1936–1976)

William Thomas Zeigler

Category: ALL POSTS

On March 31, 2016, an evidentiary hearing was held to request touch DNA testing. On July 18, 2016, Judge Whitehead denied that request.

On November 23, 2016, an appeal was filed with the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court denied the request for touch DNA analysis.

On May 8, 2017 a motion for a rehearing with the US Supreme Court was filed. It was denied November 13, 2017.

In the summer of 2019, the appeal for DNA testing to the Florida Conviction Integrity Unit was denied.

Richard Lapointe

Category: ALL POSTS

In March 2015, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Richard lapointe. On Oct 2, 2015, International Wrongful Conviction Day, Richard was set free. The judge ruled that he cannot be retried for the 1987 rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin. Richard Lapointe died on Aug 4, 2020 of Covid19 complications.

In 1987, someone killed Bernice Martin. I hope that she will not become a forgotten file.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2009–2021 - Defrosting Cold Cases - All rights reserved · Hosting & WordPress: 3J WordPress Write Data

wordpress counter

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.