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Dueling in Death's Backyard Paperback – July 6, 2015

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 74 ratings
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WHAT IS IT LIKE TO STOP A HEART AND DUEL WITH DEATH IN HIS OWN BACKYARD WITH A HUMAN LIFE AT STAKE? UNTIL NOW ONLY A CARDIAC SURGEON COULD KNOW. And only a cardiac surgeon with the skills of a Faulkner award winning writer could bring readers not just into the OR but into the heart itself to share that cosmic experience. In Dueling in Death’s Backyard, “Doc B” (Thomas J Berger, MD, FCCP – trained by Dr. John Kirklin, the true Father of Cardiac Surgery) does exactly that and does it in the context of a MEDICAL MURDER MYSTERY EXPOSING A VA HOSPITAL SCANDAL FROM DECADES BEFORE THEY BECAME FRONT PAGE NEWS After 13 hours and 30 units of blood, Cooper Logan and his mentor, Holt McDuff had nearly succeeded in replacing the old farmer’s entire dissected aorta. When the final suture line exploded, they were soaked sticky scarlet in seconds and what had been a human being became a pile of organic junk. If the difference was a soul, it had slipped unseen through their fingers. Although he hadn’t slept in days, Cooper insisted on closing and breaking the news to the family. At least he could spare Holt those depressing final chores. A wrestling scholarship had taken Cooper from a troubled youth in Boston to a surgical residency in Birmingham, Alabama, where he fit in like a Hell’s Angel at a British High Tea. He was more Clint Eastwood, as Rowdy Yates, than Richard Chamberlain, as Dr. Kildare, and everyone kept telling him he didn’t look like a doctor. Cooper was obsessed with becoming a cardiac surgeon -- stopping hearts and pitting his scalpel against Old Grim’s scythe right there in Death’s backyard. Most doctors spend their lives avoiding such situations. Only Cooper, and other cardiac surgeons, live to fight on that mystic battlefield for the life of every patient. Culture shock and hospital politics threaten Cooper’s chances for success, but with Holt’s help he is on track to complete his residency. Then, conflict with a drug addicted nurse and her powerful protector get Cooper fired. His lover dumps him and it seems that things couldn’t get much worse. Then they do. The druggy nurse is murdered and Cooper is framed for the crime. Dr. McDuff seems to want to help but has his own secret agenda. To save his dream and his life, Cooper must unravel a mystery decades older than he is, and solve a murder in the process. “GENTLY COOPER . . . CARESS HER. THE CORONARY IS A WOMAN . . . CARESS HER WITH THE SCALPEL AND SHE WILL OPEN HERSELF FOR YOU.”
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    248 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 6, 2015
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.62 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    099094364X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0990943648
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Story Merchant (July 6, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 248 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 099094364X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0990943648
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.62 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 74 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
74 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jake Berger
5.0 out of 5 stars A Master of Scalpel and Pen
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
BERGER, IN HIS FIRST FORAY, SHOWS MASTERY OF HIS ART. “DUELING” IS ONE OF THOSE RARE NOVELS THAT COMPLETELY ENVELOPS YOU AND TRANSPORTS YOU INTO ITS WORLD. THE GOOD AUTHORS TELL YOU WHAT TO FEEL BUT WITH THE GREAT ONES YOU ARE SWEPT AWAY WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT. EVEN WHEN NOT READING “DUELING”, IT STILL WHIRS AND WORKS IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY THE SINGULAR TOOLS HE UTILIZES TO BREW THIS MAGICAL LITERARY POTION BUT IT IS SURELY DUE IN LARGE PART TO THE AUTHOR’S INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF NOT ONLY THE ENVIRONMENTS TO WHICH HE CARRIES YOU; THE LABYRINTH OF HOSPITAL CORRIDORS, THE SEEDY ‘BAMA BACK-ALLEYS, THE STERILE OPERATING THEATRES, THE ROUGH MEDFORD SCHOOLYARDS, ALL OF WHICH ARE PAINTED WITH DETAILED PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES, BUT ALSO HIS SPOT-ON CAPTURING OF THE CHARACTERS’ RICHLY ADORNED LANGUAGE DEPLOYED WITH PRECISE REGIONAL, SOCIETAL, AND CULTURAL LEXICONS. IF YOU CAN THINK OF A PHRASE THAT ELICITS A MORE VISCERAL UNDERSTANDING OF A SITUATION THAN A “HISSIN’ BLEEDER” THEN I’LL BUY THE NEXT ROUND.
IT’S REFRESHING TO HEAR FROM AN AUTHOR WHO’S DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION, AND LIFE EXPERIENCE ENABLES HIM TO SEAMLESSLY INCORPORATE EASTERN PHILOSOPHY, THE MINUTIA OF COMPLEX SURGICAL PROCEDURES, AND THE TACTILE SENSATION OF FLESH PARTING IN A SCALPEL’S WAKE, WITH THE RIFLE SHOT OF A TIBIA SNAPPING UPON INTRODUCTION TO A LOUISVILLE SLUGGER.
I WILL BE ANXIOUSLY AWAITING HIS NEXT OFFERING ALONG WITH EVERYONE ELSE WHO FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ENTRANCED BY THE FIRST TWO SENTENCES … “BY 5:00 A.M., WE HAD BEEN OPERATING FOR ABOUT THIRTEEN HOURS AND MAYBE THIRTY UNITS OF BLOOD. MOST OF THOSE UNITS HAD GONE INTO THE PATIENT, BLED OUT AGAIN, AND WERE NOW SOAKING OUR STERILE GOWNS AND SHOES OR DRIPPING ONTO THE FLOOR.”
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Nadyne W.
5.0 out of 5 stars I gave this 5 stars because you do not have space to award Six Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2015
Verified Purchase
In my opinion this is a 5 star book and review. Dr. Berger has made a great transition between description of surgical procedure and an indictment of problems in the VA system. Of course this is a work of fiction, but underneath the fiction are truths. In the past year or so we have seen exposures of the failures, today, in the VA system. Berger clearly foresaw the problems and described them in Dueling in Death's backyard. A five star effort only because you do not have six stars to award to an author.

Jerry Weissman
Great Falls, Montana
jerry@weissman.com

I want to leave a review on this book however it is difficult to do so with your form. In my opinion this is a 5 star book and review. Dr. Berger has made a great transition between description of surgical procedure and an indictment of problems in the VA system. Of course this is a work of fiction, but underneath the fiction are truths. In the past year or so we have seen exposures of the failures, today, in the VA system. Berger clearly foresaw the problems and described them in Dueling in Death's backyard. Now how do I go from this review attempt to show others that this is a 5 star effort.

Jerry Weissman
Great Falls, Montana
jerry@weissman.com
One person found this helpful
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Richard Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely riveting!
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
This is definitely a five-star read! I read "dueling in Death's Backyard" in a single sitting because I could not put it down...my wife thought I'd gone into a cave somewhere, even skipped dinner. This is a gripping tale whose main character is a young resident heart surgeon who finds himself embroiled in the middle of a murder which has him as a prime suspect. Along the way, the author takes the reader into the world of hospital politics, the hardships of a surgical residency, first-hand closeups in the operating room, scandal at the VA, interpersonal conflicts of characters going back thirty years, martial arts, and criminal underworld dealings.

Although it is not a lengthy read, Dr. Berger paints an intriguing story and in the process is able to fully develop the characters to the point that the reader feels that he knows them personally. Some, such as Billy the coke addict, are tragic characters and the reader feels sympathy for him. Dr. Jefferson is a particularly loathsome individual in a high power position at the VA. Tiny the crime boss is a total enigma. I could go on, but don't want to spoil it for those who have yet to read it. This would make a great movie! Enjoy!
One person found this helpful
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DJ
5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed Dr. Berger's book
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed Dr. Berger's book, Dueling in Death's Backyard. It certainly reminded me of growing up in the racially charged South. The humidity in the South in the summer is not easily forgotten, and I was reminded of those hot summer days before air conditioning. Combine the heat with some slippery characters, both good and bad, and you have a medical mystery that is hard to put down. The characters were well developed, and multi-dimensional. Tiny was likeable even though he would probably scare the pants off of you. Some good guys turn out to be bad, and some bad guys turn out to be good. You never know for sure until the end, and maybe not even then. The medical drama was fast paced and riveting, as I imagine it is in real life, with life and death decisions made in a split second. There is some violence, some sex and even some humor, all in all a pleasurable read.
One person found this helpful
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Merrell G. Siegel
4.0 out of 5 stars A well written, very enjoyable story that strongly held ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
A well written, very enjoyable story that strongly held my interest throughout.
I found it all but impossible to put the book down. Not only did it thrill as a 'whodunit',
but also provided interesting insight into the training of a surgeon. The humor sprinkled
throughout was but an added bonus.
Would no doubt make for a most interesting TV series.
2 people found this helpful
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