Patricia Harding is a vibrant young woman with a successful career as a paralegal. After a lunch date with a coworker, Patricia passes out and is rushed to New City Hospital. Despite her husband’s attentiveness and the best efforts of the hospital staff, Patricia never recovers. While the cause of her death is being looked into, another death under mysterious circumstances happens at New City Hospital. The Chief of Staff calls on Detective Looney to sort fact from fiction in this highly technical medical thriller. Looney is determined to uncover the truth at any cost.
It is abundantly clear that G.L. Barbour has a vast repository of medical expertise upon which to draw. This intriguing medical thriller is based solidly on modern medicine and the demands placed on health-care workers. There are some technical flaws throughout the narrative, as the tense shifts sporadically and, particularly early on in the novel, there are far too many overly simplistic dialogue tags to feel polished. But the compelling story helps to make up for the structural blemishes. For those with any interest in medicine, Death Unexpected is an absorbing read. Add in a no-nonsense detective, and you have the prescription for an engrossing medical whodunit.
