Diamonds of Death

WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT? From the hand of skilled surgeon Dr. John Raffensperger, writing as John Luck M.D., comes a penetrating medical thriller that lays the essence of corrupt 1950s Chicago open to the bone, deftly weaving a story that is equal parts mob, murder and medicine. When a local gangster loses the priceless diamonds he planned to steal from his mob boss, a doctor is suspected of recovering the loot from a wounded bagman hurt during the melee. For Cook County Hospital's Dr. Tom Slocum, a returning Korean war veteran in doubt of his ability as a doctor after losing a buddy during a battlefield surgery, the last thing he needs is another war-this time with the Chicago mafia, corrupt city workers and cops on the take. Will Dr. Slocum's scalpel save his own life as he tries to choose whom to trust? Will diamonds be the death of him? WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK UNIQUE? The author is a renowned surgeon. A 1953 graduate of the University of Illinois Medical School, Dr. Raffensperger interned at Chicago's Cook County Hospital and was a Medical Officer in the U.S. Navy. He went on to become the Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Surgeon in Chief at Children's Memorial Hospital, and is still a Professor of Surgery (emeritus) at Northwestern University. Diamonds of Death brings detail of medical and forensic procedures few could match. His in-depth knowledge and vivid descriptions of Cook County Hospital and Chicago bring the city to life, conjuring images of mafia-laden lairs, antiseptic smells and sounds of swishing surgical scrubs of fast-moving interns in a busy hospital ward. The medical and forensic aspect of the book will appeal to fans of authors such as Robin Cook and to fans of TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy and C.S.I.