Let's wait until a full moon to bleed him

Surprise! I continued reading Godplayer by Robin Cook. There has been little development in the plot, but we do find a reason to believe that George (a medical guy) and Dr Ballantine (the chief cardiac surgeon) have something to do with the deaths occurring the hospital. This is discovered by Dr. Kingsley (aka Thomas) when there is a drastic cut in his OR time, removing four surgeries from his schedule every week. Of course, being the adrenaline-addict he is, Thomas freaks out, calms down, and realizes its just another attempt to get him to quit his private practice…or is it? Duh duh duh duh!! But honestly, this passage was not very entertaining. I mean, the fact that I thought was the most entertaining was the fact that there was a philosopher named Rodney at this meeting of cardiac surgeons. Hmm…what does a philosopher do for medicine? I know in the early European history philosophers were really the medical experts, but now days its more like palm reading… “Yes, I do agree that this man will die of a tragic broken heart…” or “Let’s wait until a full moon to bleed him…” But wouldn’t it be nice if philosophy could cure things? You wouldn’t have to go through all that training if you had a half-decent mind…you could just throw a thought into the air and see if anyone saw it. This passage then led me to thinking about how far man kind has progressed. I mean, we started out like monkeys. Then we got brains and turned into insanely advanced creatures. Just think about our existence and how much we actually think and create and love. It scares me sometimes… yeah…

Ooo...Juicy...

This week I continued to read Godplayer by Robin Cook. The plot did not advance much as far as the ‘murder’ mystery, but we did find out more about Dr. Kingsley and his wife, Cassandra (a psychiatrist in the same hospital). We learned through watching Dr. Kingsley in action (performing an open-heart surgery) that he is addicted to the adrenaline that accompanies performing surgery. Without two or three cardiac surgeries a day, Kingsley gets all bent out of shape and depressed. He thinks hat if he doesn’t perform surgeries, then he’s a bad doctor and is failing at his job…yeah…some ego. Later on we find out that Cassandra is diabetic and has to give herself insulin injections. But, along with the treatment, a condition in her eye formed over the years that needs medical attention. So, as a result, Kingsley and Cassie have to decide whether or not to get the surgery. I stopped reading at the point when Kingsley gets wind of Cassie talking to people about her condition. He is livid. Why, I’m not sure. But it shows a very dark side of him and he obviously had issues with rumors about his wife drifting throughout the hospital. The character of Kingsley (so far) is the most interesting development. He’s obviously very egocentric (I’m mean, he’s the best), but also very arrogant and easily disturbed. As he walks from the operating room after performing one of the fastest bypasses ever, the crowd of people that had been watching the spectacle are simply ignored by Kingsley. He walks past them because he knew he was the best, and this is all he needs: a few shots of glory everyday to keep him on top. In addition to his feeling of superiority, we see a certain self consciousness when the issue of his wife was brought up. I think his wife is a threat to his position and reputation in the hospital, and therefore is angry that she is open and accepting to her condition (hello, she’s a psychiatrist. They’re supposed to be open). This aspect of Kingsley also opens potential relationship drama. Ooo…juicy…Since they’re on two different ends of the personality spectrum (she’s accepting and open, and he’s arrogant and closed), I wonder how they even found each other. It was probably one of those “OMG he’s such a hero” moments…then they got married…? I don’t know. We’ll see.

...and then the guy performed a heart massage...

I started a book called Godplayer by Robin Cook. Yes, it is one of those cheesy medical thrillers with very little literary aspects, but it does have a fast-moving plot…which is what I look for in a book…generally. I’ve read other books by Robin Cook, and what has intrigued me about his writing is that he incorporates real (or plausible) medical scenes, proof, and situations. His criminal characters are also interesting, because they always come up with a new way to kill people. >: )
I just started this book, so I have no idea what the conflict truly is. So far, we’ve seen a man (Bruce Wilkinson) killed by somebody (who’s identity remains anonymous…at this point). This somebody let Bruce’s IV run rapidly when it was only supposed to be barely dripping. This then caused Bruce’s muscles to fail, suffocating him after completely paralyzing him. And all of this happened before he could reach the nurse’s call button… *GASP*
But of course, being in a hospital, the nurses just happened to notice him…in his blue-faced death. We then are introduced to new characters, Jerry Donovan (a doctor) and Dr. Thomas Kingsley (the best heart surgeon ever). After the nurse found Bruce, Jerry tried everything he could to save him. But despite his desperate attempts to resuscitate what was then a cadaver, the guy was dead. But: it was Dr. Kingsley who then reeled in the applause. Amazingly, Dr. Kingsley strolled into the room, asked a few questions, then cut Bruce open and commenced a heart massage. Right there, in a common hospital room. Everybody was amazed. Even though Kingsley’s actions didn’t help anything, everybody still knew that he was the best cardiac surgeon in the hospital…but really? He was just showing off…
Overall, this scene is:1. Just setting the stage and 2. Showing how egocentric this Kingsley guy is. Because he knew he was the best, and he knew this Bruce guy was a goner, Kingsley had to do something that people would remember instead of just another doctor’s failed attempt. He had to do something nobody else had the courage to do…Intense thought, right? But there you have a basic beginning to a medical thriller.