A Case of Need by Michael Crichton
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Book Reviews of A Case of Need
Book Review: An oldie but a goldie
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a fantastic read, especially considering how long ago this book was written and published. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and in some ways prefer it over his more recent books. I found it somewhat similar to the better Jonathan Kellerman novels. It is a good read for those who enjoy medical thriller/mysteries.Book Review: A Case Of Need
Summary: 4 Stars
A good book, easy to read. It really kept me wondering what was going to happen next, at points I had a hard time putting it down. I most always read "true crime" books but this one was really quite thrilling! I'm prone to like anything to do with "medical" or "hospitals" and that kind of thing though.Book Review: I loved it!
Summary: 4 Stars
I couldn't put it down and finished it in one day. Highly recommended as a fun and suspenseful read.Book Review: Not Crichton's Finest Hour
Summary: 3 Stars
I thought I had read all things Michael Crichton. But last weekend, my brother loaned me a bag of books and inside was A Case of Need.
One part of me loved it because it delved into the medical world - and that brought back so much. The funny things about working with other doctors/nurses and treating patients. The sad/shocking things. That part was really interesting - and showed Crichton's typical obsessive research tendancies (which I love - it makes it believable when the author has researched his topic thoroughly so that he can speak with correct terms, context, etc). This was Crichton's first novel ... and his researching skills have remained one of the reasons his books are usually so well written.
The other part of me was turned off from the book right from the start simply because of the topic: a pathologist is trying to find evidence to free a friend of his - a doctor who is accused of doing abortions illegally. He does actually do abortions ... and sometimes for people who are using it as a form of birth control. Married women trying to hide affairs. Ugh. Come on people ... don't be having sex if you can't handle the consequences. If you aren't mature enough to be a parent ... you aren't mature enough to be having sex. Crichton was a Harvard Medical School student when he was writing this (and it was originally published under a pseudonym) - and evidently it stirred up quite the controversy.
Abortion is and always will be a hot topic. But if you've ever worked in a hospital ... when you're talking about a persons body and their health ... you can see that it's not always a black and white issue. (I have a friend who is doing an OBGYN rotation in Memphis right now - and he wants them to start offering free sterlizations. He sees 20-30 pregnant teenagers a day. Potheads who are on their 6th and 7th child - whose babies are immediately taken into custody by the state. He's pretty down right now and is ready to move on to his next rotation where things might not seem in such a hopeless cycle.)
Maybe Stargate SG-1 could bring the Aschen here to sterilize those who seem incapable of mature and responsible actions!
I much prefer Crichton's later novels. Loved The Andromeda Strain (I haven't seen the 1971 movie so I don't know if it's a good adaptation or not!), Timeline (the movie was a pretty good adaptation), Sphere (the movie was .... ok), Airframe (I think this is being turned into a film?), and Jurassic Park (amazing film and effects - great adaptation).
Book Review: A Murder Mystery
Summary: 3 Stars
Crichton's approach here is a murder mystery in the scientific world of medicine. It is unlike later novels in which he imagines new scientific worlds. Here we have a respective pathologist acting the detective much like the protagonist in Rising Sun. On the surface an abortion has been committed on the daughter of a highly repected and powerful Brahmin Doctor in Boston. An oriental doctor friend of the pathologist is to be charged with committing the abortion at a time when abortions were still illegal. There is a lot of scientific dialogue as the pathologist interviews other doctors. He also delves into the culture of the daughter's life.
Crichton has a pro-choice view here. Despite the changed legal time, I still found the essential story engrossing. A secret operation has been botched, and the daughter is dead. There are powerful conflicting forces that seek to stop him and he has to work around prejudiced law enforement. Our hero is working against a deadline to save a man's name and identify the real "killer." I think the characters we meet along the way are believable. I found myself in suspense until the end.
It is a quick read. And I think it is worthwhile if you are a Crichton fan because his body of work spans so many different areas of science.