Control: A dark and compulsive medical thriller
£7.00£7.60 (-8%)
‘A suspenseful and frightening thriller’ Lynda La Plante
Renowned surgeon Michael Trenchard locks his office door and prepares for a relaxing evening. But what follows is a living nightmare when later he is discovered in a locked-in coma, the victim of an auto-erotic asphyxiation.
It is left to Doctor Kash Devan, Trenchard’s young protégé, to uncover the truth. And what he discovers is chilling . . .
In his ruthless pursuit of wealth and success, Trenchard has left a trail of wrecked lives, and angry people, behind him. Which of Trenchard’s victims hated him so much that they wanted to ruin not only his reputation, but his life as well?
Not all doctors are heroes . . .
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | Zaffre (8 Aug. 2019) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 416 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1785767437 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1785767432 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.9 x 19.8 cm |
by David Lloyd
At the start it is not clear when the story takes place then you realize there are no mobile phones and doctors wear white coats on the wards and not scrubs, so it must be in the eighties or earlier. The plot is not bad but it is easy to guess who dun it just over half way through. Overall, not really the page turner I hoped it would be.
by M UK
A great thriller in which the author has used his vast knowledge as a doctor to create an extremely dark and sinister story, based upon life within a London hospital. Keeps you guessing until the end and once into the story, I couldn’t put it down. This would make an extremely watchable mini series, can’t wait for more books by Hugh Montgomery. Highly recommended.
by David Ward
I don’t know what I expected when I came across this book almost by accident – but I got a whole lot more than I could have ever anticipated.
I am a retired hospital chaplain, so I’ve seen plenty of aspects of all hospital life. Hugh Montgomery’s “Control” stirs many memories in me of the joys and pressures of health care. But this book develops into a mystery. It is very well written and a real page turner. It is also commended by Lynda La Plant, and it’s obvious why.
It will keep you awake at night as you promise yourself “just another chapter.” But it’s well worth losing sleep over. Especially if you’ve ever been involved in the demanding life of a hospital.
by mulberry
I love non fiction forensics, detective and crime books but I thought I would read Control by Hugh Montgomery. It was very interesting and some places very dark. It kept me guessing throughout until the very end to find out who the killer really was. Some of the staff had very sad stories of their lives but it was worth reading. Stacked up on shelves with my mountain of book collection. I will read it again in the distance future.
by Emma
This book was based in hospital and whilst I thought some stereotypes such as night nurses always being asleep to be unfair ( I have worked night shifts) overall the hospital setting was very believable. The story was fast paced and interesting till the last couple of chapters where characters acted completely out of the character that the author had spent the rest of the book establishing. This ruined the book, fiction only works if characters are believable. I will not read more by this author.
by Claire
I enjoyed this book but confess that I guessed most of the plot half way through. I was a hospital doctor in the 80s so recognised the very realistic setting of the novel. Would non medics understand the drugs that were used?
by Harry Hemingway
Fast turns of the page -which Montgomery’s book demands- runs the risk of tearing. And that runs the risk of spoiling the enthralling read of the partner/friend/complete stranger on holiday you will want to pass your copy onto. Author says the events bear no relation at all to life as a doctor. I disagree. Crime aside, the observed relations built on asymmetries of power are authentically chronicled. Recognisable to any who have worked in any health system.
So bunk off work for an afternoon, stash the kids with the grandparents or do whatever it takes for an undisturbed cover to cover session.
by Dan Allen
The blurb describes this book as a compulsive thriller. It isn’t hype: I was compelled to finish it the same day I started it.
Montgomery’s experience and knowledge of the working lives of young, aspiring doctors entering the daunting world of clinical medicine, looking up to revered senior clinicians while struggling to contend with an overwhelming workload and pressure, is all encapsulated in this story. It’s the perfect context in which to explore the darkest, hidden realms of power, and how its abuses spiral out of control when the stakes and consequences could not be greater.
I enjoyed this book’s pervasive, multi-layered tensions enormously. Its protagonist has all the warmth, heart and idealism we could hope to see in a newly-minted doctor venturing out into his new career; the tension between this and the corruption and warped, horrific reality of what he encounters makes his journey nothing like he could’ve imagined. The clinical detail, while never intrusive, brings along with it the detached, technical brilliance of modern medicine, showing up the natural tension between the warmth of caring and the sterile manipulations of the flesh and minds of others. And the villain? The epitome of the twisted dissonance between the image and the dark, hidden human emotions seething beneath the impeccable veneer.
Highly recommended.