BOOK REVIEW - First to Say No, The (Novel OT)

[Mike]

The First to Say No by Charles C. Anderson © 2012 Outskirts
Press ISBN: 978-1-4327-9103-2 Hardcover 312
pages $25.99 (U.S.)

Once again, this is a totally mundane book – the kind I enjoy
occasionally to just clear out the cobwebs and re-immerse myself in
the non-Pagan world.

Earlier this year I requested the first novel I had ever seen by this
author (The Farm). It was a combination medical/international
thriller and, based on the description of the author, I was reasonably
sure that at least the medical part would be fairly accurate. He is a
veteran emergency physician (and trauma specialist) and had served in
the U.S. military. Although I was skeptical of some of the medical
procedures he described, I found it thoroughly enjoyable reading.
When he offered to send this newest book, I jumped at the chance.

This is a very different book. It is no less realistic, it is simply
relocated from a rural setting into another modern war zone – the big
city, and the gangs which not only terrorize the “good citizens”, but
those charged with providing the medical care of victims and
perpetrators alike.

Having worked in the medical field once upon a time (I was an EMT back
in the 1970s) I have a both a weakness for those who work in the EMS
(Emergency Medical Services) field and an understanding that, despite
what is shown in movies and on TV, the majority of an EMS worker's
life is humdrum and routine, interspersed with occasions of sheer
chaos. I also understand, as many who have never seen the working
side of the business (and it is a business, ultimately) do not, that
sometimes there is no right choice, only a choice of which wrong is
less harmful in the long run.

When an Emergency Department doctor chooses to allocate resources
needed by two patients to the one with the better chance of survival,
thus effectively condemning the other patient to death, there is no
joy in making such a decision. There is, however, a need to MAKE the
decision in a timely manner – something the idealists who advocate for
unbiased decision making don't have to deal with.

It would be easy to say that the views expressed in this novel are
extreme (they are), unreasonable (only a little) and morally wrong
(okay, basically it comes down to which decision is least wrong).
Without a doubt many folks will be made uncomfortable after reading
it, but that is something which frequently occurs, and often forces
progress to manifest.

The only problem with a well-written thrilled (and make no mistake
about it, this IS a well-written thriller) is that it is hard to put
down. I like to give myself time to savor a novel. That didn't
happen this time – I finished it the same day I started it. I had
some ambivalent feelings about some of the characters along the way.
Detective Witt in particular had me guessing, although the cause of
his ultimate “conversion” was telegraphed way in advance

One of the themes I have noticed in this author's work is that the
protagonists tend to end up in a much better financial position than
they started. The sources of their increased wealth vary, but it does
happy and the finances tend to be spent in ways which benefit the
community at least as much as the community in which they live.

I'm not sure how many more novels this man has in him, but as long as
he continues to write about what he knows, in ways which reflect the
real world, I will continue to look forward to their arrival.