A Case of Need - Michael Crichton

Click image to not go to Amazon

Category: "Airplane" book (my term for a harmless, simple-minded book, useful for keeping the gears turning during an airplane trip. Mental chewing-gum). Acquired: Half-Price Books. Read: May 2008, sitting on the veranda in San Carlos. Ahhhh... Briefly: Generic medical mystery. Patient dies under suspicious circumstances, one doc is unjustly accused, another doc unravels the clues. After various plot twists (and more autopsy details than I really needed), justice wins out and everyone lives happily ever after (except the patient).

Comments: What made this book interesting is that it was written 40 years ago, literally when I was in high school. As a result, it provides some interesting reminders about what America was like in the late 60's. For instance, I had to chuckle at the how the local Boston doctors disliked one newcomer simply because he was from California and had really long hair. I totally remember this attitude!

Naturally, this book also pre-dates much of the technology we take for granted today. Thus, there are plot twists that simply wouldn't happen today today, e.g. based on the fact that certain key medical records existed only in handwritten, hard-copy form, and could thus be stolen, hidden, or otherwise made inacessible. In another case, a plot turn occurred because someone couldn't contact someone else, because there was no telephone nearby.

This book also pre-dates Roe vs. Wade by about five years, an important fact, given that the plot revolves around the aftermath of an illegal abortion. Because abortion was not yet a hot social issue, Crichton spends a lot of time having his characters present their views for and against abortion - probably because his readers needed the education. What's interesting is seeing how those arguments have changed over the past 35 years. Take a look through the appendix (where he summarizes the pro's/con's) and compare them to what you hear today.

All in all, a decent book, and just right for reading while sitting in an airplane - or on the beach.