John Bishop. Act of Murder. Mantid, 2019.

Act of Murder is an unusual mystery. Dr. J. R. Brady (a.k.a. Jim Bob) is an orthopedic surgeon, not even a pathologist like Quincy (though he does consult with one over a couple of patients who die in the story). He is not even directly involved in the mystery. He observes. In a sense, he is more like Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes’ chronicler. As Watson largely observes, so does Dr. Brady.

Brady finds himself observing immediately. He is in his back yard minding his own business when he hears the squeal of tires, a thump, and an automotive motor racing away. He runs out to the street in front of his house and sees a neighbor’s nine-year-old son lying in the road. Someone calls 911. Brady does try to revive the boy, but it is clear that he is dead.

The boy’s parents blame Brady for not saving their only son’s life, but there was really little he could do. The fact that the boy had a rare congenital brittle bone disease no doubt contributed to his nearly instant demise.

Much of the story is about Brady’s day-to-day orthopedic work at a hospital in Houston, Texas. We also get Facebook-like details about his meals—it seems doctors eat out a lot—and, as the young people say, too much information (TMI) about his love life. (It’s OK; it is all about how attractive his wife is.) Still, Jim Bob spins a decent yarn, and gradually a mystery unfolds.

Obviously, the police and the boy’s parents want to find the hit and run driver and bring the person to justice. As both a doctor and a witness, Brady is brought into the investigation. If there is a Holmes in the story, it is the young Police Detective Susan Beeson. Her father is the retired police chief and an acquaintance of Dr. Brady.

We get a sense of what upper class Houston is like, with some side trips to Galveston and Port Arthur.

We see what Brady sees, and perhaps like Brady and Beeson, we begin to make the connections. And there are many to be made.

Around the same time as the hit and run, the semi-retired CEO of Brady’s orthopedic practice announces he has prostate cancer and will be undergoing treatment. Just when it appears he is recovering, he suddenly dies in his hospital bed. Act of God, or Act of Murder?

Brady’s pathologist friend makes some discoveries as does Brady’s son, a college student who does white-hat computer hacking on the side. It all comes together in the most interesting way.

The author’s approach is distinctive, though the climax may have a bit of a stock ending. Dr. Brady “goes with the flow” and tells a story with a mystery that only a doctor could explain well.