The Angry Puppet Syndrome [Hardcover]

John H. Menkes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1999

From the moment Dr. Dan Lerner discovers a bizarre behavior pattern, he is plunged into a maelstrom. Patient after patient is experiencing violent outbursts for no apparent reason. And they all feel manipulated by a sinister force. As he tries to diagnose and treat The Angry Puppet Syndrome, in this thrilling medical mystery, he is drawn along a terrifying path. He confronts not only a hit-and-run killing and anonymous threatening phone calls, but also murder and suicide. How do his patients figure in a web of deceit and lies involving a major pharmaceutical company? How could they tip the scales of justice in a legal case that is being conducted by Dan's lover, Maureen? It is not until Dan unearths a long-hidden secret about his own past and Maureen is kidnapped that he learns the truth about a so-called genius on the staff of the university hospital and a deadly conspiracy. This debut novel mixes insider's medical knowledge with the frightening human potential for greed that affects even the most noble of professions. Its insights provide a mesmerizing tale told at the pace of a great thriller.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Don't start it unless you have time to finish it." -- Warren Christopher, former Secretary of State

About the Author

John Menkes was born in Vienna, Austria. He was trained as a pediatrician and neurologist in the United States, receiving his M.D. degree from Johns Hopkins University. He is the author or co-author of innumerable reviews and scholarly works.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Demos Medical Publishing (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1888799277
• ISBN-13: 978-1888799279
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,621,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of the 90's, of good and evil, December 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Angry Puppet Syndrome (Hardcover)

John Menkes has woven a striking, intense story of medical, legal, and business intrigue. In the atmospheres of medical academia and class action legalism, a mediocre researcher who is an astute and dedicated clinician is threatened and embattled by his superiors and by the hierarchy of a powerful drug cartel as he attempts to force recall of a newly approved antidepressant associated with devastating, yet inconstant, side effects. Working with a brilliant and attractive woman attorney, he faces innumerable illegal and immoral roadblocks as he struggles to prevent further distribution of this potentially useful but dangerous drug. Well-written, medically and legally erudite, this book is a fascinating, quick-moving tale that provides both nail-biting entertainment and valuable education. The details of the development of the drug, of its clinical usage, of its bizarre side effects, of its monetary value to the drug company, and of the legal maneuverings by both plaintiff and defendent could only have been written by someone privy to the most intimate details of medical research and the judicial process.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Angry Puppet Syndrome, February 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Angry Puppet Syndrome (Hardcover)

Review of The Angry Puppet Syndrome, by John Menkes

"The Angry Puppet Syndrome" is a tautly written medical-legal thriller about corruption and greed in high places-a work that informs as well as entertains. Menkes provides us with an insider's view of what goes on between big-time pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession and it is not an edifying picture. But some of the leading characters are forced to do battle with their conscience and come out on the side of right. At the same time others close their eyes to the damage done by the use of experimental drugs on unsophisticated patients. The author's delightful asides on the human condition give promise of what we can expect from his next work. This is a book that is hard to put down. If you are going on a long plane trip take it with you. Time will fly!

Laguna Reader.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, March 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Angry Puppet Syndrome (Hardcover)

A timely and almost too true well-told tale. The protagonists are real and the conflict perhaps increasingly common. It is not only a good story but a needed warning. As an old mystery reader, I'm glad a friend touted me on to it. The author not only knows his subject but his people as well. Rings true.