Customer Reviews

Murders at Brent Institute

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This David Brooks sequel compelled me to continue reading it. It's twists and turns kept me guessing "whodunit" right up to the end. It has a fast pace, so hold onto your hat and start reading. I'm looking forward to reading Dr. Labriola's next book.

stock characters, stock plot - overdressed, simultaneously boring, banal and ridiculous; too much narrative - just plain dull

I, like the previous reviewer, wanted to like the book. I like good whodunits, but this is no whodounit. This is a MD turned writer/author and put all of his daydreams of being a detective on paper. I almost put the book down after reading the first 10 pages, but stuck with it. It starts bad, then turns into somewhat of a decent mystery, but then turns really bad. No longer a mystery but a just a long string of dumb conversations and incidents with one stereotype after another (mafia, south american president, etc). No wonder I found it in the $5 bin at Barnes and Noble. I give it 2 stars instead of 1 because it does have a decent middle.

The area of medical, technological, and biological research is indeed a heady one, with the possibilities for regenerative options never before known to mankind being awesome and humbling. There are those who would hold back every scientific discovery in the name of caution and prudence, and these forces create the perfect backdrop for a mystery.

Dr. Jerry Labriola, adds a new mystery to his David Brooks series, entitled Murders at Brent Institute. Dr. Labriola practiced medicine for nearly thirty-five years, has held a seat in the Connecticut state senate, and has always loved writing. His character, Dr. David Brooks, is a medical doctor who is fed up with the paperwork associated with medicine, has recently solved a string of murders at Hollings General, wears bow ties, has a black belt in karate and a girlfriend who is herself a cop, and carries a briefcase on his investigations he calls Friday. His unlikely sidekick is a taxi driver he calls Musco who is pretty good in a fight:

"David yelled spot, Musc, spot!' Stonzo and Frankie pulled out their guns and stiffened their arms toward David. Musco tackled Stonzo and somersaulted to his feet. The gun popped up. At the same time, David gave Frankie's wrist a karate chop. The gun squirted down. Flommer grunted as he scrambled to the floor, picked up the guns and handed them to David."

Jerry Lambriola spins a darn good yarn about the use and misuse of funding for scientific projects. He effectively combines the academic world with Third World bullies and a chocolate maker to build his tale about political thugs, cloning, secret accounts, and scientists who have allowed themselves to be compromised by money. Dr. David Brooks is sort of a medical James Bond who uses his disciplined training to track down all the nebulous strands and pull them into a coherent plot that twists and turns and constantly changes direction as Brooks zeroes in on the killers.

Murders at Brent Institute is a remarkable second effort in the Dr. David Brooks series. Dr. David is coming into his own as a great investigator, and his love interest with Kathy keeps developing. Dr. Labriola's areas of expertise stick out on every page. A good read!

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

This book has a wonderfully timely theme. The subplots on human genome research and bio-terrorism couldn't be more now. The author has a great vocabulary and an interesting use of language. I really wanted to like this book but found the poor editing jarring and the romantic angle off putting. The characters are two dimensional. The book reminded me of the Jerry Lamb/Bertha Cool mysteries of the 1950's.

The action starts on the first pages. Characters are reintroduced, so if this is your first reading of the Dr. David Brooks series, you understand and get into the action right away. The plot and action just keeps coming. You get a chance to see the detective's plan; then see how things unwind with several twists and surprises. Another moment is taken to set the scene and the action takes off again. After reading this, you will double check to see who sent the next box of Chocolates that you open.