Book Review - Dr. Knox by Peter Spiegelman

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Dr.Knox is a doctor who lives in the bowels of LA, with a small, run-down clinic which he uses to treat vagrants and the vulnerable. It is funded in part by some off-the-books cash jobs by wealthy clients in a don't ask-don't tell style. One day a scared Romanian women leaves a young boy at the clinic and runs away. Dr. Knox takes pity on them and decides to try and track her down and reunite them. This unravels a tale that gets more and more complicated and dangerous, involving Russian mobsters, blackmail, extortion and a very powerful family. 

I must admit, this book took me a while to get into. It seems a bit different to the crime thrillers I usually read but I can't put my finger on why. The book is well written and very descriptive. This works well with the imagery of LA but becomes less pleasant when reading about medical procedures. It all adds to the story but it wasn't my cup of tea. 

Dr. Knox as a character has many virtues but is also very selfish and because of that, it was quite hard to feel attached to him. He drags in those close to him and puts them in danger and he almost just shrugs this off in parts. The other main characters are much more relateable and you understand their frustrations about the situation.

As the book progressed I began to enjoy the storyline and there was enough suspense and plot twists to keep it interesting and different although I didn't feel the overwhelming need to keep reading, I was able to put it down and pick it up without my mind thinking about it too much.It would probably make a better film than it does a book.

Overall, this book was good. I would read more from Peter Spiegelman and I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a down-and-dirty crime read.

Thanks to Hachette for my review copy