Publisher's Synopsis
This many layered first novel does for medical malpractice what House of God did for medical training. Often laugh-out-loud funny, yet with a serious theme, Bringing Back Eight is a unique inside look at a medical malpractice trial, told by a physician-defendant thrust into the bizarre, sometimes Alice-in-Wonderland world of a civil trial. Dr Joseph Charles is one of eight physicians being sued for not diagnosing an infection that has left a man paralysed. He tells his story in the present tense -- you see it as it happens -- you learn how it feels to be on the receiving end of a summons. And unlike almost all novels involving the law, this story is told from the viewpoint of a defendant, not an attorney. The malpractice trial reveals the often surprising ways the lives of both the plaintiff and the defendants are affected. What starts as issues of medical judgements and physical pain quickly evolve into a question of money. All the participants -- plaintiff, defendants, witnesses -- are reduced to pawns in a chess game played by attorneys. If you're a doctor, this book may confirm your worst fears. If you're a lawyer -- especially a plaintiff's lawyer -- this book may remind you there is another side to it all. If you're a patient, this novel will provide you with insight into the human side of today's headlines, which remind us of the malpractice crisis, doctors' strikes and injury and death resulting from medical error. Despite the seriousness of the theme, this book is a thoroughly fun read, one that will even remind you of some of your favourite lawyer jokes.
