Review: Questionable Practice by Randy Moon

 Genre: Historical/Thriller

Description:

“Becoming a hired killer was not in Robert Madigan’s plan when he began his medical career at The University of Pennsylvania in 1935. He had pledged to help save lives, not take them. But finding himself thrust into a desperate situation after his father’s death left his mother and younger siblings with no financial support, he accepts a sinister offer to become a hitman for Gavin Noel, a man he meets through one of the medical school professors.

To help carry out the murderous plot, Madigan enlists the help of his friends, Samuel Moore, an aspiring medical doctor, and Clark Magnusson, who’s studying to become a psychologist. Together they carefully craft a diabolical plan to do away with the victims their employer has chosen. Like an actor preparing for the movie role of a lifetime, Madigan begins to assume the personality of a twisted alter ego, tweaking their plan to allow the victims a choice in their demise - death by bullet or by lethal injection.

‘The Good Doctors’, as the friends call themselves, began their career paths intending to use their talents for good, but let desperation and greed cloud their vision and take over. They even seem proud of their ability to carry out this bizarre assignment as they devise their plans.

But Robert is plunged into a world of criminals, betrayal, and powerful men who consider themselves gods. There’s no turning back now, and Robert must find out who is worthy of his trust, and who is plotting to destroy everything he cares about.”

Author:

Under the pen name Schuyler Randall, award-winning author Randy Moon has written three books. This is the first under his actual name.

Appraisal:

This book is a thriller, with the “good guys” actually not being so good in that they become paid killers. I guess desperate times might call for desperate measures, and these are definitely desperate times. Maybe the people they’re killing aren’t very good people and it can be justified. Are you buying this?

It’s an interesting read because it puts the characters who are good people, or at least want to be, in a difficult situation, and then lets us ride along as they figure out what their limits are and how to deal with the situation. The historical aspects, with the story happening during the Great Depression, are interesting in that they intensify the situation while, due to the lack of modern technology, also makes getting caught less likely than it would be today. An interesting mind exercise in an exciting and intense story.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

A tiny bit of adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

This review is based on an ARC (advanced reviewer copy) and thus I can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words