The sign on the wall adjacent to the doors of the courtroom read, “Courtroom Six: The Honorable Monica Davies.” He pushed through the door, noting that the seats for observers were almost empty. Since the trial had not started and the jury had not been chosen, this was not surprising. Paul Butler was used to large audiences and had a reputation for courtroom theatrics and occasional trial fireworks.
Then he looked at the plaintiff and defense tables inside the barrier in front of the seats. At his (the plaintiff’s) table sat Stan Murphy, one of his partners, and Cleo Jones, a beautiful and exotic young associate at his law firm. This was to be the first big trial for her. Both Murphy and Jones had smiles of relief on their faces when they saw him enter.
Charles Quick, at the defense table, gave a small, disappointed wave to Paul on seeing that he had beaten the judge to the courtroom. (p. 15) Malpractice! the Novel
Malpractice! the Novel is an electrifying work of realistic fiction written by an anonymous insider who worked the frontlines of the clash between the medical and legal professions during the California medical malpractice insurance crisis, which began in the 1960s. William Louis Harvey, a nom de plume, takes readers on a steamy adventure involving power, sex, lies and money in this candid courtroom suspense thriller. While Malpractice! The Novel, is a work of fiction, it is rooted in the personal experiences and firsthand knowledge the author acquired during his decades of working inside the medical industry. California in the 1960s and first half of the 1970s had already seen a dramatic increase in medical malpractice lawsuits as juries awarded progressively higher sums for “pain and suffering,” a category that had no concrete limits and caused physicians’ insurance premiums for malpractice to skyrocket. Harvey chaired a committee that reviewed all malpractice claims involving a major California hospital during the crisis. Details of some of the cases he experienced are engraved in his memory, and small portions of these tidbits find their way into Malpractice! the Novel, his first novel. Roused by a recent New York Times article about the American male novelist’s fear of addressing sexuality, Harvey interleaved honest sex histories for his novel’s characters, adding a titillating sensuality to the suspenseful novel.
Genre – Steamy Courtroom Drama
Rating – R
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