BOOK REVIEW

Beat the reaper by Josh Bazell

In ten words or less: Mafia hitman becomes doctor in witness protection program; is discovered.

Review: Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital. But he was not drawn to medicine by an altruistic nature. When he was a teenager, his grandparents--who raised him--were gunned down in their home. He was taken in by a friend's family. The dad, David Locana, is a Mafia lawyer, and helps young Peter (then known as Pietro) to seek revenge on the killers.

The violence is graphic, but Peter is a sympathetic killer, like Jeff Lindsay's Dexter or Lawrence Block's Keller. Will there be a sequel?

Why bother? Although cynical and violent, Peter has a unique outlook on life. This is a fast-paced mystery with enought twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Not for the squeamish.