4 out of 4 stars
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Days of the Giants by RJ Petrella immediately catches the reader’s interest in the first few pages with a sinister incident one can only assume ends in murder. With hints of Grey’s Anatomy, Days of the Giants is told from a Boston City Hospital intern’s point of view as well as his deceased father. In a casual tone, Slater (the intern) retells the story of his first year at Boston City with his father filling in a few details as an omniscient storyteller.
Slater’s story begins with a bit of background information that helps the reader understand the current state of affairs. We learn that Slater’s father passed away many years ago and his mother is dating a new man named Mel who works at Boston City’s sister hospital. He is less than happy with the match and that, coupled with the harsh demands of medical school, causes Slater to drink too much to cope. Spiraling out of control, Slater ends up in the ER after a rough night of drinking and a bar fight. As the doctors clean him up and run standard tests, they uncover a seemingly inoperable brain aneurysm and Slater is forced to clean up his act, quit drinking and attempt to live a healthier life.
As he navigates his first year at Boston City Hospital, the administration suddenly decides to merge Boston City with its private sister hospital, Boston Academy. This sets in motion a series of events (both political and criminal) that changes Slater’s life forever. Without going into too much detail on the plot, we enter a political and medical web of deceit that Slater and the Boston City doctors must unravel. Days of the Giants is an entertaining mystery novel that kept me entertained the whole way through. It’s one of those books you can’t put down, and I simply flew through it.
The conversational tone was unique, and I love how it switched between father and son. Told as if the reader is having a direct conversation with Slater, you find yourself relating to him and rooting for him to succeed. The reader feels connected to Slater on a different level as if you are having a conversation with a friend. Besides the conversational tone, I felt the plot was well-thought-out and the attention to detail in the medical sections very well done. It’s obvious the author has some background in medicine. The many twists and turns kept my attention, and the romantic aspect was downplayed just enough for my liking.
I give Days of the Giants 4 out of 4 stars. Everything from the plot, to the conversational tone to the character development and attention to detail, was very well done. I couldn’t find one thing to dislike about it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about mystery and medicine. There is some violence so readers can’t be squeamish during a bit of fighting. The book was also very well edited and easy to follow along. I couldn’t find a single grammar mistake.
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Days of the Giants
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