The Silent Sleep of the Dying

By: Keith McCarthy

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

When Mark Hartmann is asked to perform a post-mortem on a lab assistant killed by cancer, everything looks straightforward. But his initial findings are surprising: Millicent Sweet appears to have died of several different, aggressive tumours. Before he can discuss this with colleagues, he's called to a conference in Scotland. A serious error of judgement gives a pharmaceutical company a handle on him, and they threaten to expose his excesses unless he falsifies his report on Sweet.

Meanwhile, Millicent's father is suspicious about her death and has contacted lawyer Helena Flemming. Her partner, former forensic pathologist John Eisenmenger, uncovers the original post-mortem and deception, and is determined to unearth the reasons behind the pharmaceutical company's actions.

©2004 Keith McCarthy (P)2007 Isis Publishing Ltd

A complex tale of greed, blackmail, and murder.

Keith McCarthy's medical thriller, "The Silent Sleep of the Dying," deals with a deadly virus that is created in a secret lab in a remote area of Scotland. An accidental fire destroys the lab, and the scientists who collaborated on the project go their separate ways. Two years later, one of these scientists, Millicent Sweet, suddenly becomes violently ill and dies an excruciating death.

This dramatic beginning sets the stage for a complex tale of greed, blackmail, and murder. Millicent Sweet's father, Raymond, asks a lawyer named Helena Flemming to look into his daughter's death. Helena enlists the aid of an old friend, John Eisenmenger, a former forensic pathologist, to help her with her inquiries. In addition, Inspector Beverley Wharton, an aggressive and ambitious woman who is persona non grata with her superiors, investigates the case without her boss's permission or knowledge.

McCarthy ratchets up the tension nicely as Helena and John make some startling discoveries, most notably that a pharmaceutical company called Pel-Ebstein may have played a crucial role in the events leading to Sweet's death. There is also a particularly nasty villain who pops up throughout the book, destroying anyone who gets in his way.

For all of its merits, "The Silent Sleep of the Dying" does have a few weaknesses. First, McCarthy assumes that his readers already know the history of Helena and John, both of whom are emotionally wounded individuals. A little more background would have fleshed them out more satisfactorily. In addition, the ending is a bit unrealistic and melodramatic.

Still, the book has a great deal to recommend it, including some fascinating characters who are struggling not only with the important people in their lives, but also with the internal demons that plague them. McCarthy delivers plenty of thrills, and readers who love medical suspense will find "The Silent Sleep of the Dying" action-packed and exciting.

Good story, great narration, bad editing

Interesting plot, page turner. Looking forward to the follow up. Sean Barrett is the perfect performer. Shoddy audio editing, paragraph changes without pause, credits cut off at the end.

wowsers!

an astonishing achievement. this guy is a pleasure to read regardless of the story. he strings words together like a magician. Keith McCarthy and his dramatists are the best entertainment.

Wonderful

I am an ten books an month listener, and I LOVED this book. Very british, very stylish, thrilling story and a wonderful narrator. (Of course he has a brittish accent, he IS brittish!) If you want to listen to an american accent, don't listen to this book. If you want to listen to quality, do, and enjoy!

Gr8 read

It took me a minute to finish it. Well, more like a couple of weeks because I kept having to start over. It was worth it. If u miss any part its probable that u've missed a key point. Every word of the book is important.