Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital, with a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he'd prefer to keep hidden. Whether it's a blocked circumflex artery or a plan to land a massive malpractice suit, he knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.
Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwna is a hitman for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Relocation Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he's the last person you want to see in your hospital room.
Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown's new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might-just might-be the same person . . .
Now, with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours-and somehow beat the reaper.
Spattered in adrenaline-fueled action and bone-saw-sharp dialogue, Beat the Reaper is a debut thriller so utterly original you won't be able to guess what happens next, and so shockingly entertaining you won't be able to put it down.
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"Fun book! Dr. Peter Brown is a character not to be forgotten anytime soon. Much more than a bad boy doctor, this cold blooded killer's vast medical knowledge helps to keep him and chosen others alive through many near fatal scrapes that seem to occur regularly in the realm of the mafia. This is a very fast paced and often humorous account of a man who fell into a life that was perhaps more predictable that it seemed at first. The body count is high and blood and gore are everywhere. Drugs too; Nurse Jackie has nothing on this doc in the rx department. Yet Pietro loves, and is loved. And can care and show compassion to his patients and other human beings. This murderer is not so much a villain. So I rooted for him. In the real world would I want Dr. Brown at my bedside? Definitely. But only on the written page."
— Alyson (4 out of 5 stars)
“Electrifyingly hilarious in that Elmore Leonard way.”
— Time“The hero’s wry narrative voice, coupled with Bazell’s artful use of flashbacks to sustain tension and fill in Pietro’s past, are a winning combination.”
— Publishers Weekly“There’s enough male fantasy packed into these pages to temporarily relieve the worst case of mid-life crisis.”
— Washington Post“[It] won’t fail to entertain. But despite its quirkiness and brutality, it contains surprisingly thoughtful scenes. Beat the Reaper also addresses real—and serious—issues that both doctors and hospitals face.”
— Bookmarks“It’s an ingenious premise for a thriller, and Bazell pulls it off…Beat the Reaper only gets better, turn by turn, page by page. Savvy and savagely diverting, it’s a Tarantino movie made with Scorsese looking over his shoulder.”
— New York Daily News“Bazell’s attention to character detail and plot twists creates an impressive work.”
— AudioFileThis mordant and maniacal debut has junkie doctors and negligent nurses galore, which is somewhat brow-raising given that it was penned by a genuine doctor. Robert Petkoff does an excellent job integrating the author's dispassionate asides (figured in the printed book as footnotes) into the main story.
— Audible.Com Editor's PickI couldn't wait to slip in the next CD...It's not just this setup that works so wonderfully; it's Bazell's brutal, completely contemporary way of telling his story that is so compelling. Brown is a fully realized, pill-popping, arm-twisting maniac whose back-story is told exuberantly by first-person narrator Robert Petkoff, in a brilliant performance.
— Winston Salem Journal" I liked almost everything about this book - the main character was well developed and intriguing, the action was fast paced, the drama was intense, the moral ambiguity was just right, the biology was really disgusting, but in that good way that teaches you interesting facts while completely grossing you out. I must admit, this book reads a bit like a comic book (a very good comic book) and if you approach it with that mind set you will enjoy it tremendously (whereas if you approach it like you would a high-falutin' novel of great significance, you will definitely feel a bit off throughout). Overall, this was a fun experience, and an impressive debut. I highly recommend it. "
— Irina, 2/13/2014" This book is an absolute buzzkillington. I picked up this book assuming I was getting an action packed story and instead I get a book written by an intern who fills the need to inform everybody how much he's learned in the medical field. Good for you, you know more about hospitals than J.D., Turk, Dr.Cox and Creepy Janitor combined. If I wanted medical facts I would've just picked up a copy of Grey's Anatomy. I seriously cannot stress enough how every paragraph of this book is like the medical version of the Buzzkillington character from Family Guy "
— Emilio, 2/11/2014" Mafia hitman turned medical student thru witness protection program. A little far fetched and too much cussing plus the ending is a little uncertain. "
— Lizpeveto, 2/9/2014" This is the first and ONLY book I've ever reread. It's that good. "
— Margot, 2/8/2014" ARC from Regal "
— Lori, 2/6/2014" Fantastic. Fantastic. "
— Kate, 1/31/2014" I didn't finish this. Started out kinda funny and interesting, but the deeper we got into the mob stuff and the gruesome details of that and the medical issues the main character now faced as a doctor, the grosser and ickier I felt. It was getting to where I had to force myself to pick it up to continue reading, so about halfway through I stopped. "
— Alyssa, 1/29/2014" Pure brain candy. Brilliantly executed, terrific pace and plotting. It's also hilariously funny. "
— David, 1/20/2014" I completely enjoyed this quirky book! Smartly funny, quick-paced and just plain fun. It's about an ex-mafia hitman who enters witness protection and becomes a physician at a Manhattan hospital...written by a real doctor. "
— Rachel, 1/5/2014" Great book. Endlessly inventive and smart. Fast paced. Couldn't put it down; hated to finish it. "
— Art, 12/17/2013" I really wanted to like this book, and I did in the beginning. Then it got boring, I really don't care about nursing jargon and wish the author spent less time talking about that. "
— Benjamin, 12/8/2013" Funny moments, but all flash in the pan thriller. "
— David, 11/30/2013" The plot is a very film like, the dialogs filled with cursing make it all seem a bit fake but the irnoy makes up for moast of the downfalls. "
— Timis, 9/15/2013" Engagingly written, but just too silly a premise and plot to be really good. "
— William, 6/29/2013" Profane and brutal, but also engrossing and captivating. The medical aspects of the book elevated it beyond just another crime thriller. "
— Daniel, 6/23/2013" Seem to drag in the beginning and didn't pick up until more then half way trough it. Overall probably one of the slowest(in the fiction area) books I read all year. "
— Brandon, 5/23/2013" What a strange trip of a book. Very gory, the main character is unlikeable but you get involved in his story anyway. Quite interesting until the end, which I found to be a mess. "
— Karen, 11/22/2012" Best use of one's own shin bone to kill someone in literary history. Pretty solid. Scary to think medical facilities really run like this. "
— Mike, 7/30/2012" Why doesn't good reads allow half stars? I want to rate this book 3.5 stars. "
— Yuliya, 12/30/2011" I truly enjoyed this book. I appreciated the story and the author's writing style. i would definately read another book written by Josh Bazell. "
— Andrew, 9/26/2011" Despite the vulgar language, this had a good story if you like mob-like fiction. The footnotes on almost every page were distracting. Hard to believe a Dr. (or even an educated person) wrote this book. "
— Danette, 7/29/2011" I loved this book! Read my review here "
— Tiffany, 6/28/2011" Didnt finish this, when it gets to the killing and mafia thingy, it gets boring. "
— Nur, 6/20/2011" This is "Dr. House" meets the the "Soprano's" and the fight scene is not for the faint hearted "
— Cynthia, 5/22/2011" Husband got me this book. I was skeptical at first b/c the plot sounded super cheesy, but it ended up being pretty good. I enjoyed it, at least. "
— Beth, 5/18/2011" This was an interesting book. It is written in a kind of course manner but it really works for the story line very well. I won't give away any spoilers other than to say "Holy Crap!" for the ending. "
— Reggie, 5/14/2011" It's Awesome!I'm waiting next "Wild Thing". "
— Tetsu, 5/10/2011" Different. It was all over the place and yet held my attention enough to finish the book and see what happened. "
— Christine, 5/8/2011" <br/>Offbeat, fascinating; I liked this book. My friends did not. "
— Genine, 5/8/2011" Hilarious. Imagine a young sociopathic House as scripted by Chuck Palahniuk. Fiercely unsentimental & Bazell doesn't make the mistake of being needy about the reader liking the protagonist. The prose is Atul Gawande channelling Dashielle Hammett. Strongly recommended.<br/> "
— Leif, 5/3/2011" Beat the Reaper is like The Sopranos on crack. Lots of gore, double crosses, machismo, and more than a little gratuitous sex thrown in for good measure. "
— B., 4/30/2011" Very funny and very rough good for early twenties, late teens "
— Peter, 4/29/2011" Good, entertaining thriller. Went down easy. Quickly forgotten about afterwards. Really enjoyed some of the weird little medical factoids in it. "
— Jake, 4/28/2011" Very, very, very good. Good story, great writing, a real pleasure to read. "
— Vasil, 4/23/2011" Solid, fun, quick read. Very enjoyable. "
— Drew, 4/20/2011" A mashup of hospital drama and mafia intrigue, this book certainly has a lot of action to it. Parts of it are also very funny. And yet, it missed a certain undefinable likability that prevented me from being able to give it a higher rating. "
— Sandra, 4/20/2011Josh Bazell’s first novel, Beat the Reaper, was a New York Times bestseller, named one of Time’s ten best novels of 2009, and has been published in thirty-two languages. He has a BA in writing from Brown University and an MD from Columbia University. Bazell currently lives in Brooklyn.
Robert Petkoff is an actor and audiobook narrator who has won a prestigious Audie Award and multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice. He has appeared on Chappelle’s Show, Law & Order, and Quantum Leap. His Broadway credits include Sir Robin in Spamalot, Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof, and Tateh in Ragtime.