Michael MacDougall is a talented trauma surgeon whose life in Seattle is slowly unraveling. Frustrated as an ER doctor and with his marriage in trouble, he volunteers with a medical aid charity in the Congo. Once back home in Seattle, he is haunted by his experiences in Africa and what he sees as society’s failure to provide humanitarian aid to those who most desperately need it. Locked in a downward spiral, he becomes obsessed with making his government listen to him and dreams up an act of terrorism to shock everyone into listening.
I love a good legal thriller. The plot of Thirst for Justice is unique and intriguing, fast-paced and thought-provoking, like something ripped out of today’s headlines. For me, one of the biggest benefits of being a bookie is learning something new, and boy-oh-boy, do I feel enlightened about the humanitarian crisis in Africa, environmental law, and bioterrorism. The problem with David Boyd’s novel is that it’s an obvious debut full of rookie writing missteps. What bothered me most was how much time he spent describing minutia throughout the book. I wanted to don my editor’s hat and take out my electronic red pencil to fix it. All-in-all, though, it is a pretty good first novel. I bet his next one will be even better. 3.5 stars.
Genres: Legal thriller, political thriller
Read-alike Authors: Robin Cook, John Grisham, Scott Turow, William Deverell Daniel Palmer