Act of Murder starts off with what appears to be a hit and run that results in the death of a young boy. As our story unfolds, a plot is revealed that has quite a few twists and turns that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Doc Brady is an orthopedic surgeon, his patients are generally healthy (no terminal cancer patients), he has a great routine, an amazing relationship with his wife and a grown child that is out of the house (who we later learn has some incredible hidden talents!). Life was great for him as he went about his days, until the hit and run of his young neighbour. Doc Brady was one of the first people on the scene but unfortunately there was nothing he could do for the young boy. This was a young boy who he had treated several times in the past for a rare disorder of the bones that caused them to fracture easily. While he knows that there was nothing he could have done for the young child, the pain of the death is still there.

This event is the catalyst for how our story unfolds – why would anyone leave the scene after hitting such a young boy? And how could this ever be viewed as a murder? Who could commit such a crime? We soon find out that money and greed are powerful factors and some people will do anything for money.

I loved the plot in this novel, it was fast paced but not too fast that you felt as though you missed something. I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded and we learned how the characters were connected in such small but extremely important ways. Each character played an important role in the death of the young child and the resulting investigations and mysterious deaths that stem from this. The book is well written and highlights how greed can be a powerful motivator for evil actions. A definite must read novel.

In the mid-90s of Houston, Texas, orthopedist Dr James Brady —better known as Jim Bob — is watering the potted plants in his backyard when he hears tires screeching and a soft thunk, which draws him to the street. Lying on the pavement is 10-year-old Stevie Huntley, but the vehicle that ran him down is long gone.

Witnesses cite a small red pickup truck as the deadly hit-and-run vehicle, which sends the Houston Police Department into search mode while Detective Susan Beeson canvasses the neighborhood for information.

Stevie had a mild form of a rare bone disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, which caused his bones to break easily. While leaving the mortuary after Stevie’s autopsy, he spots another tiny body on the table, its exposed spine cruelly twisted into an S-shape, and can’t believe his eyes: he’s staring at Stevie’s twin.

As his practice’s managing partner lashes out in inexplicable fury and a mysterious woman returns to University Hospital, Jim Bob unearths information that exposes secrets whose keepers have gone to great lengths to keep permanently buried, and people who will resort to anything, including murder, to take what they consider their due.

Act of Murder by Dr. John Bishop was an exciting medical thriller! A child is hit by a car and the driver leaves the scene. I liked that it was a medical thriller with the doctor investigating what happened!

I thought the story was fast-paced and easy to read. The medical investigation was very intriguing. I stumbled a bit at medical terminology, but not so much that it deterred me from enjoying the book!

I would recommend this for readers that enjoy medical mysteries!

I was provided an advanced reader's copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Review for 'Act of Murder' by Dr. John Bishop.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Mantid Press

This is the first book that I have read by this author. This book is the first in the 'Doc Brady Mystery' series.

I was originally drawn to this book by its intriguing cover and blurb. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the storyline lived up to the blurb.

This novel consists of 48 chapters that are relatively short so ideal if you want to read 'just one more chapter' (never happens with me).

The story is presented from Dr Brady's perspective. At times it felt like he was talking directly too me as if he was opposite me having a cuppa.

Doctor Bishop's medical knowledge shines through and there were excellent and vivid descriptions throughout.

Started off really well and I got sucked straight in but then the plot seemed to go off on a bit of a tangent with too much extra information for was unnecessary and I started disconnecting from the storyline and getting distracted.

I personally don't think it's very realistic for a detective to ask a doctor to help with an investigation but I may be wrong.

The characters were all strong and I liked Brady's personality and sense of humour.

Overall I believe this is meant as a medical thriller but I would class it more as medical/crime. I read until the end but I lost interest in the book several times and I was not surprised at the ending which is a shame. There just wasn't enough action for me but other readers may enjoy it more.

If I was to recommend this book it would be to fans of medical and crime books.

282 pages

Free on Kindle Unlimited or £4.29 to purchase. I think this is an acceptable price for this book in paperback but quite steep for a kindle version.

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The murder of a child is always a horrific event, so be prepared to be appalled at the events of this book. And the ending, well you won’t see it coming.

Act of Murder is the perfect read for those who like a slow burner. It’s also great for those who like their murder mysteries more realistic, without the weight of red herrings and twists and turns.

Honestly, I found this book a bit too slow for me. I wanted more action surrounding the death of the 10-year-old boy but found the. story to be more about Jim Bob. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it introduced new elements to the story that I enjoyed. For instance, the hospital scenes with Jim Bob were great and I would say the writing flowed best here. Also, it was refreshing to see in Jim Bob and Mary Louise an older couple with a good relationship and a healthy sex life.

Act of Murder is part of a series so it will be interesting to see what Jim Bob gets wrapped up in during the next book.

Dr. Brady is an orthopedic surgeon in Houston in March 1994. A neighbor's child is killed in a hit and run in the first chapter.. In the same month, two more people die.
The first half of the book is slow slow slow with so many details. We are told the names of the streets and towns whenever the doctor takes a walk or goes for a drive. Buildings and scenes are described to the smallest details. We read about restaurants and food served. Drinks, yes .... details on the scotch and wines. Frequent seduction scenes between the doctor and his wife. I almost threw the book out because of these slow details. Because it was in my kindle, however, I didn't want to throw out the kindle.
Would have preferred more details of the medical world, surgeries and diseases instead of a travelogue of Houston and Galveston.
Because of the date, 1994, the technology, movies, and tv shows were a good flashback to history. One unrealistic factor is when the detective cop asks the doctor and his wife to do some investigation after they voice their suspicion. Also it is quite a coincidence that people the doctor knows hire his 20-year-old son to do computer work for them when the doctor doesn't even know his son has this business. I did finish the book, and I was right in guessing who the guilty person was.
I thank the publisher for the privilege of reading this book. Hopefully there is less of a travelogue in future books.

This is a brilliant start to a new series featuring Doc Jim Bob Brady as he turns his attention to solving the hit and run of one of his neighbours' children, ten-year-old Stevie who he, unfortunately, could not save. Stevie had a condition where he had been born with brittle bones, 'Osteogenesis imperfecta' but the degree which he had it let him live a pretty normal life. It soon becomes apparent that it was no accident that killed Stevie, someone had run him down intentionally.
A chance meeting with an old buddy of Brady leads him to see the postmortem of another child with the same medical condition as Stevie but a much more severe form of the bone disease. The likeness to Stevie can't be pushed aside easily so with a few tests it is found out that the boys were actually twins.
The story is told in the first person, not something I am really fond of, to be honest, but the actual story just fascinated me from the beginning. I loved the mix of Brady's work as an orthopaedic specialist and the cases that he was dealing with, to his family life with his wife Mary Louise, an absolute star in this book and his twenty-year-old techno son J.J. who was a whizz at getting into places without evening leaving his computer.
What an incredible story this turned out to be, it really knocked me for six. There is some humour thrown in too to lighten the story. A really well-balanced book that kept me entertained on every level. Looking forward to Brady's next investigation.
I wish to the Anna Sacca of FSB Associates for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

An engrossing medical thriller!
Little Stevie is killed by a hit-and-run driver. Days later, another little boy dies in the hospital where Doc Brady works. The two boys look similar and that is what piques Brady's curiosity. Soon, he learns of the connection between the two boys - and this has something to do a certain somebody from the hospital. With the help of his wife Mary Lousie and son J.J, Doc Brady decides to investigate the case.
The only thing I did not like about this mystery is the steamy romance between Brady and his wife. The story gets a bit too technical at times (related to medicine/hospital/diagnosis) but this didn't stop me from enjoying the story.
Overall, this was a good read. I recommend Act of Murder by John Bishop to those looking for a unique thriller.

Act of Murder by John Bishop MD is good mystery. This book is not only plot driven which means the author has spent a fair amount of time on character development. The protagonist is Doc Jim Bob Brady of Houston. This orthopedic surgeon was in his backyard when he heard the squeal of tires and then a thud. When he ran to the front of his house, he saw the crushed body of a 10-year-old neighbor boy, Stevie. He was afraid to move the child because of possible damage to his spinal cord, but there was already no evidence of life. It turned out this was also one of his patients who had a rare disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease which causes imperfect bones to repeatedly fracture, often causing early death. Paramedics were called, but their lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful.

Jim Bob and his wife Mary Louise were wonderful, warm, thoughtful and compassionate people who any reader could not help but love. They were friends with Stevie’s parents (Pete and Bobbie Huntley), but those relationships were greatly strained in response to the grieving for their son. Jim Bob attended the autopsy of Jonny, which only led to his discovery of another 10-year-old who had the same disease and died following surgery that same day of a more advanced form of the same disease. When he glanced at the body of Jonathan Fischer, he was struck by this child’s very similar facial appearance to the deceased neighbor boy. He wondered about the boys having been adopted, a fact which the Huntleys had kept hidden from everyone.

Brady was willing to do some investigation into this matter, and the Detective Susan Beeson was pleased for his help. So, the booked worked thru this mystery, clue by clue. The characters were good and well portrayed. The plot moved along at a good pace. This was a quick and enjoyable read, and it gets my recommendation. I’d be glad to read another Doc Brady novel.

A good medical thriller with an orthopaedician investigating the hit and run of a neighbourhood kid. The prose is very well written, the medical terminology might be a bit difficult for those not in this field. The narrative is fast paced and kept me turning the pages. The only thing slowing it was the too frequent scenes of the couple. A solid read for the fans of this genre.

Act of Murder is the first entry in John Bishop's Doc Brady series, that takes readers into the busy life of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jim Bob Brady (the author himself practiced orthopedic surgery in Houston, Texas, for three decades).

This 1st in the series opens on a hit-and-run killing of a 10-year-old boy, suffering a rare genetic disorder. Brady is soon embroiled in the investigation, as are his wife Mary Louise and twenty-year-old son J.J. (a skilled hacker).

I am a huge fan of thrillers and suspense but this one left me a bit disappointed. The characters are likable and the story has a lot of potential but this one was not for me.

Act of murder could have been a great thriller if it was not for all the trivial details and super boring descriptions at some points. This really annoyed me and i had almost decided not to finish it. I couldn't really understand what was the point in telling us over and over again how sexy mary louise was! Mary louise was undoubtedly the star of the show, which was a bit odd, cause it's a Doc Brady mystery after all!
The thrilling part started way too late, i got distracted often during the first 70% of the book, but the final part had me hooked and i was waiting to see how it ends. If it was not for this climax at the end, this book could have been a mediocre thriller.
Although the over-descriptive plot bothered me at times, it was entertaining to read about medical stuff and particularly OI; the Texan life and food and life in 90's in America.
Overall i'm glad i read the book, as this was the debut novel of the author i can ignore the annoying parts and hope for his better novels in the future.

Giving this medical thriller 🌟🌟🌟 out 5 stars.


First of all, the story was actually good. It was a good thriller that centered on the disease named Osteogenesis Imperfecta. I’ve never heard of this disease until i read this book and it served as an awareness to me. I didn’t know this happened to some..

Second, i admire Doc Brady’s character. He’s a great doctor, he’s very attentive, very smart, very caring for his patients and the people around him. His attentiveness, most of the time, gets the best of him because he tends to know more and research about anything that bugged him. He would do anything to get answers to his questions. He was very inquisitive.

On the other hand though, there’s this one issue i HATED so bad (!!!!) that made me give this 3 stars only. I HATE THE IRRELEVANT DETAILS AND THERE WERE A BUNCH. Like seriously, who needs that much irrelevant info? You don’t even need to add those anymore to confuse the story because not everything is revealed in the beginning!!!! Ugh. I mean i get that you just want to picture out something for your readers but to almost take up a whole chapter of irrelevant info is not necessary! Sorry but it really annoyed me to the point that i almost didn’t finish it.

Anyway, happy reading! ✨

An entertaining and solid thriller, well written and full of twists and turns.
It's well researched, the plot flows and the characters are interesting.
Sometimes it's too technical but this doesn't stop you from enjoying it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I love love loved this read. It had many twist and turns. Here’s the synopsis, a young boy is hit by car out front his house. His neighbor Jim bob helps the police uncover clues as why it happened and what’s really going on. I could not put this book down. It’s been one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Incredibly detailed and informative. Awesome book!

Hello, Fellow Houstonian here!!

Was extremely excited about this one - grab your Starbucks, and get on board for this thrill ride!

As a Houstonian, understanding the landmarks was tantamount in building my excitement for this well researched thriller.

As a future Author and Legal writer, this was just my cup of Joe. I found I could relate on a personal level, and let me tell ya, this Author knows his stuff.

I loved the woven medical and legal intricacies and how they affected the victims. A hit in run murder of a child, points to more hidden gems in the pages, and a roadmap of pay-offs with twists and turns you don’t see coming. Nothing like a good cover up behind the wealth and greed of big city lawyers and doctors. Makes me envision the downtown Chase building... are ya with me?

I did find the medical terminology a bit much for my taste, but I did expect such going into it. I did a lot of google searching.

The character building was steady and perfectly paced, the prose was dramatic and just dark enough for my liking.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, and am looking forward to more by the author.

4 Stars

*Thank you to Net Galley, The Publisher, and Dr.John Bishop for providing me with this thrilling Arc in exchange of my honest review!

A young neighbor boy is hit and killed by a car in front of his home. Doctor Jim Bob Brady, an orthopedic surgeon, rushes to the scene but is unable to save him. Another young boy dies in the hospital where Jim Bob works and he notices a similarity in the boys, both in their looks and their similar medical conditions. When he learns that the neighbor boy was adopted, he questions whether the other boy was related…possibly a twin? As he assists the Houston police with their investigation, could he be putting his family in danger? A complex mystery that will be solved with clues from the past. I felt the story was overly descriptive at times leading to some disinterest, on my part, in details that did not relate to the mystery. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)