wordsmithlynn's review against another edition
3.0
A tale of human trafficking and refugees masquerades convincingly as an L.A. noir thriller in Dr. Knox, the latest novel from Shamus Award-winning author Peter Spiegelman. In three previous books featuring banker-turned-detective John March, Spiegelman pretty much created the genre of “Wall Street noir.” Now, he takes that same grim sensibility and applies it to Dr. Adam Knox, a man whose apparent death wish is constantly at war with his desire to save the world. These conflicting goals lead to lots of trouble, not only for Knox, but for his employees and the few friends he has.
In Dr. Knox, a woman fleeing Russian mobsters leaves her little boy at Knox’s shabby clinic in L.A.’s Skid Row. Rather than turn the child over to Social Services, Knox becomes convinced he can save both child and mother. He sets out to do so with the help of his buddy Ben Sutter, a former Special Forces operative. The vibe between these two was very reminiscent of the relationship between Robert Parker's detective, Spenser, and his sidekick, Hawk.
Like that master of L.A. noir, Raymond Chandler, Spiegelman keeps much of the real story bobbing just below the surface throughout this tale. As Knox searches for the boy’s missing mother and runs afoul of mobsters and corrupt American business tycoons, readers get unsettling glimpses into Knox’s own messy backstory. It becomes clear that while the doctor’s heart is in the right place, his penchant for self-destruction could hurt the very people he seeks to help.
Fans of classic noir fiction and old-fashioned “hard-boiled” detective stories should enjoy Dr. Knox.
This review originally appeared at "Between the Covers," the book review blog for the Baltimore County Public Library. For more great reading ideas, check out all the reviews there. We cover everything from fiction to nonfiction, children's books to adult graphic novels.
In Dr. Knox, a woman fleeing Russian mobsters leaves her little boy at Knox’s shabby clinic in L.A.’s Skid Row. Rather than turn the child over to Social Services, Knox becomes convinced he can save both child and mother. He sets out to do so with the help of his buddy Ben Sutter, a former Special Forces operative. The vibe between these two was very reminiscent of the relationship between Robert Parker's detective, Spenser, and his sidekick, Hawk.
Like that master of L.A. noir, Raymond Chandler, Spiegelman keeps much of the real story bobbing just below the surface throughout this tale. As Knox searches for the boy’s missing mother and runs afoul of mobsters and corrupt American business tycoons, readers get unsettling glimpses into Knox’s own messy backstory. It becomes clear that while the doctor’s heart is in the right place, his penchant for self-destruction could hurt the very people he seeks to help.
Fans of classic noir fiction and old-fashioned “hard-boiled” detective stories should enjoy Dr. Knox.
This review originally appeared at "Between the Covers," the book review blog for the Baltimore County Public Library. For more great reading ideas, check out all the reviews there. We cover everything from fiction to nonfiction, children's books to adult graphic novels.
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
2.0
This crime novel set in LA features a Dr who likes to do things his own way and then runs right into some pretty powerful and pretty bad people. It was okay, just didn't really grab me.
jwr69's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and read it quickly. I don't think it was "noir" as it purports to be, but the story was enjoyable, fast paced, and Dr. Knox was a great character that you rooted for. And I especially liked his friend Sutter and the woman who started it all, Elena. If you want an enjoyable read about dirty LA, this is it. I hope to see more Dr. Knox from Peter Speigelman. 4.5 stars even though I gave 4.
lamusadelils's review against another edition
2.0
Entretenido, gracioso a veces. La calificación tiene más que ver con que definitivamente no es mi género.
writtenbysime's review against another edition
4.0
Peter Spiegelman’s Dr. Knox is an immensely satisfying noir thriller. Though the details of the plot add up to your typical potboiler story of conspiracy and corruption, of the rich and powerful preying on the poor, Spiegelman’s slight (but distinctive) twist on the formula elevates Dr. Knox above its competition.
Dr Adam Knox is a hero in the Philip Marlowe mould — but armed with a stethoscope instead of a gun. Abiding by the tropes of the noir hero, he is a well-intentioned man with a dark past, using his skills and his limited facilities to provide medical care for prostitutes, junkies, and other street dwellers of Los Angeles for whom visiting a hospital is not an option. To help make ends meet — to pay his staff, as well as rent — Knox provides an ambulatory service for LA’s shadier elements, working alongside his friend and former Special Forces operative Ben Sutter.
Knox’s life — and quite literally everyone he knows — is thrown into turmoil when a young woman named Elena deposits her son at the clinic, rushing out the door before questions can be asked. Clearly frightened, and visibly injured, Knox is certain Elena’s life is in danger — and therefore her son’s, too — so instead of contacting child services or the police, he hides Alex, and decides to unravel the mystery of Elena’s whereabouts, and her reasons for abandoning her child. The trail leads Knox into the path of violent Russian gangsters and an overtly corrupt corporation —both of whom will stop at nothing to terminate Knox’s investigation, and locate the mother and son.
Adam Knox is an enjoyable and compelling lead. We are in his headspace for the entirety of the novel, and’s the right mix of capable and completely out of his depth to make him likable. And while some of his past is unshrouded during proceedings, there’s plenty left for Spiegelman to uncover in future novels. The action and medical procedures are suitably hard-core, but never gratuitous (or overplayed), and while there’s some occasional monologuing, it’s thankfully never plodding.
Gritty, intense, and wildly entertaining, Dr. Knox is a damn fine crime novel. If Peter Spiegelman wasn’t on your radar before, he should be now.
Dr Adam Knox is a hero in the Philip Marlowe mould — but armed with a stethoscope instead of a gun. Abiding by the tropes of the noir hero, he is a well-intentioned man with a dark past, using his skills and his limited facilities to provide medical care for prostitutes, junkies, and other street dwellers of Los Angeles for whom visiting a hospital is not an option. To help make ends meet — to pay his staff, as well as rent — Knox provides an ambulatory service for LA’s shadier elements, working alongside his friend and former Special Forces operative Ben Sutter.
Knox’s life — and quite literally everyone he knows — is thrown into turmoil when a young woman named Elena deposits her son at the clinic, rushing out the door before questions can be asked. Clearly frightened, and visibly injured, Knox is certain Elena’s life is in danger — and therefore her son’s, too — so instead of contacting child services or the police, he hides Alex, and decides to unravel the mystery of Elena’s whereabouts, and her reasons for abandoning her child. The trail leads Knox into the path of violent Russian gangsters and an overtly corrupt corporation —both of whom will stop at nothing to terminate Knox’s investigation, and locate the mother and son.
Adam Knox is an enjoyable and compelling lead. We are in his headspace for the entirety of the novel, and’s the right mix of capable and completely out of his depth to make him likable. And while some of his past is unshrouded during proceedings, there’s plenty left for Spiegelman to uncover in future novels. The action and medical procedures are suitably hard-core, but never gratuitous (or overplayed), and while there’s some occasional monologuing, it’s thankfully never plodding.
Gritty, intense, and wildly entertaining, Dr. Knox is a damn fine crime novel. If Peter Spiegelman wasn’t on your radar before, he should be now.
yoteach's review against another edition
4.0
An easy, quick read. Plenty of action going on to keep the pace going. Interesting plot, esp. because protagonist is not a overpowered superhuman. Some good moral dilemmas, and ultimately question the necessity of heroism and its consequences. Just different enough from the cliche to be entertaining. 4/5 stars.
april_43's review against another edition
4.0
I am quite new to the thriller genre so I guess you could say that I am easy to impress.
and you are probably right.
I did catch some of the cliches, like adam Knox being a self-righteous fool.
id say that my favorite part is the character development of Elena, that was good.
it does dive into some heavy topics like rape, class system, human trafficking.
that is mainly why it took me a whole month to finish.
not to mention the gruesome details of the profession of Dr. Knox.
something that I really really liked, id that Adam Knox has certain values and a mindset, that he just sticks to, no matter how much danger is at hand.
I think it is powerful and yet very terrifying.
and you are probably right.
I did catch some of the cliches, like adam Knox being a self-righteous fool.
id say that my favorite part is the character development of Elena, that was good.
it does dive into some heavy topics like rape, class system, human trafficking.
that is mainly why it took me a whole month to finish.
not to mention the gruesome details of the profession of Dr. Knox.
something that I really really liked, id that Adam Knox has certain values and a mindset, that he just sticks to, no matter how much danger is at hand.
I think it is powerful and yet very terrifying.
3no7's review against another edition
5.0
“Dr. Knox” is a fast-paced thriller from Peter Spiegelman. It keeps the reader guessing page after page. Adam Knox runs a clinic in run-down area of Los Angeles. He sees patients too poor, too disadvantaged, or too undocumented to seek medical help any other place. To pay the bills, he also runs a concierge medical practice for those who are willing to pay the price of quick and extremely confidential medical service.
Dr. Knox, his clinic, his friends, and his employees become entangled in a web of complications when a young boy is abandoned by his mother in the clinic after being treated for a life-threatening allergic reaction to peanuts. The story unfolds layer after layer as Dr. Knox tries to reunite the boy with his mother and untangle the mess surrounding them. Page after page is filled with suspense, action, and non-stop twists and turns.
The end also hints that we might see more of Dr. Knox in the future.
Dr. Knox, his clinic, his friends, and his employees become entangled in a web of complications when a young boy is abandoned by his mother in the clinic after being treated for a life-threatening allergic reaction to peanuts. The story unfolds layer after layer as Dr. Knox tries to reunite the boy with his mother and untangle the mess surrounding them. Page after page is filled with suspense, action, and non-stop twists and turns.
The end also hints that we might see more of Dr. Knox in the future.
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