Practice to Deceive - Hardcover

Plastic surgeon Miller's first novel reworks the classic struggle between good and evil within the context of L.A.'s medical community. His altruistic protagonist, Lionel Stern, is a plastic surgeon who spurns the lucrative rewards of refashioning rich clients to focus instead on such humanitarian goals as performing reconstructive surgery on deformed children. Stern is ideologically opposed to slick Morris Gold, a self-aggrandizing plastic surgeon. When a stewardess comes to Lionel for a second opinon on Dr. Gold's experimental breast surgery, Lionel and his emotionally ambivalent lover, Casey Crawford, set out to investigate suspicious practices at the Gold Institute. At times Miller gets ahead of himself by accelerating the pace without sorting out his many subplots. We never get a clear sense of the problems in Lionel's relationship with Casey, only that her rejection of him leaves him open for seduction by Dr. Gold's amorous partner. Yet the author does dole out several unexpected developments, including a clever drug-smuggling scheme tied in with breast surgery. It's an ingenious touch to complete a bracing thriller. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Morris Gold, a famous but dangerously incompetent cosmetic surgeon, performs a rhinoplasty which results in dreadful disfigurement, merely the latest in a long string of irresponsible surgeries. Lionel Stern, who specializes in repairing deformities resulting from birth defects or injury, is called in to repair Gold's handiwork. Matters are complicated when Stern becomes romantically involved with Gold's Columbian patron, and his estranged lover asks for his help in a malpractice case against Gold. Then, several of Gold's patients are found dead, and Lionel sets out to prove the inept doctor's involvement. First-novelist Miller has written a well-plotted medical thriller with enough authentic detail about plastic surgery (Miller is himself a plastic surgeon) to make even the least squeamish reader think twice before any unnecessary cosmetic surgery. Recommended. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections.
- A.M.B. Amantia, Population Crisis Committee Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.