The Doctor & Mr. Dylan

Dr. Nico Antone lives the good life. He is a high-earning, well-respected anesthesiologist at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California. His wife, Alexandra, is a high-powered, successful realtor in one of the richest real estate markets in the world. But when their bright and motivated son, Johnny, finds himself lagging in the very competitive junior class at Palo Alto High School, they realize he might not get into an Ivy League school. At the advice of a colleague, Nico suggests Johnny could have a significant edge if he graduates at the top of a small-town, Midwestern school. Nico takes a sabbatical to move with Johnny to Nico’s home town of Hibbing, Minnesota, replete with a cast of interesting characters, including one named Bobby Dylan. Alexandra, who has been pulling away from Nico for a long time, is not willing to give up her good life and stays behind. When Johnny falls in love and impregnates his girlfriend, Alexandra shows up. Shortly after, she is dead and Nico is arrested for murder.

Author Rick Novak is an experienced anesthesiologist on the faculty of Stanford. This gives him a real edge in creating a murder mystery about what many think could be the perfect crime. Readers are treated to a good whodunit with requisite red-herrings, blind alleys, wily attorneys, and reluctant witnesses. Even though the book opens with the death of Alexandra, readers will be kept guessing to the end. A good round of editing could solve some point of view issues, and cutting of didactic sections on things like anesthesia and curling that slow the story down would make this an even better read. That said, there is enough going on in this debut novel to satisfy most mystery lovers.