Trenchard is a senior physician who has been found in a near dead, in a compromising situation. He was found in his office, surrounded wirh drugs, a noose and pornography. Did his fantasies go a step too far? A junior Doctor, Kash does not think so. Trenchard is now in a vegative state.

The blurb and how the story started made it look promising. The medical details have been well researched. I liked Kash who seemed compassionate and wanted to see justice done. Then there is also Liz Mureay, an elderly patient who's dying. She sees a lot that goes on. The story is dense but not gripping. I did like that the medical jargon was written in layman terms. The characters were well developed and believable. The ending was a shock. This is the first book that I have read by the author and I will read more in future.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and the author J.M. Hewitt for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love TV medical dramas (at least I do until they get too soapy - nobody needs that) and watch them all, but I don't think I've read a medical thriller since Robin Cook's Coma, so.was intrigued to read this.

Michael Trenchard, a brilliant renowned surgeon, is found almost dead from what appears to be a tragic auto asphyxiation accident. The scene is pretty sordid and the rumours soon spread about what he'd been up to. The medical team keep him alive, but he is locked in, with no movement, and will be cared for at the hospital where he worked.

Over time Kash Devan, a promising young doctor who worked under Trenchard, is convinced that somebody set Trenchard up and his condition wasn't self inflicted. Ridiculed by both the police and his colleagues, he risks his relationship and his reputation in his quest for the truth. But it turns out he might not like what he finds out.

I loved Kash - there's a certain amount of wide eyed innocence about him. His early efforts to woo nurse Claire are sweet, if clumsy, and I was touched by the love he put into the letters he writes to his mother. There's a point towards the end of the book that brought a tear to my eye. But Kash toughens up and becomes steely in his resolve to uncover what happened, regardless of what it costs him.

Apart from Kash, and Trenchard, most of the main players, good and bad, in the story are women, which was nice to see. There's a real variety from Kash's young girlfriend through to octogenarian Liz, who might be dying but is still more aware than many of what's going on around her. I had a real soft spot for her, actually. They are exquisitely drawn, particularly Anna who Kash encounters at work, and all believable.

Whilst this is mostly set within the four walls of a hospital it is happily free of too much jargon. Medical terms and procedures are simply explained without ever being patronising.

There are plenty of red herrings and dead ends, and I ended up frustrated more than one when I thought I had it all figured out only to be disappointed. So I only finally worked things out at the actual reveal, and I certainly didn't predict the final act.

At just over 400 pages it's a substantial read, but I raced through it. Kash is an engaging, relatable protagonist, the pacing is perfect and there's a great cast of characters. A well written and thrilling drama.

I am a Hugh fan of medical thriller's. So when a new author came available to read I jumped at the chance to read Control by Hugh Montgomery. I found this book very hard to get into at first but glad I stuck with it, it was an enjoyable read.
All the characters within this book were strong characters. Some not Likeable but all played a great part in "Control"

I will read another Hugh Montgomery if he does another book

Thank you to Hugh Montgomery, Publishers and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review

Full review at booketybook.com
This starts out like a doctors memoir and draws in the reader with fascinating medical detail but soon there is a mystery to unravel

CONTROL: A SEXUALLY CHARGED MEDICAL THRILLER

When I was approached to review new medical thriller Control, I jumped at the chance. Especially as the plot involves a doctor being involved in some sort of auto-erotic asphyxiation. Yes you read that right – auto-erotic asphyxiation! I was intrigued…

Set in the 1980s, Dr Kash Devan is a young junior doctor new to the Victory Hospital. Kash is dedicated, diligent and naive. He is also in awe of his mentor, renowned surgeon Michael Trenchard “the eye of the storm, the unmoving mover, like God himself.” Kash’s admiration for Trenchard intensifies as the suave, controlled senior surgeon takes Kash under his wing.

One evening Kash is called to an emergency where he is shocked to discover Trenchard unconscious in his office dressed in women’s underwear surrounded by pornographic magazines with a noose tight around his neck!

Once so highly regarded, everyone now believes Trenchard to be a sick sadist. Even though he is now in a locked-in coma, Trenchard’s colleagues blame him and his secret sexual exploits for tarnishing the hospital’s reputation. Everyone apart from Kash as aspects about the incident appear suspicious to him. Kash believes Trenchard is the victim of a horrific crime.

Even though he is mocked by the police and his colleagues, Kash decides to investigate further. His suspicions intensify when he is also the victim of a mysterious medical accident.

I did enjoy Control, especially as I have never read a medical thriller before. The pressure of working as a junior doctor is portrayed with vivid realism. This is not surprising as Hugh Montgomery, the author is a distinguished physician. In writing Control, he uses his vast medical experience to great effect.

However I did feel that the medical terminology a bit over used at times. For me it was slightly distracting, taking me away from the drama of the story. I also felt the plot a tad clunky; Control is a ‘whodunit’- for me one that I worked out fairly early on.

But as I say, I did enjoy it. It is an intense story all about power and control. Being set in a busy hospital enhanced the intensity to great effect.

Thank you Tracy Fenton from Compulsive Readers for inviting me to be involved in the blog tour of Control.

Control was published on 8th August 2019, so if you fancy a dark medical thriller, give it a read.

Happy reading everyone!

Michael Trenchard is a charismatic consultant in the London Victory Hospital. Everyone loves him……..or do they? Trenchard is found in a humiliating situation with a noose around his neck but he doesn’t die, ending up in a locked in situation. Registrar Kash isn’t convinced that Trenchard did this to himself but believes someone is out to kill him.

I really enjoyed how this book started & the whole concept. The hospital setting was a bit different and the medical details were obviously well researched. The book started well, developing Kash as a compassionate & hard working man who just wants to see justice done. Liz Murray is another interesting character – an elderly lady dying on Ward 14 where people are sent when there is no where else. She sees more than you’d think. Then there is long serving nurse Vale and the younger nurse, Claire who seems to have taken a shine to Kash. These are well written characters who were interesting.

As the book went on, however, I became a bit discouraged with Kash’s fumbling detective work. I was particularly irritated by the ending which I didn’t feel fitted with the story or the characters. It got to the point where I found it hard to believe that these characters would react in the way that they did.

On the whole this was a good story with interesting characters. However the last quarter of the book didn’t seem to work with the characters and really let it down. Such a shame.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

3.5 stars

I was intrigued by the idea of a medical thriller as I haven't read one before. As a thriller it was quite average - not particularly well-written, with some contrived plot lines. However, I enjoyed the hospital setting and the medical twists of the story. Will definitely read another medical thriller In the future.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Just minutes after meeting his new boss, eminent surgeon Michael Trenchard, junior doctor Kash Devan knows that he wants to be exactly like him; his superior is the always the picture of cool, calm elegance and confidence. and Kash admires everything about the way he rules the corridors and operating theatres of Victory Hospital. Having worked hard to achieve his goals (and those of his parents’) by finally becoming a doctor, he intends doing it to the absolute best of his abilities. He writes long missives to his mother, letting her know how he’s doing, and his love and dedication to her are quite apparent. This devotion becomes quite significant later on in the book.

However, things are never quite as they appear to be, and even though Trenchard takes him under his wing, there are little things that Kash starts to notice that don’t seem to equate with his sparkling image. Although he seems to have a sterling work ethic and bedside manner, sharing elderly patient Liz Murray’s advice that what kills most people is not illness, but unhappiness, there are times when he’s unavailable – even completely AWOL!

And then, only a few months after Kash has started working at the hospital, an emergency call comes through on his pager. He rushes to Trenchard’s office where a shocking scene awaits him: his boss is lying on the floor in women’s underwear with a noose around his neck and there are pornographic magazines scattered around the floor! He’s barely breathing. They put it down to ‘auto-erotic asphyxiation’. The medical team check all his vital signs and discover he’s in what’s known as a ‘locked-in state’. Who knows how long he could remain like this; alive, but unable to move a muscle, unable to speak – it is the worst form of torture. And it’s clear that this has been deliberately caused by someone wanting to cause the utmost shame to a man whose position in life was everything to him. But who would have done such a thing?

Even though he hardly knew the man, Kash takes it upon himself to do whatever he can to investigate everything there possibly is to know about Trenchard and his past, so that he can get to the bottom of why this happened.

Using his vast bank of medical expertise, Montgomery has created an intensely chilling story about ambition, justice, greed and what people will do when they think they have just a little bit of power over others. I found that there was quite a lot of medical terminology used – but then, that’s to be expected! The book is fast-paced and at times I even found myself holding my breath! This is a perfect example of how dangerous knowledge can be when it is in the hands of the wrong people, for all the wrong reasons!

It’s an exciting but rather dark 4-star read … and as you know, I use the term ‘dark’ in an entirely good way!

Kash Devan is a junior doctor on his first day at Victory Hospital, a Central London Teaching Hospital. Here he meets Mr Trenchard, an eminent surgeon and his boss.

Tenchard is arrogant, supremely confident and exudes calm, but is he all he seems?

He tells Kash the most common form of death is unhappiness, so go and have fun….

He does, meets Claire, a nurse, and the story begins…..with emergency’s, drama and death…all part of everyday Hospital life, but then Trenchard is found in his office, barely breathing, in women’s under and a noose around his neck…..autoerotic asphyxiation or something more sinister? He’s still alive, barely and now in a locked in state….Who would hate this man so much ?

Kash keeps an eye on him, as he has sympathy for the man, but finds a piece of epuipment under his body….how did it get there and was it put there deliberately to cause more suffering? While Trenchard is clearly an unpleasant man, you do feel sorry for him.

This is an immensely engrossing read, yes there’s a lot of medical jargon, but it’s all explained in layman’s terms, the characters are all so well developed thanks to Hugh Montgomery’s writing, it has a sense of reality and no small amount of tension. The ending is marvellously shocking and yet understandable…..if you like medical dramas like House or Grey’s Anatomy you are going to love this…

Thank you to The Author, Publishers and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review

When Trenchard, a senior physician is found near-dead in a compromising position in his office surrounded by drugs, pornography and a noose, everyone suspects his fantasies went a step too far, but one of his junior doctors, Kash, fears otherwise. With Trenchard now diagnosed as in a permanent vegetative state all hopes of finding out the truth seem lost.

I love a classic whodunnit, and I love medical non-fiction, so straight away this was a book which grabbed my attention. The vast experience of the author was clear, and intricacy of the medical procedures was fascinating, and at times I forget I was even reading fiction.

The characters are solid, if slightly one dimensional. The only aspects ever explored are those which link to the victim. The plot whips along at a fantastic pace, but was also slightly too neat - I NEVER manage to work out who the culprit is in these books, but I’d guessed this before halfway, and I don’t feel like there were that many twists and turns on the way. The very end, after the truth is revealed, also seemed unnecessary. It was too neat, felt tacked on and did some of the characters a disservice.

That said, it’s a great read, well written and with a really unique hook to it. It feels like a Grey’s Anatomy series finale, just with a whole new cast of characters that you haven’t had chance to care about too much yet.

Definitely worth a read if you have any interest in medicine, and I hope to read more from the author in the future!

A DARK and very scary medical thriller. Eminent surgeon Michael Trenchard is eagerly awaiting his late night visitor. What happens next is I can only describe as a living nightmare. Hooked from the first page, spent most of this read sat on the edge of my seat and tapping my kindle faster and faster. Plenty of heart in your mouth moments I LOVED IT. As for the ending I was completely stunned and was definitely not what I was expecting. I finally turned the last page at 3am. OMG WHAT A READ, a new author for me and I can't wait to read more of his work. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Bonnier Zaffre and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Suave Mr Trenchard is the most fabulous surgeon at Victory Hospital and his new house officer, Kash, is in awe of his talent until Trenchard is found in a compromising position and becomes a patient himself. Kash feels his condition was caused by someone trying to kill Trenchard and sets out to investigate who wants him dead.
Wow this book was something else. It read so easily and without jargon which was helpful and was very gripping. Already put the word on Instagram and a lot of interest! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.