"Think ‘medical thriller’ and Robin Cook usually comes to mind. This should be replaced by Mark Anthony Powers, because the arrival of another addition to the Phineas Mann thriller series lends added value to the genre. In The Desperate Trials of Phineas Mann, these involve not just diagnostic medicine, but the accompanying human fallacies that introduce bias into medical and problem-solving situations. The fictional cases come across as especially realistic because of Mark Anthony Powers’ real-world job as a medical consultant in pulmonary medicine.
As in the other Phineas stories, Powers creates satisfyingly rich details about accompanying issues and just the right mix of tension to intrigue readers. The result holds surprises for Phineas, delights for readers, and reviews of medical, social, and political conundrums which consider bias in all forms. Readers seeking a vividly realistic medical thriller will find this especially thought-provoking."