Control – Hugh Montgomery

‘A suspenseful and frightening thriller’ Lynda La Plante

Not all doctors are heroes . . . 

About the Book:

Renowned surgeon Michael Trenchard locks his office door and prepares for a relaxing evening – Wagner on the sound system, a fine Scotch to hand. A knock at the door heralds the arrival of the person he most wants to see – the person who excites him more than anyone else. But what follows will turn his dreams into a living nightmare . . . for he will be discovered later that night in a locked-in coma, the victim of an auto-erotic asphyxiation.

Can this really be an accident? It is left to Dr Kash Devan, Trenchard’s young protégé, to uncover the truth. What he discovers is chilling: in his ruthless pursuit of wealth and success Trenchard has left a trail of wrecked lives behind him. Which of his victims hated him so much they wanted not only his life, but also his reputation ruined?

About the Author:

Hugh Montgomery is a professor and the director of the UCL Institute for Human Health and Performance at University College London. A distinguished physician, he is known for his pioneering genetic research. Outside the field of medicine, he was a founding member of the UK Climate and Health Council and is an endurance expert, who has run three ultra-marathons, scaled the world’s sixth highest mountain, jumped naked from a plane at 14,000ft and holds the world record for underwater piano playing.

My Review: I am a HUGE fan of medical dramas on TV (ER, Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Doctor and The Resident) and surprisingly I don’t think I have actually ever read a medical themed thriller so when I saw the blurb above and the words “auto-erotic asphyxiation” I was “sold” instantly.  If you are a fan of any of the above TV dramas then you should LOVE Control.

Dr Kash Devan is a junior doctor working at the Victory Hospital in South East London under the enigmatic, charming and highly successful surgeon Michael Trenchard.  Working tirelessly to impress his mentor Kash finds himself in the middle of a traumatic situation when his boss is discovered in his office alone in a very compromising position.

Michael Trenchard appears to have been a victim of an auto-erotic asphyxiation which has left him in a horrific locked-in coma.  With his reputation in tatters and the hospital now under the scrutiny of the press and police, Kash doesn’t believe this was an accident and decides to secretly investigate to find out what really happened to Trenchard.

This is Hugh Montgomery’s debut novel and it is clear from the opening chapter that he knows what he’s talking about (obviously I wasn’t implying Hugh partakes in auto-erotic asphyxiation himself) but his in-depth knowledge of the medical world, the life of a junior doctor and how a hospital runs helps make this book more believable and even the medical jargon is explained which enables to reader to understand what is happening throughout the story.

The story is narrated by the two main characters; Kash who is inquisitive and loyal and determined to find the truth out and Trenchard who narrates his story whilst being in a locked-in coma.  Trenchard’s story was hard to read and quite unsettling in places especially as he was an esteemed and respected doctor now unable to even blink or move.

There were lots of characters who had reasons to hate Trenchard and several red-herrings thrown in to keep the reader on their toes and once again, I didn’t work out what happened until the reveal.

A great medical thriller which I would recommend.

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