Doc Doc Zeus: A Novel of White Coat Crime

Written by Thomas Keech

Narrated by Maggie Ross

Still mourning the baby she gave away a year before, and feeling distant from her parents, her old friends, and her church, sixteen-year-old Diane believes she has found a supportive friend and lover in her gynecologist, Dr. Zeus. She confides only in an old acquaintance, Woody, who reserves judgment about the affair even as he tries to keep her from taking the opiates that Dr. Zeus continually prescribes.

Zeus’s marriage deteriorates as his wife, Elena, gradually realizes the depths of her husband’s depravity. But she is still shocked at the psychological damage he is willing to inflict on their twelve-year-old daughter to gain an advantage over her in the divorce proceedings.

The state medical board has suspicions about Dr. Zeus, but the official inquiry inches forward only very slowly. Dave, the new investigator assigned to the case, is jealous of the accomplishments of his wealthy girlfriend. He begins to take shortcuts to bring the investigation to a head and prove to himself that his life is as meaningful as hers.

"A complex, multilayered, and psychologically acute tale about a predatory physician: well done." Kirkus Reviews

"Diane comes across as both real and confused, which is absolutely perfect." The BookLife Prize.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Real Nice Books
• Release date: Aug 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798988503408

Thomas Keech

Tom Keech has written seven novels - about state politics, teenagers entangled in suburban corruption, college romance, the medical board's prosecution of a predatory physician, and the political dystopian series: The Red State/Blue State Confessions. He is a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland and a founding member of the Willing Writers of Annapolis.

Reviews for Doc Doc Zeus

[iadam-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received a free advance e-copy of this book and have chosen to write an honest and unbiased review. I have no personal affiliation with the author. Dr. Zeus is a unscrupulous and despicable physician who sexually abuses a very vulnerable and impressionable underage girl. This isn’t the first and won’t be the last unless he is caught. He also prescribes addicting medication for each of them to ‘help’ their maladies and make them feel better. This man is unconscionable and without remorse as he attempts to control each of them. He seems to have a need to wield his power and control over every situation in his life and he appears to be sociopathic. He is a major manipulator and a real slime ball. This is an extremely well written novel as Mr. Keech describes in great detail each step that leads into the abuse and the hold the abuser continues to have over the victim. Great character development. We also see how the medical board and our legal system work in such cases and all the safeguards for the protection of all parties. This is an eye opener and well worth the read. I look forward to reading more from Mr. Keech in the future.

[pet12-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.75 stars. Told from three different points of view, this was an interesting story about a narcissistic doctor, a vulnerable teenage girl, and an ardent investigator at the medical board.At age 14, Diane fell pregnant and after giving birth to a baby girl, gave her up for adoption. She has been seen regularly by Dr. Hartwicke Zeus who takes a special interest in her. Diane is vulnerable, feeling lonely, and easily falls for the charms of forty-something Zeus.David is new to his job at the Board of Medicine. A job he mainly took to earn some money to pay off his large student debt. When he comes across a file with a complaint against Dr Zeus, he is intrigued.I found the medical board investigation aspect of this really interesting. Not knowing the first thing about this process, I can't judge how realistic any of this was, but it felt completely believable to me. The strength of this was in the characterization of the three characters I mentioned above. You really got to know them. In the case of Dr Zeus, this wasn't a pleasant experience. The man had no redeeming features whatsoever and didn't even hesitate to use his own teenage daughter as a pawn with no regard for her emotional well-being. His attitude towards females in general was beyond belief. If you enjoy getting into the mind of a totally egotistical, manipulating, and contemptible person, he's your man.Diane was frustrating. One moment, she was incredibly naive and kept repeating the same mistakes over and over again, the next moment she came across as quite clever and with plenty of empathy for other people.I really liked David. He's your generally nice guy who is trying to do his best. At the end, I would have loved to read about his meeting with his fiancée's Dad. I didn't like the open ending to that part of the story, or put it another way, I needed more.The only other thing that was a bit off was the portrayal of Diane's parents who somehow turned from completely inadequate at the beginning into the most caring and understanding parents ever.Overall, something a bit different and really interesting. Contains some strong language and sexual situations, but not graphic or gratuitous.I received an ARC via NetGalley.