Ever since I could remember, I have always hated going to the hospital. The constant beeping and the smell of rubbing alcohol all make me nauseous and don’t even get me started on hypodermic needles, a trauma I have carried with me for as long as I can remember.
I always thought hospitals were a place for the sick and the unwell. Despite all attempts to exercise and eat healthy in a desperate bid to avoid them, I have had to go to one occasionally, much to my family’s despair. Yet, I still remember how, when everything feels lost and hopeless, a kind doctor’s gentle smile and warm assurance is always what I need to know that everything will be alright.
Angels In Pink, Green, and Blue
Quite often, we tend to ignore just how valuable the role of medical professionals is, and if anything, the last couple of years have just gone on to show how much we need them. But what is life like for these guys? That’s when I came across The Long White Coat: BOOK I: TRAUMA TEAM, by C. Robert Pettit, A story of an ER team that is arguably the authentic portrayal of what the life of doctors is truly like.
Robert’s experience as a long-time medical professional himself shines through as he does an excellent job of keeping you vested and giving you a direct first-person perspective of what it’s like in the ER. The novel opens with a group of medical students on rounds. You move around with this group as if you are part of the team and are given the aftermath of a gruesome bike accident, an accident that will require the quick thinking of some brilliant doctors (Read to find out more; it gets pretty intense). The vivid descriptions are so real that you feel part of the action, srambling to find a scalpel or oxygen mask.
Behind the long white Coat
It is made clear to the reader that the ER demands dedicated individuals working together, setting aside their differences to serve the common goal. Along the way, we are introduced to unique characters who offer their own unique takes on the story and what life is like working at one of the demanding jobs in the world. In the backdrop is a deep, engaging plot. At the center of it all is hotshot Dr. Lewis Merritt, from whose lens we are told the story. The drama comes from the group dynamics and personal struggles while we slowly get to know each character’s lives.
Plenty for everybody
The Long White Coat is a book that will not just be of interest to doctors in the field, offering many stories similar to their own hospital experiences but also enough romance and mystery to keep even the casual reader coming back for more. Dr. Lewis must confront past feelings and professional priorities when he finds out a past college sweetheart is on the same team as his, leading to some great will-they-won’t-they moments. The chemistry is genuine, and the dialogue is intense.
Fans of murder mysteries will have plenty to love as our main characters will find themselves in the middle of strange incidents that result in many patients’ deaths, getting everyone confused and paranoid. Try to put the pieces together and figure out who is behind it all.
A love letter to San Francisco
Robert’s book is a proper love letter to America and shows great respect for our beloved and recognized landmarks, such as the Golden Gate Bridge. His impressive world-building gives us a glimpse into a time of music, peace, and opportunity in San Francisco as if you are right there.
Our pick for the summer
The Long White Coat: BOOK I: TRAUMA TEAM offers some great storytelling, unique characters, a very engaging romance, and a chilling murder mystery. Robert has given great care to all the elements in a story thirty years in the making. It is an excellent mix of fiction and reality, and it asks some very tough moral and ethical questions the field of medicine requires.
The Long White Coat: BOOK I: TRAUMA TEAM is now available in bookstores and major retailers and online on Amazon. Order your copy today!
Author Information
Photo Courtesy: C. Robert Pettit, M.D
C. Robert Pettit, M.D is an ear, nose, & throat surgeon living in Carmel, California. With an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and an M.D. from U.C. Irvine, his ENT residency training was at U.C. San Francisco School of Medicine where he later taught students as a member of the clinical faculty. As a pioneer in cochlear implant research, he was present and assisted in the birth of that amazing treatment for total deafness. His next book, “So that All Might Hear“, documents that experience.
An award-winning film producer and director, Dr. Pettit has also spent many years as a professional ceramist.
You can learn more about him and his work at:
Published By: Aize Perez
