Monday, April 22, 2013

FIVE REASONS FOR READING Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight


I got my copy of my new medical mystery/suspense novel last Friday. Here’s why you want to read Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight. 


You’ll feel like an “insider” not a patient in a hospital.
In this novel, you get a behind the scenes view of a medical schools – the excitement of scientific research, the quirkiness of at least some faculty members, and the infighting for limited resources.
Linda Almquist, who seldom even smiled, laughed.

Richard Varegos had done it again. He had arranged books and a computer on the front counter of the hospital pavilion for a photo shoot. In the resulting glossy, full-color flyer, he sat at his make-believe teak desk in his supposedly marble-walled office. She read the flyer’s title: THE DIET DOCTOR HAS ANSWERS FOR YOUR WEIGHT PROBLEMS.

Was there no end to his ego?

Maybe this intro doesn’t build confidence in this diet doctor, but don’t you want to know what he does next? So do Linda and the police after the other diet doctor is found dead.

You’ll learn a little science and smile a lot.
The “diet doctors” in this mystery are investigating whether they can help obese subject lose more weight and keep it off by altering their gut flora. Sounds strange? It is an active area of research on weight control. Check out Science, volume 328, pages 179-80 or Science, volume 332, pages 32-3. 

You’ll feel the pain of all the red tape that investigators face when trying to do their research. Or you may feel relief that there are controls on their activities. I guess it depends on your politics.

And then there’s the murder. The possibilities are endless in a medical school.
“Motive?” Hitchings (the lead police investigator) scanned the crowd and motioned Omar (medical examiner) back to him. “Omar, do we even have a murder? Looks like natural causes.”

“Can’t tell,” replied Omar.

“But no bullet or stab wounds? So natural causes are likely.”

“You’re in a medical school.” Omar walked closer to Hitchings and spoke more softly. “Everyone in this building probably knows how to kill someone without using a gun or knife. A complete tox screen will take weeks. And this woman was only in her thirties, pretty young to die suddenly.”

The suspense might help you lose weight.
The protagonist Linda Almquist of this mystery did, as she raced down the long corridors of the medical school after clues and lost her appetite when threatened again and again. It’s amazing how much weight you can lose it you eat less and exercise more. Of course you won’t have the same incentives (I hope) that Linda did.

The reviewers’ comments are good.
You do want read this medical mystery... Scary shenanigans in the medical research field, so possible. You could lose more than INCHES
Virginia Reaves, freelance writer

Linda and Sara are back, this time involved in a plot with plenty of twists and turns and a good deal of wry humor. A fun read, great believable characters and a real sense of place. Marilyn Olsen, President of Public Safety Writers Association

Murder:  A New Way To Lose Weight starts with a memorable title, followed by a unique crime, and continues with quirky, colorful characters, and snappy dialog.  A satisfying follow-up to Greger’s debut novel. Rob Kresge, author of the spy novel Saving Lincoln

Bug is back.
My own Japanese Chinn dog Bug is the only “non-fictional” character in this novel and it prequel Coming Flu. For more information on my books, Bug, and me, please check out my website (www.jlgreger.com).

Thanks for stopping by.
JL Greger 

Friday, April 12, 2013

From Marie Curie to Gut Bacteria

Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight is now available on Amazon.


Three very different stops on my Diet of Murder Blog Tour this week. 

"Make a Woman Scientist Your Heroine" on the Discoverific blog (a blog where science meets storytelling). Katie Slivensky is my host. I chose this topic because in Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight the protagonist is woman physician and the first victim is a woman scientist.

"Beach Chat with JL Greger" on Life's a Beach blog (a blog that probes authors' psyches and secrets). Jayne Ormerod is my host. You get to meet the real Bug, the prototype for the Japanese Chin Bug in my novels. And you get to decide if there's any similarity between me and my heroine Linda Almquist in Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight. I was once an associate dean in a medical school like Linda; otherwise I don't think there are any similarities. She's shorter and nicer.


"The Microbes Made Me Eat It" on the Lake House Mysteries blog (the blog author includes bits of science in her novels too). My host uses the alias of IC Enger. I chose that topic because the two "diet doctors" in Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight are studying whether they can help obese patients lose weight and keep it off by altering their gut bacteria. No I'm not trying to be funny; this is a real research topic. Well, maybe I did choose this research topic because it's interesting(?) and actually promising.

Guess where I'll be next week.

JL and Bug


Don't forget Coming Flu (the prequel to Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight) is also available on Amazon.