TUSTIN, Calif., Sept. 5, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- With his first novel, An Improbable Cause (now available through 1stBooks), Robin Wulffson makes an impressive addition to literature. This mystery-romance novel moves along at a brisk and entertaining pace as he takes readers behind the scenes to a beach-community hospital, Cliffside Medical Center. The most vulnerable patients there -- the frail elderly and premature newborns -- are dying under increasingly suspicious circumstances.
The central character, obstetrician gynecologist Melissa Morrison, enters the story already facing serious personal and professional dilemmas; her ambitious, egotistical former husband is demanding custody of their 18-month-old son, and a malpractice lawsuit threatens both her current livelihood and future in the medical profession she battled to enter. Seemingly her only allies are her longtime physician mentor, Roger Hauser, and his wife, Katrina, and her office assistant, Jana. A bright young woman lawyer joins the story, supporting Melissa's courtroom battles, and Melissa's personal life takes a happier turn when she begins dating Ryan MacKenzie, a computer programmer at the hospital. Even with these supporters, Melissa is fighting against heavy odds on several fronts.
Melissa's troubles increase when Katrina Hauser is diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer and dies, not of pneumonia as the hospital records report, but from treatment intended to kill--not cure--the older woman. Suddenly, the "coincidental" deaths among elderly patients and premature newborns at Cliffside are adding up, and it seems the basis for these deaths could be greed. Melissa's grief at losing her longtime friend fuels a very personal reason for finding the answers.
Melissa, with the help of her boyfriend Ryan's computer skills, uncovers the truth in altered medical records and payoffs, and it leads to some surprising involvements among the medical staff and administrators connected with the well-regarded local hospital. As Melissa and Ryan uncover the murderous plot and its players, their own lives are threatened, as well.
A physician, Wulffson gives the readers an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at life at a modern hospital, but encompasses much more than the medical world in this fast-paced story of intrigue and peril.
A California native, Wulffson is a graduate of the UCLA School of Medicine. After serving as a battalion surgeon in the Vietnam War, he practiced obstetrics and gynecology in Orange County, Calif., for 25 years. He has been a freelance health care writer since 1998. An Improbable Cause is his first novel; his second, Praying Mantis, is scheduled for release in the fall.
ABOUT 1STBOOKS
The oldest and most successful print-on-demand and eBook publishing company of its kind, 1stBooks was founded in 1997 and has helped more than 13,000 people worldwide realize their dreams of becoming published authors. For more information, visit www.1stBooks.com.