Death’s Pale Flag by Gary Simonds is a thrilling book about the experiences of a neurosurgeon who loves his work. Ryan, the protagonist, becomes so involved with the patients that every death on his table takes a part of his heart and soul. He wants to save everyone, which leads to overworking every day and on weekends. His excessive busyness with work becomes a challenge because he starts forgetting his family.

Ryan’s work completely takes over all aspects of his life, and he begins to see ghosts or hallucinations of the people who died due to medical complications. They appear to be the patients he couldn’t save on the operating table. The doctor tries to understand the reasons within his capacity and struggles to decipher these apparitions. This further worsens his health, work, and family life. As his career becomes Ryan’s only respite and his family drifts away from him, one catastrophic event may bring him closer to taking life more seriously.

I found the writing style of this book captivating, and I enjoyed the intense details of brain surgeries in an easy-to-understand language that I could follow. It deepened my appreciation for neurosurgery and the delicate, life-saving procedure. In addition, the author did a brilliant job of expressing how remaining the life of a neurosurgeon can be and how challenging work-life balance can be to achieve, especially with a career in the medical field. Ryan’s emotional journey is captured perfectly, along with other characters in the book, and the plot development is exceptional.

The story’s progression blended well with the period, and I found the neurosurgeon’s personal and professional challenges exciting and, at times, amusing, which only made the book more enjoyable to read. This is a compelling book with a realistic plot woven into a fantasy story. Death’s Pale Flag by Gary Simonds is an excellent book, combining elements of a thriller, medical drama, comedy, and paranormal themes. It’s a worthwhile read, and I recommend it to fans of supernatural thrillers.

ASIN B003R3111E | Pages: 380

Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/11/deaths-pale-flag/