Author's Commentary
My novels are medical thrillers, yet they have a very distinct voice of their own. I have read plenty of books by the genre's big names, including Robin Cook, Michael Palmer, and Tess Gerritsen, so I am familiar with the conventions of medical thrillers. Think of impeccable medical professionals as protagonists and the ways that medicine and science could go wrong. I've also read enough medical thrillers to know that, if I ever write my own, I don't want to just mimic what's been done before. That especially includes the one trope I noticed a lot: villains being members of the medical or scientific community. It got me thinking. Could medical thrillers deviate from that concept, by having villains originating from elsewhere in society?
The world of medicine is not isolated from society at large. They share a two-way relationship. On one hand, healthcare professionals heal patients and give them another chance at life in the societies they live in. On the other hand, what happens in society determines the kinds of patients seeking medical attention. Think about it. A hospital in a crime-ridden part of a city will likely see gunshot and stabbing victims. A clinic in an area of low socioeconomic status will have patients with malnutrition, obesity, and the like. Now imagine. What if major societal ills have consequences spilling into healthcare? Could strange medical crises or mysteries force a doctor to confront the root of those problems, out in society itself?
This is where Dr. Mark Lin comes in. He is an Asian American physician, like many intelligent doctors of Asian descent I've known. But unlike those other physicians, Mark does not share the expected ideal attitude and perspective. He is bothered by how flawed people can be. He does not always feel the reward of saving lives even while doing the job well enough. Mark is really an embodiment of emotional pain that I've experienced, related to difficulties in childhood, intense moments during medical education (four years of medical school plus one year of residency before switching careers), and deep concerns about issues affecting society. It is this antihero protagonist who confronts unusual medical situations stemming from societal ills.
My medical thrillers present a unique type of mystery, inspired by mysteries such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels. As both a physician and an unconventional lone investigator, Mark uses both knowledge of medicine and cleverness with tackling other kinds of puzzles. He moves seamlessly between the world of medicine and the world at large. He cares for patients suffering from the story's main threat, sometimes providing Mark with important clues. The trail leads to villains representing the worst of humanity, often people who've been down on their luck and suffered greatly. Think of them as akin to James Bond villains, but with a twist that connects their schemes to medicine.
This combination of an intricate plot and a complex antihero lends itself to one more key element: themes. Mark is keenly observant of both the medical profession and society as a whole. So when he sees the two worlds collide dramatically, he expresses anger about what is wrong with humanity through internal monologues oriented in social commentary. Such moments, while possibly unsettling to some readers, invite everyone to reflect on our real world. The stories may be fictional, but they hold a mirror up to our chaotic society and humanity's failings. My intention as the author is not to shock readers. Rather, I would like us to think about improving the world by first confronting our biggest mistakes with honesty and understanding.
These medical thrillers featuring Dr. Mark Lin are designed to work on several fronts. On a basic level, they deliver edge-of-your-seat entertainment through immersive and thrilling plotlines. Beyond that, they provide opportunities for character study of the complex protagonist, the main villain, or other prominent secondary characters. And at their core, they explore themes about humanity and society for readers to think about long after getting through the last page. My hope is that these novels provide something for everyone, while also showing the work of physicians up close as I understand it. The Dr. Mark Lin Medical Thrillers series is my unique contribution to the genre of medical thrillers and to thriller fiction in general.
For my commentaries on specific novels I have written, follow the links below:
Doctor Lucifer
Toxic Minds
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