Short Synopsis
In this engaging first-person narrative, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes listeners inside the medical profession as he solves real-life medical mysteries.

Full Synopsis
An epic story told by a unique voice in Ameri­can medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physi­cian. In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today. Whipsawed by daily crises and frustra­tions, Reilly must deal with several daunting challenges simultaneously: the extraordinary patients under his care on the teeming wards of a renowned teaching hospital; the life-threatening illnesses of both of his ninety-year-old parents; and the tragic memory of a cold case from long ago that haunts him still. As Reilly's patients and their families survive close calls, struggle with heartrending decisions, and confront the limits of medicine's power to cure, One Doctor lays bare a fragmented, depersonal­ized, business-driven health-care system where real caring is hard to find. Every day, Reilly sees patients who fall through the cracks and suffer harm because they lack one doctor who knows them well and relentlessly advocates for their best interests.

Filled with fascinating characters in New York City and rural New England—people with dark secrets, mysterious illnesses, impos­sible dreams, and many kinds of courage—One Doctor tells their stories with sensitivity and empathy, reminding us of professional values once held dear by all physicians. But medicine has changed enormously during Reilly's career, for both better and worse, and One Doctor is a cautionary tale about those changes. It is also a hopeful, inspiring account of medicine's poten­tial to improve people's lives, Reilly's quest to understand the "truth" about doctoring, and a moving testament to the difference one doctor can make.

"Narrator Shapiro turns in a warm, engaging performance in the audio edition of this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the practice of medicine. . . . This fine pairing of author and reader results in an honest, thought-provoking, and moving listen." ---Publishers Weekly Audio Review

"Empathy and thoughtfulness---One Doctor has oodles of it." ---Booklist

"Heart-pounding pace and drama . . . remarkable. . . . His book is about more than the joy of saving lives and the sadness of losing them---it's an intimate exploration of modern medicine and the human condition." ---Publishers Weekly

"The action is all the more intense because some patients, despite his brilliance, really will die." ---Wall Street Journal