With the incredible popularity of such shows as CSI and Law & Order, Americans clearly have an appetite for morbid crime drama. Now that craving can be filled through print, with Terra Ziporyn’s psychological thriller, “Do Not Go Gentle.” Ziporyn takes the reader beyond your average “whodunit” with a story that reveals “who” right off the bat; the mystery of “Do Not Go Gentle” focuses on “why” instead. The central character is Dr. Alvin Forman, a former child prodigy, who has struggled all of his life to reconcile his desire to save humanity with his desire to destroy it. Now a single father and allergist living in the suburbs, he finds himself meticulously and ruthlessly dismembering patients, loved ones, and neighbors.

Do Not Go Gentle

Alvin Forman decided at the age of fifteen to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor.  But he had big ambitions, big dreams.  He would wipe out all the diseases in the world and become a household name like Jonas Salk and Louis Pasteur.  But as he grew older, he realized that no one person would ever be able to affect a cure for the devastating diseases prevalent today and, since he was not a team player, he decided to become an allergist and set up his own shop.

At the age of 41, Dr. Forman had a nice business that he ran from his home.  His wife had left him ten years previously and he shared his home with his teen-age daughter Miranda.  He was still a loner and spent his spare time erecting a storage shed, that he called “The Pyramid,” in his back yard.  There he collected and stored memorabilia about his family’s life as well as necessities he thought he might need in his next life.

But Dr. Forman had another strange quirk, one that was especially strange for a doctor.  He killed people.  What would cause a seemingly normal, above-average intelligence man to go around killing people?  Dr. Forman can’t figure it out.  All he knows is that a strange feeling comes over him sometimes when he is with someone. His heart palpitates, his body trembles and the ache doesn’t leave him until someone is dead.  Then all he needs to do is chop up the body and dispose of it with the rest of his medical waste.

As the police search for clues on the missing people, they enlist the services of Dr. Forman.  How handy is it to have a doctor available for consultation right in the neighborhood where the disappearances are happening?  An added bonus is that the Dr. knows some of these people personally and could provide valuable insight into what might motivate them to disappear.

The story is told from the point of view of several different people...Alvin, Miranda, Gloria, his busybody, Bible-toting neighbor, who’s determined to bring him to God and Madeleine, the woman Gloria has handpicked to be the next Mrs. Forman. 

I disliked three of the four main characters in this story intensely.  The author did a good job setting them up, laying out their strengths and weaknesses.  Another nice touch was that you knew the murderer from the beginning.  What you don’t know until you get further into “Do Not Go Gentle” is why he’s doing it.

One thing I found rather amusing is that two of the characters are copy editors for a major medical journal and this book could use their services.  The author needs to do a thorough proofreading before the next printing.