Mike Esposito's Website Category:  Action/Thriller Publisher: Durban House ISBN-10:  1930754981 Type: Fiction Pages: 278 Copyright: July 25, 2007 ISBN-13: 9781930754980 Dr. Michael Esposito’s breakout novel stunningly illuminates the world of medicine and malpractice law in a way that fiction never could. Locked In is an intelligent, fast-paced thriller. Dr. John Armstrong, a respected Tampa radiologist, lives a privileged life built on a crumbling foundation. Cal Burton, his college roommate, is Tampa’s premier medical malpractice attorney. The two men form a group to defraud insurance companies in medical malpractice cases. Initially their scheme is successful but greed pushes them too far. Unbeknownst to Armstrong, the group begins to use their patients as pawns in their malpractice game. Armstrong discovers their plot and attempts to break free. Before he can, the group sets him up for one final case. His battle to free himself without losing it all leads to thrilling climax. Excerpt They sat together for a while before Ashley went on. “John, I don’t think doing legal referrals is wrong. You’re helping people. But when you interceded ahead of time, you crossed the line. You know how much trouble you can get in if you get caught?” “I know. That’s what terrifies me. I can lose everything I have and end up going to prison. I would never survive in prison. I would kill myself before I went.” He stared at the ceiling. He had lived alone with his terrible burden for months and it had created great anxiety which sometimes made it difficult to function. More and more frequently, waves of free floating anxiety would sweep over him making him, suffocating him, making him consider taking his own life. “I referred about four or five cases to Cal I knew were winners. They were cases I had collected over the years where somebody had made a bad mistake and the patient suffered significant bodily injury. Cal won all the cases that have been settled so far, and thinks all the cases will eventually be won, but to what degree is not known.” John ran his fingers through his hair again and began rubbing his eyes. It was a nervous habit he had had in their years together. She stared at him. She had thought him lots of things, but not a liar, thief and murderer. “I was jealous of Rick and wanted to make him look bad. I changed the case figuring people would mock him and tout me. I cost that woman her life.” His voice trailed off and he was crying. “And four small kids don’t have their mother.” Ashley pulled him to her. She waited for him to regain his composure. “How many people know about what you have done?” she asked. “No one, just you and me. I’ve been carrying this around with me for months now and it’s made me feel so unstable. My anxiety gets higher and higher.” He grasped her hand tightly. “John, you’ve got to let go of the past. What’s in the past is done. The only thing you can do is affect the future.” “I know. But I’m in too deep. I feel like there’s no way out.” Her stomach twisted and she was feeling sick again. “You need to let it go.” “I didn’t think anyone would get hurt,” John said, lost in his own anguish. “I didn’t expect her to die. I just thought it would delay the diagnosis. It all backfired. The thing is, this case is going to make me an incredible sum of money. In the end, I’m going to be paid for my evil.” “John, you have to stop using words like that. It’s, it’s not healthy.” They sat quietly holding each other. Ashley could feel John’s pain, but she knew she could not change what John had done. She had driven him too far. “All your protesting about buying things. I didn’t know it was so bad. I didn’t know.” John’s repressed anger slipped loose. “All your goddamned credit cards!” She pulled him close to her again. “I’m so sorry, darling. I didn’t know. We can get through this together. I’ll help you. No one needs to know. If you don’t say anything, there’s no way anyone will find out, right?” “Right. I’ve deleted the original images and the data. The only information present now are the correct images.” “Okay. Now concentrate on getting your emotions under control, and stop talking about evil.” Her lips found his cheek. “Or about anxiety.” “I can’t stop thinking about the pain I’ve caused Rick and Beth.” “John, you must.” “I wish it were that easy. I haven’t told you everything. That’s not all of it.” Gastric contents refluxed, sour in her throat. “What do you mean that’s not all of it?” John looked her in the eyes. He told about Tushar and his computer program. Ashley sat quietly as he explained the system to her. She did not understand it completely, but understood the implications. “So he could manipulate the images to make it look like someone has a brain tumor when they really don’t? Why would you want to change the pictures again?” “Tushar was doing it so his program had data. I did it for money.” Money again. “Well, who else is involved, John? Who knows what you’ve done?” “No one knows that I changed the aneurysm case. I told Bob Norman I changed another case recently. He will operate on the guy in the next couple of days.” “Operate! You did something so the guy is going to have surgery?” Her mouth hung slack. “God, you’re using people like experimental animals!” “No, it’s not like that. He had to have surgery anyway to reduce the swelling on his brain-stem or he would die. The only difference is that we’ll change the pathology. Instead of having a stroke, he is now going to have a brain tumor.” “Well, how does that benefit anyone? I would think that would hurt him.” John described to her what he had done in the Carmichael case. He explained how it would make no difference in the patient’s life when the brain tissue was removed since it was already dead. Often large infarcted areas of tissue in the cerebellum are removed to prevent fatal brain swelling. Although he did not have a lot of swelling, the surgery could be justified. The only difference was the pathologist would call the tissue a malignancy and not a stroke. John described his relationship with the partnership and with Dr. Wolfe. Wolfe had been saving parts of gross specimens and slides from other neuro-related procedures. He had a regular potpourri of pathology ready. All he needed to do was place the patient’s name on the specimens. He played God from the pathology lab. “John, where is this all going to end? Where do you guys draw the line? You need to stop or you’re going to find yourself in trouble or in jail or worse.” “That’s what I’ve been saying.” He managed a smile. “This is the last time I’m going to do something like that. The stress and anxiety I feel have made my life a living hell. I can’t go on like this. It’s not worth the money. In fact, in the beginning it wasn’t really about the money. It was about us and Amanda. I did it for us, if you can believe that.” “I know that. I really do.” She pressed her palm against his cheek. “No matter how many hours I worked, I could never make enough money to get us ahead. I just wanted to make us happy. Now I may have destroyed our lives.” “You haven’t destroyed our lives. No one has to know about this. It goes no further than me.” They lay in the quiet. Once-concealed acts and emotions now crowded the room, ugly and forbidding.

Breakout Novel - Terrific Story
"In his breakout novel Locked In, Dr. Esposito has established himself as one of America's premier writers of medical thrillers. I read it in one setting. A terrific story well told."
– Kit Sloane,
Margot O'banion & Max Skull Series

A Thrill A Minute Ride
"Locked In is a thrill a minute ride rich in duplicity, diabolical manuevering, and intrigue."
– Richard Sand, Award Winning Author, Lucas Rook Mystery Series

Richly Detailed
"Locked In is nicely plotted, richly detailed, and worth every page."
– John Hamilton Lewis, Cry Havoc, Samsara