Dead Head
Allen Wyler
Reviewed by Sabrina Williams
Allen Wyler pens another engrossing medical
thriller in his
second novel DEAD HEAD. Fusing together an eclectic blend of science,
science
fiction, and technology, Wyler has outdone himself in the tale of
neurosurgeon
Russell Lawton. Russell's renowned research on primates has created the
possibility that paraplegics could move their limbs with the aid of
computers,
and has drawn dangerous attention. He is kidnapped from a medical
conference by
Middle Eastern terrorists who are angered by President Bush's war in Iraq.
A fellow terrorist has been injured in an accident and they need to
keep his
brain functioning. His entire lower body has been crushed and the
prognosis is
grim. Their solution? A head transplant! This is where Russell comes
in, as the
surgeon they entrust their cohort's life to. Russell will not cooperate
with
the outlaws until they place him in a precarious predicament: they have
kidnapped his daughter, Angela, and will kill her if he refuses to help
or if
their associate dies.
Russell has no choice but aid the terrorists and become an
accessory to unthinkable crimes. To make matters even more difficult,
the
surgery must be performed in Rusell's laboratory in the heavily secured
National Institutes of Health, and the country's terror alert is
elevated. He
must find a way to get three Middle Easterners and their patient past
armed
guards during a time of intensified Homeland Security. If he gives the
scheme
away, Angela dies. Angela's time is waning as the patient's life slips
away,
and Russell can't afford to make mistakes. Can he perform a miracle and
successfully complete the first human head transplant?
Allen Wyler's own medical experience as a practicing neurosurgeon
makes the plot incredibly convincing. On the surface, the storyline
seems
implausible and a tad unlikely. However, Wyler explains in layman's
terms
complicated medical procedures involving neuroscience. In turn, the
impossible
endeavor of transplanting a human head seems right within our grasp.
The book
draws on current paranoia surrounding the "War on Terror" and
insurgent beheadings in Iraq
and Afghanistan.
Also the author of the 2005 release, DEADLY ERRORS, Wyler is as adept
at
fiction as healthcare. I sincerely hope that he continues to write more
fascinating medical thrillers.