What do you do when your favorite writers go cozy?

Matthew Costello, a writer I always liked a hell of a lot, has been writing cozy historicals.

Chet Williamson is probably the most underrated horror author on the planet. He and his wife, Laurie, have been writing novels that are decidedly cozy.

Bill Pronzini is writing cozy westerns.

And now F. Paul Wilson has published a cozy mystery/medical thriller/ghost novel called RX Murder.

I don't like writers getting too cozy, damn it!

Ah, I jest. I don't mind these guys writing whatever kind of story that pleases them. Or pays the bills. Especially when books are as good as RX Murder.

F. Paul Wilson has published RX Murder under the open secret pseudonym, Nina Abbott. He says in an Author's Note that he had to cleanse his palette after writing a particularly brutal Repairman Jack novel. The book sat in a figurative trunk for a number of years, and he recently revamped it.

The novel deals with a likable young doctor named Noreen Marconi. She's a junior physician at a small practice trying to establish herself as a dependable practitioner of medicine.

Noreen is having a bad day. Her apartment has flooded. A shyster has slapped a malpractice suit against her. And one of her patients, an old friend at that, has died after Noreen released her from the hospital. If all that isn't enough, the ghost of Noreen's father begins to visit her.

While I don't consider RX Murder to be among Wilson's finest works, it's perfectly enjoyable. I found myself rooting for Noreen and laughing at her comments. She's smart, funny, and shrewd enough to give the police a run for their money in gathering clues.

F. Paul Wilson never lets me down, and RX Murder is another winner. It's an enjoyable ride, with suspense, Paul's knowledgeable insights into the world of medicine, and even romance. Only an utter cad would ask for more.

But more is exactly what we are going to get. A second Noreen Marconi book, RX Mayhem, is forthcoming. I've already made my appointment to see Dr. Marconi again.

Written by Mark Sieber

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