Army Podiatrist is Protagonist in New Novel
Lisa Scottoline's newest novel, "Don't Go," is a thriller that starts with a woman swimming in blood on her kitchen floor. Her husband, Army podiatrist, Dr. Mike Scanlon, comes home to find that the orderly life he thought he was returning to with his newborn daughter is spiraling out of control. The plot twists, and secrets are uncovered as Mike discovers his friends and associates may or may not be worthy of his trust. "I actually found a doctor who had served as an Army surgeon in Afghanistan and picked his brain relentlessly, as well as having had him read the manuscript to correct any of the errors. I also read almost everything written on the subject of the war, both fiction and nonfiction," said Scottoline.
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Lisa Scottline (Photo: Daniel Burke Photography) |
"That said, the podiatry research came about in a much more mundane way — I had bunion surgery! I learned a lot about what it's like to be a podiatrist, as well as how they are viewed in the profession. I instantly liked the idea that although podiatry wasn't necessarily a prestigious specialty on the homefront, the tables would be turned in Afghanistan and Iraq, where so many of the wounds were tragically the result of IEDs and injuries to the lower extremities. Mike Scanlon is the beating heart of this book, and the fact that he's a podiatrist says everything about him — he's smart, hard-working, and completely dedicated, but he feels like a second banana. He has to overcome that, and everything he goes through in the novel actually ends up being a blessing," said Scottoline.
Source: Catherine Mallette, The Baltimore Sun [5/10/13]
