Final Fear

Doctor who kills for pleasure, a power-mad hospital administrator, and a down-at-the-heels reporter are the main players in this entertaining, but improbable, medical thriller set in a hospital in gritty downtown Philadelphia. Dr. John Walker conquers his fears and obsessions by terrifying, then murdering, indigent patients with no living relatives. He then "enrolls" them (in name only) at a nursing home where Medicare payments are collected for care of the victims. Journalist George Gray checks himself into Dr. Walker's hospital to investigate a friend's puzzling death. After surviving a bungled operation, Gray finds adulterated medications, corrupt purchasing, and a host of other maladies.