Nothing Lasts Forever

Three San Francisco doctors encounter the challenges of the medical profession, a murder charge, and a deadly bet

Aficionados of cliches and stereotypes will derive extraordinary pleasure from practically every page of this formulaic potboiler from the bestselling Sheldon. As the novel opens, Dr. Paige Taylor is on trial for the mercy killing of a patient (Did she off the guy for his fortune?); the action then flashes back five years, when Paige and two other female doctors meet as first-year residents at a San Francisco hospital. Paige is the dedicated one, Kate Hunter ("Kat") an African American whose mother inspired her to lofty ambitions ("You can be anything you want to be. It's up to you") and Betty Lou Taft ("Honey"), the plain Southern belle whose diligent application of techniques gleaned from the Kama Sutra has assured her a professional niche. The trials and tribulations of both patients and medicos include suspenseful operations, natural deaths, murder and suicide ("All this time he was calling out for help and I didn't hear him."). Even Sheldon's typically careful research seems forced and out-of-place: tidbits about African tribal lore and medical terms and procedures only interrupt the bathos. Nonetheless--contrary to the book's title--Sheldon's popularity will no doubt remain undiminished. Literary Guild main selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Sheldon's latest begins with the trial of a San Francisco doctor, Paige Taylor, who in 1995 is accused of killing a patient to gain access to a large inheritance. The narrative then backs up to 1990 and chronicles the journeys of Taylor, Honey Taft, and Kat Hunter, the only three females in a group of new residents at Embarcadero County Hospital. The women, who quickly become roommates and friends, face long hours, a frenetic work pace, and unwanted advances from male colleagues. Kat becomes involved in unsavory underworld activities. Honey's questionable medical skills are overlooked by the male administrators, who value her other services. Paige tries to forget a lost love. This readable and entertaining story ends with a dramatic, if unbelievable, flourish. Recommended for public libraries, where the demand will surely be high.
--Heather Blenkinsopp, Mercy Coll. Lib., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.