Doctor Lucifer
A Medical Thriller
A doctor and a hacker engage in an electric battle of wits in the suspenseful thriller Doctor Lucifer.
In Anthony Lee’s engaging thriller Doctor Lucifer, a steadfast doctor is targeted by a vicious hacker.
Mark is a somewhat distant internist who often turns to music to express his states of mind. Careful to a fault, he has never prescribed the wrong medications to anyone or forgotten a patient’s allergies. Nonetheless, his charts are now full of errors—a potential result of Lucifer’s Worm, a cyberattack of enormous proportions. Indeed, Mark has been targeted by Doctor Lucifer, who wants to ruin his life and career.
The book’s characterizations are somewhat limited to the two central foes, who engage in an electric battle of wits throughout—at no point is it clear which of them will triumph. And Mark narrates, revealing much about himself as he goes. After a disengaged dinner with friends, for example, he reflects,
I’ve been like this my whole life… . antisocial. Not the kind of antisocial with rebellion against authority. The kind where I want to be alone. Unsociable is more like it.
In addition to taking time to look at the stars and savor a good meal, he also makes thick use of medical jargon; even in casual situations, he is prone to leading with his professional expertise. And in conversation with others, he’s somewhat wooden but precise: “I must be prepared. You never want to be stuck in a crisis situation with no way out.” In interpersonal situations and elsewhere, he’s fleshed out as both a committed professional and an often self-righteous person who resists forgiving other people’s shortcomings. His general disillusionment makes him more vulnerable to formidable Doctor Lucifer, who has a sadistic streak and who foments anger toward medical professionals.
Moving with speed through the span of one workweek during which Mark has to fight against his enemy’s machinations in order to protect his patients, the book’s progression is quite dependent on its themes: it functions as a narrative critique of society’s general reliance on technology and on the internet in particular. The plot twists and builds upon itself as a reflection of such underpinnings, leading Mark down mistaken paths in his attempts to catch his enemy and resulting in a constant state of tension, even after the hacker’s identity is revealed. And the final confrontation is suspenseful as well: Mark winds up in an impossible situation and has to fight his way out, but his cleverness leads to a satisfying resolution.
Doctor Lucifer is an intriguing thriller in which a doctor fights to protect his life and his career against a massive, unanticipated cyber threat.
Reviewed by
Carolina Ciucci
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
