Saturday 28 December 2013

The Doctor Rocks the Boat

Finished December 27
The Doctor Rocks the Boat by Robin Hathaway

This is part of the series featuring Doctor Fenimore. Fenimore is a cardiologist in Philadelphia, and one day passing the Schuylkill River, he sees a rower out and remembers how he found rowing to be a great destressor when he was an intern. He decides to take it up again. When he goes to Windsor Club boathouse to rejoin, he finds his old classmate Charlie Ashburn there. Charlie has to quit rowing years ago because of a heart defect, but now is son is vying to compete at Henley and Charlie is his biggest supporter. Fenimore can't help but wonder if Charlie's son Chuck was checked to see if he inherited the defect or not after he sees how drained Chuck is after rowing.
Easing into his return to rowing, Fenimore finds it difficult to find the time to row during hours when he knows others will be around. Talking to others, he finds the Victorian boathouses are under threat from developers who want to build a marina in their place. The Historic Commission has a proposal in the works to register Boathouse Row as an historic landmark, but it may not get through the process before the decision to develop takes place.
Fenimore's young office assistant has taken a fall on his skateboard and broken his leg, but also seems to be hiding something. Has he started hanging out with a bad crowd again?
All these things worry Fenimore and he gets involved in both professional and personal ways.
The setting was interesting with the information provided on rowing and the lovely natural setting and historic buildings. The different storylines offered many different possible plots behind attacks on Fenimore and others, I liked the characters and found the mystery a good one.

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