Sentinel Event
A Mystery/Medical Thriller Novel
Jules M. Seletz

THE BOOK

Sentinel Event is the first in a series of fictional medical thriller novels that deal with untoward incidents, mishaps, and catastrophic outcomes, known as sentinel events, that in reality turn out to be nefarious deeds perpetrated by people from different walks of life.

Sentinel Event introduces Jacob M. Stein, MD, a resident of New Hampshire, who is a physician surveyor for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. He is asked to investigate a sentinel event - an operating-room death in a small, rural hospital in North Carolina.

As the investigation proceeds, inconsistencies, conflicting interviews, and suspicions emerge.

Jake is threatened, fired upon, uncovers blackmail, pornography, and illicit drug dealings all connected to money laundering and terrorism.

Why does his wife, Rhoda, fly to North Carolina to be by his side? How does she become involved in the case?

How does Jake combine forces with the local sheriff and the State Police to trap the killer?

After Jake and Rhoda return to New Hampshire, Rhoda admonishes Jake for playing amateur detective, nearly costing them their lives. Jake promises to refrain from such activity in the future. That is, until he is once again asked by the Joint Commission to investigate another death in a hospital in northern Maine.

Selected Reviews

I started this book with some trepidation, since (in the spirit of full disclosure) I have known the author in his other careers as a surgeon and Joint Comission surveyor. I couldn't imagine the premise holding my attention--but I was certainly wrong. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the whodunit; and I especially enjoyed Seletz' craft of describing the politics of the modern hospital and his gift for dialogue. I found this a thoroughly enjoyable read--and I look forward to his next book.
    - Frank Fuselier, Peterborough, NH

Couldn't put it down, from beginning to end. Couldn't wait for the next chapter. The main character was so believable I thought I must have really known him in person. Can't wait for the next in the series. I love Jake Stein.
    - Sue Parker,Stratham, NH

I read "Sentinel Event" at the gym while on the treadmill. I got so absorbed in the book that I forgot everything else. It was the shortest three hour workout I ever had. This murder mystery had all the suspense, action and twists to keep me turning the pages. I definitly rate "Sentinel Event" right up there with all the classic whodunits. Can't wait for the next Jake Stein novel!
    - Pat Parker from Newfields, New Hampshire

I am not an avid reader. Yet, once I started reading this book, I couldn't stop. I found that the author, with his first hand knowledge of medical terms, was able to make me feel as though I was apart of everything happening. This book should be on everyones "must read" list.
    - Patti Jo Ouellette, Lincoln, NH.

I finished this book the same day I started it! Wonderful plot - a mix of suspense, action, and mystery, all set in a colourful, interesting location. The main character was great! Can't wait to read the next one.
    - Carl Abbie, London, England

I read this whole book on a cross-country airplane ride -- I could not put it down! Sentinel Event pulls you in to the action and thrills right from the prologue. Seletz's writing is rich with vivid detail, dialogue, and medical intrigue. I was pulled into the plot working vicariously with Dr. Jake Stein to solve a string of murders and cover-ups in rural North Carolina. A "must-read" fictional thriller for anyone working in the hospital environment or in the medical field. I look forward to the opportunity to read the other books in the Sentinel Event series, as well as the Pass in Review quartet.
    - Chris Yeaton, Harker Heights, Texas

THE AUTHOR

Jules M. Seletz graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1953 as a second lieutenant, and the Chicago Medical School in 1958 with an MD. Following five years of post-graduate training at the Boston City Hospital, he practiced as a General and Peripheral Vascular Surgeon for 35 years.

He enjoyed a 41-year military career in the United States Army, rising to the rank of full colonel, having served as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery in 1953 during the Korean Conflict; and then deploying to Morocco, West Germany, and Botswana in sub-Sahara Africa; and finally to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during Desert Storm, as a military surgeon. Retired from the United States Army in 1994 while stationed at West Point, Dr. Seletz is now in his seventh year as a physician surveyor for the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations - JCAHO.

JCAHO is the nationally and internationally accepted accrediting body for the Healthcare Industry. For the past four years, Dr. Seletz has had several occasions to survey hospitals who have experienced untoward incidents, mishaps, catastrophic outcomes - sentinel events.

Dr. Seletz lives in Lincoln, New Hampshire, in the heart of the White Mountains where he enjoys skiing and mountain hiking with his wife of Acadian heritage. Together, they have seven children and ten grandchildren. In addition to five novels that involve sentinel events, he has also written three historical fiction novels - a quartet of historical fiction that mirrors his own life during the twentieth century including his father's emigration from Russia at the turn of the last century - a second one that describes the plight of the Acadians following expulsion from Nova Scotia during the French and Indian War in 1755 and their survival in Northern Maine until 1955, and a third one that describes the establishment of a sawmill town in Northern New Hampshire.

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