The Kindle title is not currently available for purchase

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Simon Stephenson

Follow

Sometimes People Die: A SUNDAY TIMES Crime Book of the Month and NEW YORK TIMES Editor Pick Kindle Edition

by Simon Stephenson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

1,510

See all formats and editions

‘A riveting read’ Sunday Times, Crime Book of the Year

‘A smartly-paced thriller’ Evening Standard

‘Dramatic, unnerving… exceptional’ The Sun

*SELECTED FOR BBC’S BETWEEN THE COVERS*
*A NEW YORK TIMES Editor’s Pick*
*THE SUNDAY TIMES’ Crime Book of the Year*
*THE GUARDIAN’s Best Recent Crime and Thrillers*
*THE EVENING STANDARD’s Best New Books of 2022*
*THE TIMES’ Best Crime Books of 2022*
_____________________________________________________________

The year is 1999. Returning to practice after a suspension for stealing opioids, a young Scottish doctor takes the only job he can find: a post as a senior house officer in the struggling east London hospital of St Luke’s.

Amid the maelstrom of sick patients, over-worked staff and underfunded wards a darker secret soon declares itself: too many patients are dying.

Which of the medical professionals our protagonist has encountered is behind the murders? And can our unnamed narrator’s version of the events be trusted?

‘A delightful read. The serial killer plotline is an added bonus. I loved it’ Kathy Reichs, the #1 New York Times bestseller

Print length

353 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

The Borough Press
Publication date

September 1, 2022
File size

1138 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Report an issue with this product or seller

Tim Sullivan
10,592
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $7.99
Jane Casey
3,954
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $11.99
Eleni Kyriacou
676
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $1.99
Jane Harper
19,399
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99
Patricia Wolf
11,954
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $7.49
Simon Rowell
161
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Simon Stephenson is a former Pixar screenwriter and an author based in Los Angeles.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

“The witty writing, quirky protagonist, and anecdotal descriptions of real-life medical villains combine to make Sometimes People Die a delightful read. I loved it.”—Kathy Reichs

"Sometimes People Die blew me away and cost me a night's sleep as I read it on tenterhooks. Both a revelatory glimpse into the rigors and strains of medicine and a thrilling piece of entertainment, this astounding novel announces the arrival of a new Michael Crichton for the zeitgeist."—Ken Bruen, author of The Guards

"Simon Stephenson gives us a medical thriller that echoes Robin Cook by way of Edgar Allan Poe, with a lying, cowardly, mediocre doctor as our guide to St. Luke's Hospital, where the staff have lives in their hands and death under their thumbs. As the mystery spirals and the bodies pile, his cynical charm and black humor will draw you in. You'll trust him to get you through it. But should you?"—Judy Melinek & T.J. Mitchell, New York Times bestselling authors of Working Stiff and First Cut

"This timely novel has it all: it's a chilling literary thriller, an emotional dive into the joys and stresses of our health care workers, and a genre-bending story with a perfect dose of gallows humor. I loved this book.. and never want to visit a hospital again!"—Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

"Dark and haunting, powerful and propulsive, Sometimes People Die is a smart, cinematic, tour de force written by an exceptional talent. Simon Stephenson’s novel is simply unputdownable."—Lara Prescott,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Secrets We Kept

“A highly satisfying tale that is at once relevant, moving, and eye-opening."—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Omega Factor

"Enjoyable...the novel’s tone shifts from dread to suspense as the narrator turns amateur sleuth when the facts don’t seem to add up."—Publishers Weekly

“This is a fine medical thriller that should be recommended to Robin Cook fans.”—Booklist

"Simon Stephenson’s diabolical and quick-witted medical thriller is not to be missed."—CrimeReads

"If you need something pleasurably distinctive, 'Sometimes People Die' is the book to find next time."—CNHI News

"Engrossing."—The Guardian
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09RPM3CTQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Borough Press (September 1, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1138 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 353 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,604,456 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,724 in Medical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #2,037 in Medical Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #2,808 in Medical Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,510

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Simon Stephenson

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Hello!

I am from Edinburgh in Scotland, but live now in Los Angeles. I have had stopovers along the way in London and San Francisco.

I’m a writer and screenwriter, and before I became a full-time writer I was a physician.

My new novel, ‘Sometimes People Die’ will be published in September 2022.

I have written two other books. ‘Set My Heart To Five’ came out in 2020. The Washington Post review said that I might be ‘Vonnegut’s first true protege’. You’d better believe I am going to be dining out on that for the rest of my life.

‘Let Not the Waves Of the Sea’, my memoir about losing my brother came out in 2012. It won Best First Book at the Scottish Book Awards, and was serialized on BBC Radio 4.

I’ve worked as a writer on various films including Pixar’s LUCA, PADDINGTON 2, and my own THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN. Like every other screenwriter in Hollywood, I have a bottom drawer full of unproduced scripts and forgotten promises. So it goes.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

1,510 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

magic light

People die

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2023

Verified Purchase

As a health care professional I liked peering into hospitals from an insider's point of view. The author's writing was accessible and easy to follow his thoughts and perspectives as telling this story from the viewpoint of an addicted doctor. The interwoven true crimes were fascinating and chilling. I hope he writes more.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

A.J.

Interesting book

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

This was an interesting book. It touched on the difficulties inherent in a hospital setting, particularly for young doctors looking to complete their certifications and launch their careers; the long hours, the nonstop demands while on the clock, the need to continually study for their exams.

But it also delved into another topic unrelated to the plot mentioned in the synopsis: Addiction and its effects on a person’s life, even if they’re a high functioning addict like the main character in this book seems to be. Even when he was clean, there was that constant fear of relapse, and in a hospital setting, the temptation to do so was always right there. I felt that part of the story was almost as prominent as the criminal investigation was.

While I liked the overall story, I wasn’t terribly engaged by its delivery. Much of the narrative was told in distant manner that didn’t pull me in emotionally. (It truly felt like telling versus showing for most of the book, and while it worked okay, it really isn’t my preference as a reader.)

I did like the historical asides that were sprinkled throughout featuring real world cases similar to the one presented in the book.

As for the guilty party… Maybe I’ve watched too many true crime shows, but I thought it was pretty obvious very early on. I did question my theory at one point, but it was quickly revealed that I was right all along. Despite my ability to predict the culprit, it was a pretty good story.

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

A very good book on many levels. You get an inside look at the life of a Dr. in a busy urban hospital. There is a lot of medicine discussed which I enjoyed. There is also a decent whodunnit and an interesting perspective on addiction. I am done with the book but done thinking about it.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kindle Customer MJ

Compelling

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2023

Verified Purchase

Sometimes a book comes along where you know the plot , the who and how it was done. But you keep reading anyway because it's like a literary train wreck, you want to know why the murderer went off the rails. Stephenson is very adept at taking us along to investigate this medical train wreck. Enjoy the adventure. Implied moral: don't do drugs.

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2023

Verified Purchase

The title is the plot. Notes from historical medical killers periodically distract the drone of the addict narrator. The title is the ending. Sometimes books suck: My Review.

Helpful

Jeffrey T. Kirchner

The most enjoyable fiction I have read in months. often could not put this down!

Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2022

Verified Purchase

Perhaps my inherent bias as a physician and one who went through the rigors of hospital residency training in the 1980’s but this book was such an enjoyable read. I forgot how awful but life changing those experiences were - especially many of the ugly and usually unsuccessful code blues - or “ballets “to use the author,s word……major kudos to the AU for putting down in this very clever Narrative so many of the crazy, scary, unexpected things that can and do happen in the hospital. Thanks Dr Stephenson. Movie potential here for sure🙂

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

SR

Medical thriller

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2023

#SometimesPeopleDie #SimonStephenson #GeorgeMillerBurns #HarlequinTradePublishing,#HanoverSquare Press #NetGalley

This is a medical thriller that takes place in a busy Scottish hospital where a string of mysterious deaths occur. As the deaths pile up, a junior doctor who is a resident there, tries to make sense of it while battling his own demons and coping with the death of his friend.

The story is told convincingly. The ABCs of the ER, the admonishment to DFTG (Don't forget the glucose!), the long hours, the perpetual fatigue, the over-work, and the under-appreciation that make up a resident's life is conveyed with authenticity.

The book is narrated by George Miller Burns, whose Scottish brogue adds a special flavor to the story. The protagonist is charming and relatable, and the well-defined characters breathe life into the novel.

Overall, this is an engaging medical thriller that draws on the author's experiences as a physician to take readers into the brooding underbelly of a hospital. If you're a fan of medical thrillers, this book is definitely worth checking out.

This was an advance copy and I enjoyed listening to it.

Helpful

Lindots

Such a riveting mystery!

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

This mystery novel was engossing from the get-go. Unique characters and complex story line that has a great medical pedigree. yes, my suspicion of the perpetrator early on panned out, but I so enjoyed all the twists!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Jackie Forrest

Excellent medical thriller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2024

Verified Purchase

I always like a medical thriller and this certainly didn't disappoint. It did remind me a little of This is Going to Hurt, as it also had some dry humour. Good plot with well developed characters and I didn't guess who the baddie was until nearly the end. It was very obviously written by a doctor and someone who knew a fair bit about addiction. The hard life of a junior doctor came across very well. I work in medicine so am familiar with all the medical lingo but it may not appeal to someone who wasn't. A good intelligent read and also well researched. I will definitely look for more of his books.

2 people found this helpful

Caz

Real page turner!

Reviewed in Spain on August 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

I was sad to finish it because I enjoyed it so much. The ending was utterly brilliant - highly recommended.

Paris

Different, in a good way

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is a book with an interesting structure, quite unlike the average crime/thriller. At no time do we learn the main protagonist’s name, dialogue is quite limited but the story takes hold amid what initially appears to be almost a journal of a junior doctor. The humour is akin to that of Adam Kay’s wonderful “This is Going to Hurt” and the account of hospital life is unsurprisingly drawn from the author’s own experience, which provides a strong sense of authenticity. Within that, an even darker tale emerges. I am pleased it has not been sold as a psychological thriller as I find most of those quite off putting, with about as much knowledge of psychology as the average 3 year old. Although I guessed the baddie quite quickly, the plot held despite some rather fanciful detours on its way. Again, despite the main character’s numerous flaws, I really did want to see how it all unfolded. On the strength of this, I will definitely read the next book (hopefully there will be one) by this author.

3 people found this helpful

CSM

Amazing novel - best one I have read in quite a while

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

I would say firstly that I do enjoy medical thrillers but had not expected to find the power of this literary crime novel. The book is full of brilliant characters, humor, satire and a mystery that means you just have to read the next chapter. Because of the description of the hospital and the way it is run I expected it to be depressing but just found myself rooting for the staff in their efforts to keep going against all odds. The problems experienced by the main protagonist are made all too real and believable. It is a book where the subject of life and death is addressed in a challenging and thought provoking way. Brilliant.

5 people found this helpful

Fiona Jones

A good read which speeds up at the end to a satisfying conclusion

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

This book takes quite a long time to get going and it's not really until close to the end that the real investigation gets going.
It's a real insight to working as a doctor on A&E with so much detail only a doctor could write!
Ultimately, I really enjoyed this book and it was very well written with a great lead character.

Image Unavailable

Follow the author

Sometimes People Die: A SUNDAY TIMES Crime Book of the Month and NEW YORK TIMES Editor Pick Kindle Edition

Customers who bought this item also bought

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Review

Product details

Videos

About the author

Simon Stephenson

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries