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The Deadly Dinner Party

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The Deadly Dinner Party

By: Jonathan A. Edlow
Narrated by: Joel Richards
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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Picking up where Berton Roueche's The Medical Detectives left off, The Deadly Dinner Party presents 15 edge-of-your-seat, real-life medical detective stories written by a practicing physician. Award-winning author Jonathan Edlow, MD, shows the doctor as detective and the epidemiologist as elite sleuth in stories that are as gripping as the best thrillers.  

In these stories a notorious stomach bug turns a suburban dinner party into a disaster that almost claims its host; a diminutive woman routinely eats more than her football-playing boyfriend but continually loses weight; a young executive is diagnosed with lung cancer, yet the tumors seem to wax and wane inexplicably. Written for the lay person who wishes to better grasp how doctors decipher the myriad clues and puzzling symptoms they often encounter, each story presents a very different case where doctors must work to find the accurate diagnosis before it is too late. 

Edlow uses his unique ability to relate complex medical concepts in a writing style that is clear, engaging and easily understandable. The resulting stories both entertain us and teach us much about medicine, its history and the subtle interactions among pathogens, humans, and the environment.

©2009 Jonathan Edlow, MD (P)2020 Tantor History & Commentary Medicine & Health Care Industry Physical Illness & Disease Sociology Detective Medicine Medical Fiction
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I was completely engrossed in this book, I loved the forensic medical detail but also the humanising factor. Has made me very wary of herbal teas, loofahs, vitamins etc!

So interesting!

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Really interesting stuff but not a wise choice for when I’m in bed with a stomach upset! By the end I had all of these things including the ones that aren’t seen in my part of the world. Human stories with enough science to enlighten without bamboozling. This is what good science communication looks like to me.

Fascinating

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A bit slow in parts and I got a bit bogged down in some of the facts but on the whole enjoyable. It’s in the plus catalog so it was a free listen.

Bit slow

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This was an entertaining collection of case studies. The subjects were unusual and often really surprising.
I did find some of the stories a little long winded with unnecessary detail but overall it was interesting and well put together.

varied insightful medical stories

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This was just up my street, love medical mysteries, and the physiology behind the problems. It’s probably why I like House.

Whilst these were very interesting mysteries in each chapter, the reader had a very soporific voice, which caused me to rewind a lot, Unfortunately after a while, I just got bored and skipped to the end picking the intersting snippets to get the final result.

Change the reader and it would be 5 stars from me.

Soporific medical mysteries

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