Misconceptions

A novel of birth, death and what happens in between . . .

Her chest tightened. Dizziness and nausea built. She tried to steady herself but couldn't. Standing up, she was uncertain what to do; then suddenly she knew. Stumbling, she jerked open the door and reeled down the corridor. And emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. It all came flooding back. The horror of her ex-husband, Tony's, trial before the Medical Tribunal. It had destroyed their marriage and changed their lives forever. "Not again," Julia cried out to herself. "Not again."

Julia Kent is a successful obstetrician who loves delivering new life into the world. She shares her busy beachside practise with three great partners and spends what little free time she has with her teenage daughter Emma, her lover Patrick and her best-friend Angie.

But sometimes things can go wrong . . .

Little Brendan Edwards came into the world underweight. His mother had smoked heavily throughout her pregnancy and the delivery had been traumatic. Brendan was seriously disabled and would spend the rest of his life in twenty-four hour nursing care. However it is still a complete shock for Julia when a legal letter arrives on her desk and the thought of having to face a malpractice suit resurrects bitter demons from her past.

And sometimes appearances can be deceiving . . .

Refreshingly Patrick appears to be everything that Tony wasn't - open, honest, uncomplicated and untainted by the sordid legal scandal that sent Tony's own career as a psychiatrist plummeting at the same time as it ended their marriage. So why do Emma and her grandfather seem keen for Tony return for Christmas? And what could this mean for Angie, whose own marriage has been rocked by the revelations of a private detective?

In a dramatic courtroom show-down Julia attempts to prove her innocence with the assistance of the Doctors' Defence Organisation before her patients, her father, Emma, and especially Patrick become aware of the accusations levelled against her. Can she avoid being plunged into a professional and personal nightmare for the second time in her life?

'Misconceptions' is an engrossing drama where family, friendship and the unpredictability of love are explored alongside a fascinating insight into a world of life and death decisions.