Pain Killers: A Year in an ER
“A delightful medical drama that’s infused with gallows humor.”
–Kirkus Reviews
Mary Grace Kelly moves to a new city, carrying a few sets of nursing scrubs and a dark secret. Dr. David Korn finds her irresistible—and few women turn him down. Though at first she finds him arrogantly callous, David slowly wins her over. But when Mary Grace is called home to care for her invalid father and once again sink into her traumatic past, a trio of unlikely heroes conspire to save her and the romance: an elderly vagrant, David’s vaudevillian uncle, and a retired nun. Written by an ER physician, Pain Killers gives readers a glimpse into the world of medicine before computers, set in a busy emergency room in the late 1970s. With a backdrop of true-to-life physicians’ notes and consultations, off-the-record logbook entries, posted ads for cars and puppies, as well as threats against lunch thieves, Pain Killers immerses readers in the chaotic swirl of doctors, nurses, and patients—the human stories behind clinical care.


