Doctor on Trial

With a premise that seems inspired by recent headlines, this uneven and awkwardly paced novel follows a harried young doctor in a major New York City hospital who is accused of malpractice. Kate Forrester, the resident in charge of an understaffed emergency room one Saturday night, is taxed with an overwhelming caseload when 19-year-old Claudia Stuyvesant, complaining of vague abdominal pains, is brought in by her overbearing mother. Professional and cool-headed, Kate takes Claudia's history, examines her and orders diagnostic tests, all of which prove negative. Hours later, Claudia dies. The girl's outraged father, a real estate tycoon with vast political clout, sues the hospital and vows to have Kate's license revoked. Kate's attorney digs tirelessly into Claudia's background for clues that she and her mother may have withheld vital information from Kate, and he searches desperately for doctors willing to testify to Kate's competence. Denker ( Payment in Full ) offers stock characters--the image-conscious hospital administrator; doctors protecting their reputations; lawyers concerned chiefly with billable hours--but his observation of the medical and legal professions turns up timely and valid criticisms. Reader's Digest Condensed Books selection. (Aug.)