Douglas Ratner

Marchetti's Inferno Douglas Ratner

Imagine the thrill of witnessing your 11-year-old meningitis patient suddenly regaining consciousness after coming close to losing his life. Or the satisfaction diagnosing a rare cardiac complication in a middle-aged man whose only symptom was persistent hiccupping. Introducing Dr. Dan Marchetti, a brilliant and promising first-year intern with remarkable clinical instincts, a rising star if you will. However, Dan finds his confidence beginning to shatter after his patients periodically succumb to their illnesses due to a series of medical 'mishaps' that cast doubt on the care he provided. The besieged intern is subsequently charged with the homicides of some of his own patients, deaths clearly perpetrated by a hospital insider with keen knowledge of how to manipulate medical devices in order to expedite a patient's demise. The list of victims includes Trey Hartmann, a rookie star pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marchetti must find a way to keep his love for the profession intact, while confronting this invisible character.