Chris Titus

This was really like 2 separate books. The first part concerned Paul. He has traveled to Prague after his brothers death there. The death is treated like a suicide, but Paul does not think his brother would have killed himself. He begins an investigation into the death, but he really doesn't get very far. I loved the descriptions of the city and the culture in Prague. It made me want to travel there, to see the same sites as Paul.

The next part of the book concerns Steve, and his quest to bring together Chinese medicine and American Medical doctors. This is no easy task, as most medical doctors find it hard to look for anything other than pharmaceutical answers. I did feel that this portion of the book was too abrupt. Suddenly we are in the middle of a plot to kidnap and re-educate doctors. It didn't seem to flow with the first part of the book in Prague.

I felt much of the book was like reading a text book on Chinese medicine. This is fine if you are expecting a text book, but I was expecting a good, entertaining story. The description of the book compared it to the Da Vinci Code. I was expecting more of conspiracy theories, messages hidden in plain sight, etc. Instead, this book had none of the feel of Da Vinci Code, so I was a little disappointed by that.

If you are looking to get a broad understanding of Chinese medicine, you might like this book. But I felt this book attempted to educate the reader at the expense of the story.… (plus d'informations)

The author
Chris Titus is a native of Boston, Massachusetts. Over the past fifteen years, he has held various investment research positions with a focus on the health care sector.
A traveler at heart, Titus has lived in Austria, Greece, and the Czech Republic, where he taught English and built an online social network for Greeks. He is conversant in German and is learning Greek. He currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts. (source: rel="nofollow" target="_top">http://www.godcomplexnovel.com/)

The synopsis
Inspired by actual events, The God Complex takes readers on a thrill ride through Chinese medicine. Discover the secrets of the Orient as you embark on a Da Vinci-style adventure. Follow along as a dynamic conspiracy ensues, pitting Eastern medicine against its critics in the West. Each clue brings you one step closer to solving the mystery and uncovering an ancient secret that connects Chinese medicine to martial arts. (source:http://www.godcomplexnovel.com/)

The review
This book caused some mixed feelings. I noticed it when it was posted as a freebie somewhere and checked the synopsis and got it because I felt it was interesting. The other day in one of my book clubs it was introduced as possible book of the month and I was considering not reading it after reading the introduction there. It took me some time to put things together and realize it was the same book I just got.
This book is introduced as a thriller, conspiracy and mysteries should be the anchor point of this book. Though there is a murder and a kidnapping included I did miss out on the whole thriller story. For me this book was more about Chinese medicine, acupuncture and martial arts. Did this disappoint me? Yes, cause I love a good thriller, suspense novel and no.. because the book caught me on other interests.
I practice nunchaku a martial art which got nothing to do with the acupuncture points cause it has a whole different origin. Still it is combined with other martial arts and it occasionally happens one is hit on a soft spot and goes down. On the same hour there is a group next to us practicing Wing Chun, which definitely fits in this whole story. So that part was interesting enough already.
Next, I suffer from post traumatic neuropathy as a result from the removal of a kidney (don't worry I had three of them) and have been confronted with the God complex of medical specialist on various occasions. It actually took me 20 years to get a diagnose (and I am 31 while writing this). This condition triggered various other problems in my belly area and for a year back I was send to “alternative” treatment by a company doctor as she noticed that the regular medicine made things worse. The regular treatment for my condition is a corticosteroids treatment where they put the steroids in your spine to disturb the signals of pain getting trough to your brain. The only problem with this treatment was that it stopped all the other signals too like those of the intestine system. As soon as I walked in the practice of the alternative treatment facility they started to acknowledge things and in this book I found a lot of recognition. That was very entertaining specially because my doctor sometimes says things but cannot explain them proper (language barrier) and I saw them explained in this book.
Other than that, the story is a bit shaky. I got the whole clue before the warehouse chapter already (to avoid spoilers, if you read it you will get it). The diary was very realistic, though I cannot imagine making the same choices, the feeling is similar.
The whole book is a bit bumpy but surely an interesting read if you want to have a basic understanding why people decide to turn their backs on regular medicine and look for alternative ways combined with a basic explanation why it can work.… (plus d'informations)