PRO CONNECT
Mark Murphy has been a doctor since 1988.
He has been a writer his entire life.
After spending his early childhood reading anything he could get his hands on and roaming the marshes and maritime forests of coastal Georgia--where he collected myriad seashells and arrowheads and fossils and fancied himself a swashbuckler of the highest order--Mark entered the creative literary world by winning a local poetry contest in the fifth grade. Later that year, he wrote, directed and starred in his own play about the signing of the Declaration of Independence and started his own self-published classroom newspaper.
It was the high-water mark for Murphy's elementary school literary career.
In high school, Mark continued to write. He served as Editor of the high school newspaper and won awards for his editorials, critical reviews, short stories and poetry. He also attempted several times to start a novel. Alas, those attempts went nowhere, rarely making it beyond the first chapter--or the next call from his girlfriend, who was far more interesting than anything he could write about.
When he enrolled at the University of Georgia as a journalism major, he seemed destined for a literary career.
But he loved science. And he missed science.
Mark changed majors to Zoology with plans of becoming a marine biologist, like Jacques Cousteau. He even spent the better part of a year doing marine biology research. A good bit of that time involved tossing about on the Atlantic in a converted shrimp trawler that had once been used as a drug-smuggling boat, a leaky vessel that stank of diesel and dead fish. It was this experience that made him realize that he did not want to be the next Jacques Cousteau (or the first Jacques Cousteau, for that matter). Instead, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and go to medical school.
After graduating from the University of Georgia as a First Honor Graduate, with a 4.0 GPA, Mark enrolled at the Medical College of Georgia and received his M.D. there with honors. He then moved on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to begin his residency training in Internal Medicine. Mark's training at UNC was filled with interesting experiences; he took care of a dying sitcom star, a fallen tele-evangelist, several corrupt politicians and a serial killer while in Chapel Hill. He began to realize that medicine afforded physicians with a unique perspective into peoples' lives --an observation that would serve him well later.
Continuing his training in Chapel Hill as a Fellow in Gastroenterology, Mark wrote several book chapters and academic articles--but his creative writing muse had withered away to nothing.
In 1994, Mark returned to his home town of Savannah, Georgia to start the practice that would ultimately become the largest gastroenterology group in South Georgia.
The untimely death of Mark's friend Lisa Erickson led him to write a short story, The Funeral, as a gift for her husband. This story was published in 2004 in a regional collection of short stories called "O. Georgia!" Returning to creative writing, Mark attended the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and began writing short stories once again. In 2010, he began writing a well-received regular opinion column in his hometown newspaper, the Savannah Morning News.
In 2011, Mark decided to tackle trying to write a novel once more. That novel, a thriller entitled "The Shadow Man," was published in July, 2012 to critical acclaim. Mark then decided to try his hand at other genres, including Young Adult work ("The Curse of the Thrax," due out in 2014, is the first novel in the Bloodsword YA trilogy) and romance ("The Lost Year" is the work Murphy is currently working on).
Mark lives in Savannah, continues to work in a busy gastroenterology practice, and is married to Daphne, his high school sweetheart, who remains a very pleasant distraction. They have two grown children.
“An enjoyable, well-written and twisty thriller with gruesome aspects balanced by warmth, believable relationships and a likable hero.”
– Kirkus Reviews
A Savannah doctor’s life turns upside down when people suspect him of serial murder in this thriller tinged with the supernatural.
Surgeon Malcolm King is a good man living a good life in this fast-paced and suspenseful first novel by Murphy, a gastroenterologist and columnist for the Savannah Morning News. Malcolm has a loving family, a faithful golden retriever and a beautiful house. So when people link him to a series of gruesome murders, he’s desperate to discover the truth—at times even wondering if his sanity is slipping and he himself might be the killer. To avoid capture, Malcolm goes on the run, aided by a mysterious Thin Man who may or may not be trustworthy. As horrific murders of people close to him continue, Malcolm fights to protect his family and stop the killer. His good-guy hero faces an impossible situation full of spooky, atmospheric details reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart’s plight in a Hitchcock movie, and the thriller aspect works especially well since the book grounds it in ordinary happiness. Malcolm’s wife and daughter, even his dog, are fully realized, not pawns in a horror show; the Savannah setting is lushly detailed; and it’s easy to see what Malcolm has to lose. His work also comes across as both realistic—one day ranges from “ruptured appendices and walled-off diverticular abscesses to a Billroth II gastric resection”—and horribly similar to the killer’s grisly dissections. Flashes of humor help to ease the tension, and the camaraderie between Malcolm and other characters is a reminder that human connections can stand against evil. The sturdy plot structure includes red herrings, family secrets and a new direction just when it looks like it’s all over. Two clichés, each a bit of a groaner, mar the book somewhat: a noble, spiritual Native American and a medical condition often unfairly linked to villainy. The supernatural elements add little to the plot and can seem a bit pat, but they don’t get in the way of a satisfying finish.
An enjoyable, well-written and twisty thriller with gruesome aspects balanced by warmth, believable relationships and a likable hero.
Pub Date: July 20, 2012
ISBN: 978-1938296031
Page count: 348pp
Publisher: Langdon Street Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
Shadow Man Video Trailer
Day job
Physician
Favorite author
Stephen King; Flannery O'Connor; Joseph Conrad; Harper Lee
Favorite book
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
Favorite word
Pneumonoultramicrscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. It's just long.
Hometown
Savannah, Georgia
Passion in life
Living life to the fullest. And Georgia Bulldogs football.
Unexpected skill or talent
Colonoscopy!
Link to all of Mark Murphy's Savannah Morning News articles, 2014
Interview with Mark Murphy in Savannah Magazeine, 2013
Link to Blog page showing book trailer winners, 2013
Article Mark Murphy wrote for the Huffington Post, 2012
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.