Reviews for Easing the Passing

The average rating for Easing the Passing based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-11-06 00:00:00 Arthur Fier John Adams was a family doctor in England in the 1940s-50s. After having a Mrs. Morrell die under his care in the early part of the 50s, he was put on trial for her murder in 1956. In his past were several others who had died under drug-induced circumstances, as well, which led the police to train their sights on him. Especially since many of his patients bequeathed money and objects to him. In the case of Mrs. Morrell, a woman in her eighties who had suffered a severe stroke and was being given heroin and morphine, she was leaving him a silver chest, and at one point it was rumored her old Rolls Royce. She seems rather contentious based on her adding and then cutting the good doctor out of her will, and then adding him once again. It was at this point that the patient was given some rather large doses of injectable drugs, the same heroin and morphine, under which amount she lapsed into a coma and died. Was Dr. Adams guilty of murdering her? Was intent criminal? The book itself was written years later by the trial judge who presided over the case. It is at times a bit dry, but it is an intriguing look into British trial law at that time. The judge also gives his own opinion on the case, looking back upon it years later. On a personal note, I was rather giddy to find that the University of Virginia's Law Library was willing to loan this out to my local library for me to read!

Review # 2 was written on 2013-06-16 00:00:00 Vicki Maccrimmon A fascinating description of the trial of Dr John Adams by the trial judge. This book was hugely controversial when it was written, and can be dry to read but was really interesting to see how the cogs of the law worked in Britain at the time.