What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear

By Danielle Ofri. (Beacon Press, 248 pages, $24.95.)

When she writes: "Communication is not an extraneous perk but rather the bedrock of high-quality medical care," Dr. Danielle Ofri is spot on. In "What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear," the New York City doctor and professor weaves true doctor-patient tales with data on outcomes for varying communication styles. Citing a breakdown in communication as a key contributing factor for patients' lawsuits, she challenges doctors to find the "sweet spot" to help patients understand the nuances of their situation without being completely overwhelmed.

Ofri is surprised by the rich volume of diagnostic data she mines when she lets patients speak uninterrupted — and when she's timed such conversations, they aren't as long as she feared. She owns up to her own communication misfires, as with the patient whose domestic abuse she nearly missed, or the piles of handouts she kept giving to a patient who couldn't read.

But she is convinced that responsibility for quality communication falls with both doctor and patient. On the patient's side, this includes having realistic goals, which might mean winnowing a list of questions from two dozen to a manageable two or three. On the doctor's side, she advises, it might mean "to shut up, at least a bit." If and when both parties come to the table willing to actively listen and share, Ofri opines, the doctor-patient conversation "should be viewed as the single most important tool of medical care." Truly a worthy prescription.

KELLY MAYNARD

A Deadly Affection By Cuyler Overholt. (Sourcebooks, 448 pages, $16.99.)

Fans of historical fiction will find an intricate mystery in "A Deadly Affection," Cuyler Overholt's debut novel, the kickoff in a series starring Dr. Genevieve Summerford, a young psychiatrist trying to make her mark in turn-of-the-century New York City.

“A Deadly Affection” by Culyer Overholt

Although the product of a prosperous family — her father is a well connected businessman specializing in medical innovations — Summerford is not without her challenges: The childhood death of her brother has left the family with unhealed wounds, and Summerford's standing as a female in an emerging field that few understand is precarious.

When one of her patients is arrested for murder — a murder Genevieve fears she may have provoked — the young doctor decides to investigate. What unfolds is not only a fascinating medical mystery but also the story of a young woman trying to extricate herself from her father's shadow while confronting misogyny and mansplaining at every turn. Overholt delivers a story rich in historical detail that includes enough page-turning plot twists to satisfy readers.

COLLEEN KELLY