Rating: 
Summary: Gives Certain Groups Well Deserved Thrashing
Review: If this were a novel I would probably not have finished it, if I had I would have dismissed it with one star and as much sarcasm about an incompetent author I could think of. The horror is that this book documents a serial killer who killed his victims in hospitals around The United States and overseas. He killed these people, many who were his own patients, and others because they were convenient. He killed because it allowed him to act out his fantasies and because he enjoyed committing murder. And at least part of his thrill was that he knew that the system of which he was a part would go out of its way to rationalize or knowingly deny the truth. And it was this mentality that lead him from state to state killing as he went.This book is so disturbing because of the scope and the number of parties who allowed this killer to continue to kill. If these crimes had been committed in one hospital a finger could be pointed and those responsible punished. But he worked his way through Illinois, Ohio State University Hospitals, South Dakota, New York, Zimbabwe, and finally back to the US when he was arrested. He was not arrested for murder, and at the time he was caught he was passing through to his next job in Saudi Arabia. The string of events and the years they occupy will leave you shaking your head. This man poisoned 6 coworkers and was sent to prison, this little event did not even slow him down when pursuing his next hospital post. You will even read of at least one member of the medical community that said even with this conviction they would still hire this man. And the truth is many more than one employer did. And many of those who could have stopped this person very early on remain in their professions today, and many of them hold positions of much greater authority. How can this happen? The observations of nurses need to be dismissed along with victims who survived this serial killer together with roommates that witnessed his actions. Those in the hospital administration need to refuse to cooperate with investigators, and they must put their potential liability ahead of the bodies this man left in his wake. The process is simple; discredit anyone who may have something damaging to say, whine about how hard it is to prove a murder when effected by a doctor, and then write endorsements and recommendations of the killer that will not raise an eyebrow with the next employer. The goal is to push the guy out of your hospital without the killer or his victims suing, and then let the next hospital deal with him. This guy is now serving three consecutive life sentences. This number is at least several dozen short of the number he killed. That he was finally charged and convicted had precious little to do with the hospitals he worked at. From what I was able to find he was convicted of murder at a Veteran's Administration Hospital, which would find it much harder to ignore the Federal Government. At a minimum there are a dozen or so cells that should be occupied by other doctors and a string of hospital administrators. To that group can be added some members of the boards of doctors who are supposed to discipline their own, and not a few members of congress that ensure that tracking and documenting the histories of those we entrust are lives to remain vague and poorly documented.
Rating:
Summary: A Nice Piece Of Work
Review: Like Den of Thieves, James B. Stewart has produced another well researched book, this time about Michael Swango. This is a true crime biography of a serial killer that had easy access to both the tools and victims he needed to fulfill his twisted fetish. It's a surprising journey, how just when you think he pushed his luck to far, he manages to slip through the cracks and resurface. It's an interesting read, that may startle you, and well worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the time to listen to, but read the book, too
Review: The story of Dr. Michael Swango is an interesting one, and this audio book covers the high points of his life and crimes. I would recommend the audio book, but also the printed book for those who are interested in a more in-depth portrayal.
Rating:
Summary: Misplaced Blame
Review: I was given this book to read at a hospital sponsored meeting on physician credentialing issues. The book emphasizes the need for the strict credentialing processes of the medical profession. It also emphasizes the difficulty posed to this process by the seriously personality disorder individual. The author paints with too broad a brush in his sweeping indictment of the entire medical profession in allowing the credentialing of someone like Michael Swango and in doing so misplaces the blame for his heinous acts. Michael Swango is a serial killer who poisoned people remorselessly both in and out of hospitals and would have done so with or without a medical license. The medical profession is probably better than most at identifying the personality disordered individual and protecting the public from those that pose a threat. The really disturbing thought highlighted by this book is the struggle we have with identifying the charming, intelligent psychopathic personality and getting them help prior to the commission of serious criminal acts.
Rating: 
Summary: Dissing the Doctors
Review: Mr Stewart writes a thriller and keeps you guessing when the psychopathic doctor will be caught. For the first 200 plus pages he rants against all doctors and states that this crime will become more frequent, but when he gets to specifics he does not name one doctor who has followed Swango's path. He names Bundy and Gracy and some technicians, but no physician. He seems to not understand why hospitals and physicians are so careful to avoid malpractice suits, but then he probably has not had to face a jury that levels multi-million dollar awards at the drop of a hat and a suit crazy populace,as many physicians have in the past 20 years! Malpractice originally was defined as dereliction of professionl duty but it has come to mean,in the eyes of a jury,that perfect results were not obtained.
Rating:
Summary: A Shocking Book That I Couldn't Put Down!!!
Review: If you have ever been a patient in a hospital, or even just have gone to the doctor occasionally... this book will put a whole new spin on the way you look at him or her! The shocking account of a man by the name of Michael Swang is told by a wonderful author named James Stewart. Stewart, after hearing about the case from a judge that had the pleasure (I mean that in the lowest sense of the word) of meeting Swang, decided to do his own investigating on Swang and the life he led. Swang is a man working towards becoming a doctor but tends to have quite a few of his patients become violently ill and even "kick the bucket" after he has went in to check on them while on his rounds. As medical administrators begin to hear rumors and hear different accounts of stories Swang is dismissed from his duties and eventually just ends up at another hospital doing his usual "patient care". As you read the book you can't believe how respected medical professionals can just turn their heads to the staggering number of bodies going out the door from time to time, and obviously passing a rumor convicted doctor from hospital to hospital is not the answer either. A true story that ends up in Africa towards the end of the book, with dead bodies from Ohio to Zambia...Stewart shows that he deserved the Pulitzer Prize! This book is absolutely great but I warn you....you may think twice about who your doctor really is once you hit the last page! I know I already have.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling True Crime Read
Review: Probably NOT the book you want to read prior to entering the hospital for a medical procedure that keeps you in for 24 hours or more, but it IS a book that you should read at some point. I read it for the "true crime" aspect. (Yes, I'm a bit of a "gore hound" in that way. I try to excuse my bad habit by explaining that I'm reading it in a book and not some supermarket tabloid....) But I'm also in the field of health law, so the book had a hold on my attention in that way, too. It's certainly a good "true crime" read, especially since so many of us have on-going interactions (and what we like to think of as trusting relationships) with our doctors and other health care providers. But, as Blind Eye and recent court cases show, you want to hope that these people are being screened fully and dutifully before they ever make it to direct contact with patients. In the case of "Doctor" Swango, this didn't happen, and as result many people died needlessly. But it's not just Swango's need to be the Angel of Death that's implicated here. A strong and damning case is also made for the many medical schools and teaching hospitals that Swango attended, the general profession of the medical community, and other doctors who let this guy get away with murder for so many years. The tagline, "How the medical establishment let a doctor get away with murder" is certainly true, based on the information gathered by Mr. Stewart. The saddest thing is that, almost 3 years after publication, I have to wonder what--if anything--has been done by the establishment and all its component players to remedy this situation and ensure that no more Dr. Swangos creep into the system and make it onto the hospital floors to ply their sad, sick version of "medicine." Think about it: So much discussion and legislation to protect patients and support medical services, but what is really being done to protect patients from the few psychos who manage to make it into med school and become physicians? What should be done? Mr. Stewart offers no suggestions, but perhaps that's a book for one of his readers to write next.
Rating:
Summary: Did Swango do the Tylenol in Chicago 1982?
Review: Hi, I am hoping either Stewart or someone in authority sees this. I know that sounds melodramatic and I assume someone else has already looked into this. It occurred to me while reading Blind Eye (which was great, by the way) that Swango could have done the Chicago Tylenol murders in 1982. I assume the authorities have already looked into this.
Rating:
Summary: Michael Swango, aka Killer
Review: Good Book. Very Interesting. Michael Swango - guilty of all charges including murder. I am appalled by what he got away with in the medical field. I am appalled that the doctors and hospitals allowed him to get away with it, and they should have been the ones to 'blow the whistle' on him. Unbelievable! I didn't think this could ever happen in the United States and in the medical field.
Rating:
Summary: A book for anybody who likes true crimes
Review: "Blind Eye" is a very interesting and disturbing book. There were several times throughout the book that made me think that if this guy was a doctor, and nobody suspected him, then what says that no other doctors are doing what he did. A book like "Blind Eye" makes you have second thoughts about doctors, and you shouldn't have to feel that way. A hospital is a place to save lives; not take them, and Michael Swango has probably made a lot of people feel a little queasy about that statement. Also I don't feel comfortable about Swango being released to out society. This is a man who upon his release from prison would most likely have no problem poisoning other individuals that he just doesn't like. Or even poison individuals he doesn't know, just because he can. Overall though, Stewart did an excellent job writing this book, and I would recommend this book to anybody that likes to read mystery, suspense, small thrillers, non-fiction, or true crimes. It keeps you on your toes wondering what is going to happen around the corner, and it always leaves you in a deep cliffhanger. It won't take long to read at all if you get into it, and don't have any distractions to keep you from reading.
| 
