July 2021 Book of the Month

“Five Stethoscopes 6 Secrets” by Rose Mary Stiffin, PhD

Review by Anita Finley

If you are a monthly Boomer Times reader, you will recognize the author of our July “Book of the Month” as Dr. Rose Mary Stiffin, one of our most prolific novelists. As a professor and researcher in a University in North Miami, she stirs my curiosity and fascination of characters every time I read one of her novels.

Her latest and maybe her greatest (she would probably disagree) novel, Five Stethoscopes 6 Secrets is a mixed bag of outrageous conversations, unbelievable actions, and plenty of romance, shared by five Black young medical students along with their professor.

All of this takes place in a mostly white population in Lincoln, Nebraska, where these women come from very different backgrounds and experiences which make their stories so challenging, especially since they are thrown together in a dual MD/PhD program.

The main heroine is their leader, Dr. Elizabeth Hoslin, Black, feisty, smart, outspoken and single. She sees five specific female students as her “chicks” and as a mother hen watches over them as best as she can!

Oh yes, there is one attractive white male MD/PhD, Dr. Jonathan Griffiths, who is Dr. Hoslin’s boss (which adds to the complexity of the situation, both professionally and socially).

The marvel of Dr. Stiffin’s writing is she can integrate each student’s personality creating six separate but combined past, present and future lives into one big basket of challenges and accomplishments. Even the five women’s names have meanings: Connie, Jo, Glory, Amaryllis, and Candi, all explain how they got their names, with details that the reader will enjoy.

Five Stethoscopes 6 Secrets moves at a rapid pace, the students sharing their lives and ambitions, while waiting to graduate. The chapters move from year 1 to year 5 with plenty of talk from each of the five students as they live their juicy lives. We do learn the secrets but the major one held by Dr. Hoslin is the best, which will put a smile on the reader’s face.

The 483 pages will keep you on your toes and I truly suggest you read it for fun and knowledge of what medical students go through to become doctors.

One characteristic that Dr. Stiffin incorporates in each of her books is called Questions and Topics for Discussion.

There are few novels around that will make you laugh, cry, jump for joy and yell at the characters to behave themselves!

Dr. Stiffin has been on the Zoomertimes TV Shows, and you can watch her by going to the Zoomertimes channel on YouTube.

Rose Mary Stiffin, PhD

About the author:

This is Rose Mary Stiffin’s 6th novel and she continues to write more extraordinary novels. Born in Mississippi, she earned a MS degree in organic chemistry and PhD degree in biochemistry and is a distinguished researcher and professor and the chair of Health and Natural Sciences at Florida Memorial University in North Miami.

To purchase a copy of this wonderful novel, please go to: Amazon.com