The Secret Life of Copernicus H. Stringfellow by Lorin Barber

What a curious fellow is Copernicus H. Stringfellow. He just may be the smartest person in the world. He's got at least fifteen PhDs and is board certified in seven areas. After all, he started university when he was eleven!

Nick lost his mom when he was two and his dad ran away shortly after. Raised by his aunt and uncle, he has a photographic memory and breezes through textbooks as fast as he can turn pages.

Now in his twenties, he has moved to Seattle. He's invented vital products and invested his money well. He's worth billions. Unlike many rich, however, he is a mild man and wants to use his money for the good of others.

Appealing to a medical professor from one of the medical schools he attended, Nick begins work in a major Seattle hospital as a nurse. He uses his extreme intelligence and heightened mental powers to help patients heal quickly. He even meets a woman he'd like to get to know a little more.

But there are some in the hospital who don't like him and are out to see him fail.

This was a fun book to read. Nick is a great character, a typical scientific type who can rattle off information but doesn't know how to carry on an effective dialogue with a woman. He is a sweet hearted man, too. He only wants what is best for other people. It would be an interesting book for teens and young adults.

While the action is pretty good, there are periods of almost boring interlude, where facts and figures are inserted. And the dialogue leaves a bit to be desired. Some of it is just too simplistic to be interesting. I read the book as I live near Seattle and enjoy reading about places I know.

I read an uncorrected proof from the publisher. So the errors I saw may have been corrected in the final edition. Also, the proof I read was about 35 pages shorter than the publisher now lists so my copy may have been missing pages. That could be why there were loose ends not tied up at the end. What about the abducted girls? And who were those two fellows following Nick?

This book is from a Mormon publisher. Nick is a moral person and there was some talk about Christianity in the book, but nothing I would characterize as particularly Mormon.

You can see more about the book at the publisher's product page and at lorinbarber.com.

Cedar Fort Publishers, 304 pages (my edition was 260).

I received an egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. The opinions expressed are my own.