Overdose caused by illegal drug use is one thing. When that overdose is caused by a physician, however, it is quite another. Most physicians see the inherent risk in prescription drugs and follow the rules. Some doctors do see the potential profit and take chances. Dr. Darden North, as both a physician and an award-winning author, sees engaging plot points instead and turns these into medical thrillers.

"Physicians are often asked to prescribe medications that fall outside the scope of practice, much less the FDA approved guidelines. On-line pharmaceutical companies and foreign supply sources make medications readily available to patients for misuse or, as in the case of the Michael Jackson death, to physicians who would not routinely use a medication outside a hospital setting. How many cardiologists keep a supply of potentially-deadly propofol in their black bags? The fact that the drug does not appear in routine toxicology screens is fodder for a thriller writer as long as the villain hides the empty propofol vials. As in my recently released novel "Wiggle Room," when a writer needs a unique method to remove a character and hide the crime, true-life stories and the antics of misdirected physicians seem to surface just at the right time."

Darden North practices medicine full-time as an obstetrician/gynecologist at Jackson Healthcare for Women, PA, and writes mysteries and medical thrillers. 'Wiggle Room' is his recently released fourth novel. North's first two novels, 'House Call' and 'Points of Origin', have received national book awards, most notably an IPPY in Southern Fiction for 'Points of Origin.' His third medical thriller, 'Fresh Frozen', is in film development and received five national writing awards: the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards -- Winner, Best Cover Design and Finalist, Regional Fiction; the 2009 San Francisco Book Festival - Honorable Mention in General Fiction; 2009 New Generation Indie Book Awards -- Finalist, Best Cover Design Fiction, and Finalist, Regional Fiction. His first three books have been nominated in Fiction by the Mississippi Institute for Arts and Letters.

'Wiggle Room' has received high praise. Robert Dugoni, New York Times best-selling author of 'The Conviction', said "A rollercoaster ride of murder, intrigue, and plot twists, 'Wiggle Room' keeps (readers) turning the pages to the final, climactic finish." Carolyn Haines, author of 'Bonfire of The Vanities' called the book "An action-packed, edge-of-the-seat thriller."

Darden North is available for media interviews, personal appearances and book signings. He can be contacted using the information below or by email at darden@dardennorth.com. All of his books are available at most online book retailers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble. More information is available at his website.

Darden North, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician/ gynecologist who grew up in the Mississippi Delta and now lives in Jackson where he practices medicine. A graduate of Ole Miss and the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and Medical Center, he is a certified DaVinci robotic surgeon and still delivers babies. North's first novel, 'House Call' was awarded Finalist in Mystery/Suspense by the 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. His second novel 'Points of Origin' was recognized in Southern Fiction by the 2007 Independent Publishers Book (IPPY) Awards. His third novel, 'Fresh Frozen' is in film development by Frank Vitolo and Scott Alvaraz. The screenplay adaptation of 'Fresh Frozen' is by Amy Taylor. The novel received Best Cover Design in the 2009 National Indie Excellence Awards and Finalist in Regional Fiction.

North presented at the 2013 Killer Nashville writing conference discussing the construction of medical thrillers and mysteries and served on the faculty of the 2010 Southern Expressions Authors Conference. He has been a panelist at "Murder in the Magic City" (Birmingham, AL), "Author! Author! Celebration of the Written Word" (Shreveport LA), "Murder on the Menu" (Wetumpka, AL), and "Thriller Author Panel - 2008 SIBA Trade Show" (Mobile, AL).