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Gary Gerlacher

Gary Gerlacher is a pediatric emergency physician with thirty years in medicine who writes crime fiction, thrillers, and action-adventure novels. His books feature an emergency physician and his K9 partner, Banshee, traveling the country and helping victims. He is the author of the AJ Docker thriller series, including Last Patient of the Night and Sin City Treachery, and is based in Plano, Texas.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Gary Gerlacher's books, including Sin City Treachery and Last Patient of the Night.
2
Books Reviewed
Cover of Sin City Treachery: An AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller
Sin City Treachery: An AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller

4.6/5

reader rating · 13,145 ratings

Sin City Treachery is the third entry in Gary Gerlacher's AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller series, published by Black Rose Writing on June 13, 2024. Set against the backdrop of Las Vegas's first Formula 1 race, the novel follows AJ Docker, his reporter girlfriend Lana Hearn, friend and colleague Rick, and trained ex-police dog Banshee as they untangle a terrorist plot after a bomb detonates in a parking garage. Gerlacher, a pediatric emergency physician, brings authentic medical credibility to the action, and the series is designed so that each installment can be read independently or in sequence.

Reviewed Apr 19, 2026

Cover of Last Patient of the Night: An AJ Docker Thriller
Last Patient of the Night: An AJ Docker Thriller

4.4/5

reader rating · 30,791 ratings

Gary Gerlacher's debut medical thriller introduces Dr. AJ "Doc" Docker, a Houston ER physician whose determination to identify and seek justice for an unnamed young woman who dies in his emergency room pulls him into the criminal underworld — with his policeman friend and a police dog at his side. Published by Black Rose Writing in December 2023, the novel blends action-packed thriller plotting with lighter, episodic moments from emergency room life, with Gerlacher's real-world background as a pediatric emergency physician providing the authentic ER detail that grounds the series opener.

Reviewed Apr 27, 2026

Ask LuvemBooks about Gary Gerlacher

Gary Gerlacher brings a genuinely distinctive angle to crime fiction: his protagonist is a working emergency physician, and Gerlacher's own thirty years in pediatric emergency medicine give the medical detail in books like Last Patient of the Night a credibility that sets the series apart from standard thriller fare. LuvemBooks has reviewed two books in his AJ Docker series, both drawing strong reader ratings on Amazon, with readers consistently responding to the pairing of clinical authenticity with action-driven plotting.
Where should I start?
The best starting point is Last Patient of the Night, the first book in the AJ Docker series. It introduces the core duo of AJ Docker and his K9 partner Banshee, establishing the world and the protagonist's voice before the series expands further. Starting here gives you the full arc of the character setup that later entries like Sin City Treachery build on.
What's their writing style?
Gerlacher writes with the pacing and structure of classic action thrillers, but his most distinctive quality is the medical authenticity threaded through his protagonist's perspective — AJ Docker approaches crime scenes and victims as an emergency physician would, which creates a different kind of procedural tension than most crime fiction. The presence of a K9 partner, Banshee, also gives the series an unconventional emotional texture alongside the action. His prose is functional and direct, keeping the emphasis firmly on plot and character rather than stylistic ornamentation.
Books we've reviewed
LuvemBooks has reviewed two books in the AJ Docker series. Last Patient of the Night is where the series begins, introducing emergency physician AJ Docker and his K9 partner Banshee (Amazon reader rating: 4.4/5 from over 30,000 ratings). Sin City Treachery is the follow-up, taking the duo to new locations with high stakes and a slightly higher reader rating of 4.6/5 from over 13,000 Amazon ratings.
How do the two books compare?
Both reviewed books share the same core formula — AJ Docker and Banshee working a high-stakes case — but Sin City Treachery moves the action to a new setting implied by its title, expanding the series' geographic scope. Last Patient of the Night has nearly twice as many Amazon reader ratings (over 30,000 versus 13,000), reflecting its earlier release and wider readership, while Sin City Treachery scores fractionally higher at 4.6 versus 4.4. Both are firmly in thriller territory, and neither represents a significant tonal departure from the other.
What genre do they write?
Gerlacher writes in the thriller genre, with both reviewed books classified as thrillers on LuvemBooks. More specifically, his work sits at the intersection of medical thriller and action-adventure: the protagonist's emergency physician background drives much of the procedural logic, while the K9 partnership and cross-country travel give the series an action-adventure quality that distinguishes it from courtroom or forensic-focused crime fiction.
What should I read after Last Patient of the Night?
After Last Patient of the Night, the next logical step is Sin City Treachery, which continues AJ Docker and Banshee's story in a new setting and carries a strong Amazon reader rating of 4.6/5. Beyond the two books reviewed on LuvemBooks, Gerlacher has written further entries in the AJ Docker series — checking his author page directly will show you the full continuation of the series.
Who is Gary Gerlacher?

Who is Gary Gerlacher?

Gary Gerlacher is a pediatric emergency physician with thirty years of medical experience who writes crime fiction, thrillers, and action-adventure novels. He is best known for the AJ Docker thriller series, in which an emergency physician and his K9 partner, Banshee, travel the country helping victims. Gerlacher is based in Plano, Texas, and draws heavily on his medical background to bring authenticity to his fiction.

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