For readers who prize procedural authenticity in their medical thrillers, Last Patient of the Night delivers a meaningful differentiator: Gary Gerlacher is a practicing pediatric emergency physician, and that insider knowledge renders the ER setting as a specific occupational environment rather than the generic hospital of TV shorthand. The novel's dual structure — thriller investigation alongside episodic ER vignettes — gives it tonal variety that works against the relentlessness of pure action narratives. The key caveat is that, as a series opener, the protagonist and supporting cast are still being established; the full payoff for character relationships is likely to accumulate across the six planned volumes rather than land entirely in this first book.

Gary Gerlacher

Reviewed

April 27, 2026

Read Time

8 min read

Age & reading levelAdult

Reader rating

4.4 · 30,791 Amazon ratings

reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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Last Patient of the Night

Name: Last Patient of the Night
Author: Gary Gerlacher
ISBN: 1685133290

Last Patient of the Night by Gary Gerlacher Review: A Propulsive Medical Thriller Debut

by Gary Gerlacher

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.

$13.40 on Amazon

Adultgraphic violence and torture · sexual violence

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers of medically grounded crime fiction who want a series protagonist with genuine occupational credibility — an ER physician turned amateur investigator — and enjoy thriller narratives that balance dark criminal stakes with lighter, episodic workplace humour.

Worth it if

You're drawn to procedurally authentic medical settings, appreciate an ensemble cast with a witty central protagonist, and are looking for a series-opener flexible enough to be read as a standalone.

Skip if

Skip it if you're seeking a cosy or restrained thriller — the novel contains graphic violence, torture, and sexual violence — or if you prefer fully developed character arcs rather than the groundwork-laying typical of a debut series-opener.

What readers & critics say

Tantor's synopsis highlights that Gerlacher's background as an emergency physician "lends authenticity to the ER culture," and fellow thriller author Gregory D. Lee calls it "M*A*S*H* meets Detective Harry Bosch — a thriller that won't disappoint" (tantor.com). Book bloggers at madamebookworm.com and acasualreader.com praised its emotional depth and fast-paced plot, with the latter recommending it to fans of both medical dramas and psychological thrillers, while readersfavorite.com called the debut "authentic, entertaining and a thriller" with "unusual topic and very interesting writing."

Sources: Tantor, Madame Bookworm, A Casual Reader, Readers' Favorite

4.4from 30,791 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score

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Last Patient of the Night: An AJ Docker Thriller is Gary Gerlacher's debut medical thriller following Houston ER physician Dr. AJ "Doc" Docker, whose refusal to let go of an unnamed patient's death pulls him — alongside a policeman friend and a police dog — deep into the criminal underworld. Gerlacher's real-world career as a pediatric emergency physician gives the ER scenes a procedural authenticity that sets the series apart from generic hospital thrillers, while the novel's blend of action-driven investigation and lighter episodic ER vignettes creates genuine tonal variety. Ideal for fans of medically grounded crime fiction, though prospective readers should know the novel carries graphic violence, torture, and sexual violence — this is firmly dark-thriller territory, not a cozy.

Is it worth reading?: For readers who prize procedural authenticity in their medical thrillers, Last Patient of the Night delivers a meaningful differentiator: Gary Gerlacher is a practicing pediatric emergency physician, and that insider knowledge renders the ER setting as a specific occupational environment rather than the generic hospital of TV shorthand. The novel's dual structure — thriller investigation alongside episodic ER vignettes — gives it tonal variety that works against the relentlessness of pure action narratives. The key caveat is that, as a series opener, the protagonist and supporting cast are still being established; the full payoff for character relationships is likely to accumulate across the six planned volumes rather than land entirely in this first book.
Similar books: Readers who enjoy Last Patient of the Night are well served by the related titles curated below. Gerlacher's own Sin City Treachery: An AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller continues the same series and shares the same protagonist. For thriller readers drawn to investigative tension and dark criminal subject matter, Elle Gray's The 7 She Saw and Alex North's The Whisper Man both offer similar propulsive momentum. Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me and Mary Kubica's Every Last Lie round out the selection for readers who enjoy character-driven domestic-leaning suspense alongside their crime plotting. Alex Michaelides' The Silent Patient is another natural companion for fans of psychologically charged crime fiction, though it is not currently in the LuvemBooks catalogue.
Who should read this?: Last Patient of the Night is best suited to readers of medically grounded crime fiction who want procedural ER authenticity alongside a morally charged investigation. Fans of character-driven ensemble series with a consistent protagonist — particularly those who enjoy the tone suggested by the MAS*H and Harry Bosch comparison — will find the structure rewarding. Readers who want a series they can enter at multiple points without strict reading-order requirements are also well served, as the publisher has designed each AJ Docker and Banshee book to stand alone. Given the novel's graphic violence, torture, and sexual violence, it is squarely adult thriller territory.
How dark does it get?: Quite dark. The SuperSummary study guide notes that the source text includes depictions of graphic violence and torture, physical abuse, sexual violence, substance use, and death. The criminal underworld Doc Docker enters is described as carrying "genuine darkness," and the novel is explicitly not designed for readers seeking a cozy or restrained thriller experience. The lighter episodic ER vignettes provide tonal relief, but they do not soften the novel's darker investigative throughline.
How does this compare to Sin City Treachery?: LuvemBooks has reviewed both Last Patient of the Night and Sin City Treachery: An AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller, making Gerlacher one of the few debut thriller authors with multiple entries in the catalogue. Last Patient of the Night is the series opener and carries the inherent limitation of a debut establishing its protagonist and ensemble for the first time; Sin City Treachery is the next instalment, built on the same foundation of Gerlacher's ER background and the pairing of Doc Docker with Banshee. Since the publisher notes each book is designed to be read in any order, neither is a strict prerequisite for the other.
How long is the series?: The AJ Docker and Banshee series is planned as a six-book run, with Last Patient of the Night as the first entry. The publisher notes that each volume is designed to function as a self-contained entry point, so readers are not required to follow a strict reading order. LuvemBooks has reviewed Sin City Treachery: An AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller, the next book in the series, for readers ready to continue with Doc Docker and Banshee.

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How does this compare to Sin City Treachery?

How long is the series?

Summarize this book

Last Patient of the Night introduces Dr. AJ "Doc" Docker, an emergency room physician in Houston who becomes fixated on the death of a nameless young woman who passes through his ER. Unable to return to his routine, Doc teams up with a policeman friend and a police dog named Banshee to pursue justice, drawing all three deeper into the criminal underworld than anticipated. The novel weaves that investigative thriller throughline together with lighter, standalone vignettes from everyday ER life, creating a dual-register narrative that moves between genuine darkness and moments of levity — all grounded in author Gary Gerlacher's own experience as a pediatric emergency physician.

Follow up

Who is Doc Docker?

Do I need to read in order?

Is it dark or does it have lighter moments?

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A gripping series opener that draws on its author's medical career to anchor an investigation into the criminal world.

What the Book Is and What Sets It in Motion

Last Patient of the Night is a medical thriller by Gary Gerlacher, published by Black Rose Writing in December 2023, and the first entry in the AJ Docker and Banshee Thriller series. Its central premise is immediate and morally charged: Dr. AJ Docker — known throughout as Doc — is an emergency room physician in Houston who cannot let go of the death of a nameless young woman who passes through his ER.

Rather than return to his normal routine, Docker teams up with a policeman friend and a police dog to pursue answers, only to find that hunting for justice draws him deeper into the criminal world than any of them anticipated. The novel's structure weaves that investigative tension together with lighter, standalone vignettes drawn from everyday emergency room life, creating a dual-register narrative that moves between darkness and levity.

The Author's Real-World Credentials and What They Bring

One of the novel's most documented assets is Gerlacher's professional background. A pediatric emergency physician who trained and practiced in multiple Texas emergency rooms before opening his own pediatric urgent care clinics, Gerlacher brings direct insider knowledge to the ER scenes in the book.

As Tantor's synopsis notes, that experience "lends authenticity to the ER culture" — a quality that distinguishes the novel from thrillers that treat medicine as decorative backdrop. The setting is not a generic hospital of TV shorthand but a specific occupational environment rendered through someone who has worked in it.

For readers who prize procedural credibility, this is a meaningful differentiator for a debut.

Place in the Genre and Critical Positioning

Gregory D. Lee, author of Stinger: An International Thriller, positioned the novel squarely within recognizable genre company: "Last Patient of the Night is M\A\S\H\ meets Detective Harry Bosch. It's a thriller that won't disappoint." That comparison is instructive — it flags the book's dual ambition: the sardonic, ensemble camaraderie of the long-running military dramedy on one side, and the dogged, morally serious urban detective work associated with Michael Connelly's Bosch on the other.

Whether a debut can fully deliver on both halves of that comparison is the question readers will bring to the series, but the blurb establishes the tonal territory the novel is aiming for. It is the first in a series, and the publisher notes that the AJ Docker and Banshee books can be read in any order — suggesting Gerlacher has constructed each volume to function as a self-contained entry point.

Strengths: Tone, Pacing, and Character Construction

The synopsis from Tantor describes the novel as "action-packed" and credits it with "a cast of interesting characters," framing it as a book designed to keep readers engaged at the plot level while investing them in the people driving the story. The interplay between the thriller throughline — Docker's pursuit of justice for his unidentified patient — and the episodic lighter ER stories gives the novel a tonal variety that works against the relentlessness of pure action narratives.

Doc himself is described across multiple sources as an ER physician with a sharp wit, and the combination of medical competence and investigative instinct positions him as a genre protagonist with a specific, profession-grounded identity rather than a generic amateur sleuth. The presence of a police dog as a named series co-protagonist (reflected in the series title, AJ Docker and Banshee) also suggests an ensemble dynamic with room to develop.

Audience Fit and Considerations for Prospective Readers

Readers drawn to medically grounded crime fiction — the procedural texture of the ER alongside the moral weight of an unresolved death — are the natural audience for this novel. The SuperSummary study guide notes that the source text includes depictions of substance use, graphic violence and torture, physical abuse, sexual violence, cursing, and death, which prospective readers should factor into their expectations.

The novel does not appear designed for those seeking a cozy or restrained thriller; the criminal world Docker enters carries genuine darkness. Conversely, readers who enjoy character-driven ensemble series with a consistent protagonist and real-world occupational grounding — and who want a series they can enter at multiple points — will find the structure accommodating.

As a debut, the book also carries the inherent limitation that its protagonist and supporting cast are still being established, making the payoff for long-term readers potentially cumulative across the series rather than fully realized in this first volume alone.

Sources & Further Reading

The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.

Cited in this review
1
Last Patient of the Night: An AJ Docker Thriller by Gary Gerlacher, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
barnesandnoble.com
2
Tantor Media - Last Patient Of The Night
tantor.com
3
Feature Post and Mini Book Review: Last Patient of the Night by Gary Gerlacher – Avonna Loves Genres
avonnalovesgenres.com
Further reading
4
Book Review of Last Patient of the Night (An AJ Docker Medical Thrille… - A Casual Reader
acasualreader.com
5
Book Review of Last Patient of the Night (An AJ Docker Medical Thrille… - Madam Ebook Worm
madamebookworm.com
6
Home - Gary Gerlacher
garygerlacher.com
7
Book review of Last Patient of the Night - Readers' Favorite: Book Reviews and Award Contest
readersfavorite.com

Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Adult

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5 content notes · who it suits

Content to know about

graphic violence and torture

sexual violence

physical abuse

substance use

on-page death

Best for: Adults — the novel contains graphic violence and torture, sexual violence, and physical abuse; unsuitable for younger readers.

Skip if you're looking for a cozy or restrained thriller without graphic depictions of violence and abuse.

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