Book Review: Sirens by Tom Reynolds

Sirens by Tom Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've wanted to read this book since I saw the TV series way back in 2011. I recommended this to my Book Club, but alas, it didn't get picked.
So with a grand total of £60 in Amazon vouchers for my birthday I ordered up all the books that I wanted to read.
As a Care Assistant, health care does have an interest for me. I'm interested to see how other medical professionals view us. I've also always had a love for medical television, such as ER and Grey's Anatomy, but not once have I watched or read something that just focused on EMTs.
Tom Reynolds is a very accomplished writer. He is witty, funny and manages to get his point across without sounding too whiny. Obviously there are a lot of similar cases within this book but it doesn't get repetitive at all. I love how he doesn't talk down to his reader, he explains technical terms but he doesn't simplify them so much that the reader feels idiotic.
One negative thing, is that despite having been an A&E nurse himself, Tom Reynolds has no respect for midwives, GPs, nurses or any individuals involved in medicine, or social services. I can understand his frustration in part, having dealt with doctors who turned up in the middle of a resident's lunch, or didn't really seem to care. But his dislike for them seemed intense. Although to his credit, when he did meet a medical professional he liked and respected he did praise them, it just wasn't very often. He also described a good relationship with the police, which was surprising, but nice to read about, and moaned about the fire service.
I love how he captured the culture of London and the different communities that lived there. He highlighted how wonderful and helpful most strangers can be, while sometimes families seem not to care.
I was overwhelmed with the amount of stories that focused on an individual suffering from drug or alcohol abuse. It seemed a colossal waste of time for him to transport these people who clearly didn't want to be taken to hospital. And the amount of people that they can't save is also a lot more than we mere mortals realise. At one point he states that relatives of patients have high expectations because of how many people are resussitated on TV and I have to agree with him.
I also particularly liked the nicknames that were used, especially 'Nan down'.
Overall a great read filled with warmth and humour, I only wish there were more of his stories to read.

View all my reviews