Crisis

Book Description

When Dr. Craig Bowman is served with a summons for medical malpractice, he's shocked, enraged, and more than a little humiliated. A devoted physician who works continuously in the service of others, he endured grueling years of training and is now a partner in an exclusive concierge medical practice. No longer forced to see more and more patients while spending less and less time with each one just to keep his office door open, he now provides the kind of medical care he is trained to do, lavishing twenty-four-hour availability and personalized attention on his handpicked patients. And at last, he is earning a significant income, no longer burdened by falling reimbursements from insurance companies.But this idyllic practice comes to a grinding halt one sunny afternoon-and gets much, much worse.

Enter Dr. Jack Stapleton, a medical examiner in New York City and Bowman's brother-in-law: Jack's sister Alexis-now Craig's estranged wife-tearfully begs for his help as her husband's trial drags on. Jack agrees to travel to Boston to offer his forensic services and expert witness experience to Craig's beleaguered defense attorney. But when Jack's irreverent suggestion to exhume the corpse to disprove the alleged malpractice is taken seriously, he opens a Pandora's box of trouble. As Craig Bowman's life and career are put on the line, Jack is on the verge of making a most unwelcome discovery of tremendous legal and medical significance-and there are people who will do anything to keep him from learning the truth.

Customer Reviews:

Good start, bad ending.......2007-10-17

I have generally enjoyed Robin Cook's books, but this was a disappointment. The plot is intriguing enough to keep one going, but the ending is a disastor. I felt I had wasted my time when I read the conclusion. The "solution" to the mystery is totally inconsistent with the earlier events and facts in the story, seemingly pulled out of nowhere without prior clues for the reader. And several of the pivotal mysterious events in the book are never explained. There is no convincing motive for the culprit to have committed the crime, given the specific immediate circumstances. And some of his acts are totally inconsistent with his self-interest. If Cook weren't already a successful author, I can't imagine a good editor would have approved the publishing of this book.

Lame.......2007-09-27

No mystery. No suspense. Little medicine. Boring for a courtroom drama too. I figured out the shocking conclusion early on. Doing the autopsy will conclude the plot, so the reader must trudge through page after page of filler material: Dumb bureaucratic delay with the sole purpose of dragging out the time until autopsy. A predictable and repetitive get-me-to-the-church-on-time motif. An irrelevant and implausible set of plot diversions in the form of muggings and death threats. By the end I was skimming the long dialogue and I don't think I missed anything. I give it two stars because it's not actively offensive, just horribly dull.

A twist in the tale ... !.......2007-09-20

Somewhat of a departure for Robin Cook, "Crisis" is not so much medical thriller as it is legal thriller in a medical environment. But, whatever he chooses to write, Cook has certainly got a firm stranglehold on the ability to rivet a reader's attention from first page to last!

Craig Bowman is an affluent, successful Boston physician. That affluence is directly attributable to his controversial "concierge" practice - his patients pay a hefty up-front retainer that buys them special attention and a higher degree of direct, personal care because of their "membership" in a lower volume practice. When Patience Stanhope - a hypochondriac "problem patient" that Bowman inherited from the previous owner of the practice - dies of a heart attack, her husband sues Bowman for malpractice. As the trial progresses, Bowman's ability to function on a personal and professional level descends into a downward spiralling hole of misery. Bowman's wife begs her brother, New York medical examiner Jack Stapleton, to come to Boston to see if, as an outside observer with an eye for detail, he might spot a way out of the judgment that now seems will almost certainly go against Bowman. Stapleton's investigations point in the direction of foul play and the story accelerates as the proof must be discovered before the malpractice verdict is handed down in the courtroom of a harried judge determined to bring the trial to a rapid conclusion!

While Cook hasn't proposed any solutions, he certainly hasn't hesitated to use "Crisis" as a platform to indicate his concerns with a number of problems in the US medical and legal systems - for example, the inherent controversy of the "concierge" practice and the perception of its omission of medical care for the poor; the litigious nature of the US legal system and the devastating personal effect of a malpractice suit on a practicing physician; the basic flaws of an adversarial court system that allows legal tricks wherein the skills and personalities of the lawyers involved may overshadow the "facts" of the case; the huge diagnostic problems associated with false positive and negative outcomes in laboratory tests; and the propensity of the standard medical education to commonly produce extreme narcissistic personalities in those students that successfully persevere to graduate as medical practitioners (or perhaps it is a system designed to allow only individuals with already pronounced narcissistic tendencies to succeed?). The thinking reader won't come away with any simple ideas for resolution of these problems but the eyebrows will be raised on more than one occasion as the issues and their repercussions are showcased in a provocative thriller.

I wouldn't have hesitated to give 5 stars to "Crisis" except that I found the sub-plot of Stapleton rushing to get to his own wedding completely unnecessary. The timing of the trial provided all of the urgency necessary and, frankly, I found the threats and posturings of Stapleton's fiancée childish and irritating. The ultimatums that she issued during every conversation about the results of Stapleton's failing to appear at the altar would have been more than enough reason for me to simply call the whole thing off anyway.

But that minor quibble will be forgotten as Cook closes "Crisis" with a blockbuster unexpected twist - in the style of Jeffrey Deaver's "Twisted" or Jeffrey Archer's "A Twist in the Tale", the quirky ending is held in reserve until the final sentence of the novel . Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended!

Paul Weiss

Crisis is fun and educating reading.......2007-09-14

I haven't read Robin Cook since Coma, but this was a fine reading experience which prompted a conversation with my husband about concierge medicine and the causes for it and its dark side. I haven't been reading fiction lately so was pleasantly surprised when I chose this book and enjoyed every page of it. I did not think it was "wordy". I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes to learn something real from a work of fiction.

Crisis.......2007-09-08

I was very disappointed in 'Crisis'. It was not up to his usual style of writing. Although, there was a certain amount of suspense the characterization was not realistic and the plot labored. I was particularly disappointed in the ending. It was not in the fine style of 'Robin Cook' that I am use to. I do look forward to his next book and I hope it meets the standards of entertainment and research that I found and loved in 'Coma'.

Average customer rating:

Boring... to the max
more of the same
Scientific names of microorganisms
I enjoyed the book.
could do better!

Critical
Robin Cook
Manufacturer: Putnam Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 039915423X
Release Date: 2007-08-07

Book Description

Angela Dawson, M.D., appears to have it all: at the age of thirty-seven, she owns a fabulous New York City apartment, a stunning seaside house on Nantucket, and enjoys the perks of her prosperous lifestyle. But her climb to the top was rough, marked by a troubled childhood, a failed marriage, and the devastating blow of bankruptcy as a primary-care internist. Painfully aware of the role of economics in modern life, particularly in the health-care field, Angela returned to school to earn an MBA. Armed with a shiny new degree and blessed with determination, intelligence, and impeccable timing, Angela founded a start-up company, Angels Healthcare, then took it public. With her controlling interest in three busy specialty hospitals in New York City and plans for others in Miami and Los Angeles, Angela's future looked very bright.

Then a surge of drug-resistant staph infections in all three hospitals devastates Angela's carefully constructed world. Not only do the infections result in patient deaths, but the fatalities also cause stock prices to tumble, leaving market analysts wondering if Angela will be able to hold her empire together.

New York City medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton are naturally intrigued by the uptick in staph-related post-procedure deaths. Aside from their own professional curiosity, there's a personal stake as well: Laurie and Jack are newly married, and Jack is facing surgery to repair a torn ligament at Angels Orthopedic Hospital. Despite Jack's protests, Laurie can't help investigating-opening a Pandora's box of corporate intrigue that threatens not just her livelihood, but her life with Jack as well.

Customer Reviews:

Boring... to the max.......2007-10-19

I keep buying Robin's books believing that he will eventually return from wherever he now is wandering... but so far he's still not back. I am forcing myself to continue reading Critical with the hopes that there will be a glimmer of the former Robin hidden somewhere in its pages of prose.

more of the same.......2007-10-19

I feel like he is now writing the same book over and over again. If I were to read only this book, and none of his others it would have been okay, but now it seems that he keeps rewriting the same story using the same characters and slightly different plots. I am tired of paying for this.

Scientific names of microorganisms.......2007-10-17

I love all of Robin Cook's books. I have just one comment on this one. Staphyloccoccus aureus is the scientific name of a microorgansm. As with all living things, a physician should know that the genus is capitalized and the genus and species are either italicized or underlined.

I enjoyed the book........2007-10-07

I enjoyed the book. I am a physician, and I often see MRSA in my practice. I learned more about it by reading Critical. It had a good plot, a "chase scene," a Mafia connection, high tech equipment, graphic violence, brutal sex and other crowd-pleasers. I enjoyed meeting Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton again. I kept trying to figure out how the patients were getting their infections. I thought they were getting it from the anesthesia because many had pneumonia. At one point I thought that Vinnie wanted Angels Healthcare to go bankrupt so he could buy it at a low price. Critical has its weaknesses, but it's much better other medical mysteries.

could do better!.......2007-10-05

I've always read Robin Cook's books, but this one was just a bit too ordinary. I was tempted not to finish it, but ploughed through to the end. The plot was fairly predicatable this time and even the ending was a bit of an anti-climax. Michael Palmer's The Fifth Vial and Ken McClure's The Lazarus Strain are better medical thrillers! Better read next book I think.

Average customer rating:

not impossible!
Frighteningly Prophetic!
Contemporary topic, adequate plot
a page turner from beginning to end!
Jack Stapelton's Back

Marker
Robin Cook
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 042520734X

Book Description

The master of the medical thriller returns with his most heart-pounding tale yet.

Unabridged CD - 12 CDs, 14 hours

Download Description

"The master of the medical thriller returns with his most heart-pounding tale yet. Twenty-eight-year-old Sean McGillin is the picture of health, until he fractures his leg while in-line skating in New York City's Central Park. Within twenty-four hours of his surgery, he dies. A thirty-six-year-old mother, Darlene Morgan, has knee surgery to repair a torn ligament in her knee. And within twenty-four hours, she has died. New York City medical examiners Dr. Laurie Montgomery and Dr. Jack Stapleton are back, in Robin Cook's electrifying twenty-fifth novel. Last seen in Vector, the doctors confront a series of puzzling hospital deaths of young, healthy people after successful routine surgery. Despite institutional resistance from her superiors, as well as from those at Manhattan General, Laurie doggedly pursues the investigation. Though it seems impossible to determine why and how the patients are dying, she comes to suspect that not only are the deaths related-they're intentional, suggesting the work of a remarkably clever serial killer with a very unusual motive, involving frightening ties to both developing genomic medicine and the economics of modern-day health care. Then Laurie is dealt a double blow: While coping with Jack's inability to commit to their relationship, she discovers she carries a genetic marker for a breast-cancer gene. As her personal life continues to unravel, the need for answers becomes more urgent, especially when Laurie is pulled into the nightmare as a potential victim herself. With time winding down, she and Jack race to connect the dots-and save Laurie's life. With his signature blend of suspense and science, Robin Cook delivers an electrifying page-turner as vivid as today's headlines."

Customer Reviews:

not impossible!.......2007-10-20

although quite lengthy in his descriptions, the premise for this novel is quite intriguing and certainly not beyond the capabilities of those involved in running the HMOs presently in existence. worth the read to see what you think!!!

Frighteningly Prophetic!.......2007-10-08

Another medical thriller involving the Office of the City Medical Examiner (OCME) of New York. This time Dr. Laurie Montgomery & Dr. Jack Stapleton assemble the pieces left by a serial killer in a Manhattan hospital. This book also takes a rightfully critical look at managed care in America today and how managed care is nothing more than big, powerful, greedy business, not healthcare in any shape or form. The serial killer in this book is so sociopathic, he/she will rattle your nerves & your bones. An excellent thrill ride, although a bit verbose at times. This book ranks near the top of my list of favorite Robin Cook thrillers!

Contemporary topic, adequate plot.......2007-10-07

This book descends from the school of Michael Crichton and Tom Wolfe, who try to wrap contemporary issues in what would be luridly excessive plots in the hands of others. The theme of the book is how genetics is revealing what our future diseases will be, and how that not only stresses us as people but makes us potential victims at the hands of a profit-driven industry. Cook gives us two-dimensional characters, and a plot that is less mystery that a thriller as two investigators pursue a suspicious series of events that others won't recognize. It reminds me in many ways of Steven King horror novels, where characters take into their own hands the pursuit of an evil. In this case, the evil is mundane. We all fear and loathe our health plans to some degree, and the fear is amplified by the notion that health care providers might someday look over our DNA charts and cut us out of the system for having genes which give us a high chance of disease. Cook approaches it from an ethicist's point of view, and doesn't give us the grim counterargument, which is that disease could almost be eliminated by taking a look at our genetic markers, and someday a government may choose to do that. However, I don't see this as a failing, because he is addressing issues that are here and now in an entertaining fashion. Because this book has so much meat to it, it is more compelling than its text alone, and is one of my favorite recent reads.

a page turner from beginning to end!.......2007-09-19

This is one of, if not the best of the Laurie Montgomery, Jack Stapleton and Lou Soldano books.

From the very beginning, Cook sucks the reader in with what promises and ultimately delivers what he's best known for; great paced, character driven, medical mysteries.

Laurie, Jack and Lou are written superbly once again with fantastic character moments. You really get a feel for the weird dynamic of their three way friendship.

Cases comming across Laurie's desk are dying mysteriously. The deceased are all healthy, young, no history of disease, within 24 hours of routine surgery. No cause of death can be ascertained. Laurie starts to get suspicious and goes on a lone crusade to discover the true nature of these deaths and she suspects foul play.

All the while, Laurie's got some personal issues that she's got to deal with which makes for a great subplot. The story within a story of Jack and Laurie's relationship is also great reading in addition to the medical mystery brain twister that Robin Cook sets up.

With lots of twists and turns and some pretty shockign revelations, the book, the mystery and the culprits don't get revealed until the very end and it makes for a great read.

Definetly worth checking out for any Robin Cook fan without a doubt.

Jack Stapelton's Back.......2007-08-11

"Marker" is an edge-of-your seat medical thriller that's a tale of corporate conspiracy and murder. It's an engrossing mystery built upon the foundations of realistic science, sure to make anyone second-guess a trip to the ER.

Medical examiner Jack Stapleton faces his greatest challenge yet: matrimony and fatherhood. He and colleague Laurie Montgomery's relationship has blossomed over time from friendship to love, but Jack's still haunted by his first family's death. What Laurie wants most - marriage and children - he can't give, because he fears losing everything again. Their relationship grinds to a halt as their future becomes uncertain.

Meanwhile, mysterious deaths of seemingly healthy patients come to Laurie's attention. Aware she may be using the anomalies to avoid Jack's commitment issues; Laurie probes deeper and finds a disturbing trend: all the patients died of unexplained cardiac arrest and were post-operative patients at Manhattan General, the flagship of the massive healthcare company, AmeriCare. When Laurie discovers she carries a genetic marker for breast cancer, she's drawn into a deadly web as a potential victim, while an unexpected revelation changes Jack and her forever.

Though the dialogue is stilted at times, "Marker" boasts Cook's best: a detailed, realistic medical thriller as informative as it is enjoyable. Cook once again takes aim at managed health-care with the underhanded machinations of AmeriCare, and Jack Stapelton - featured in "Contagion", "Chromosome 6" and "Vector"- is an entertaining protagonist who finally grows past his insecurities. Cook also offers musings about genetic pre-screening, and what it means for health care's future.

Average customer rating:

I Can't Believe He wrote this
has it's ups and downs
Dated but still revelent
Superb and utterly frightening
Excellent plot; vapid characterizations

COMA (25th Anniversary Edition)
Robin Cook
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451207394

Book Description

Still considered one of the best of the genre, Coma propelled Robin Cook to the top of his field and earned him a reputation as the "master of the medical thriller" (New York Times). Now readers have another chance to discover this classic masterwork of nightmarish possibility.

Customer Reviews:

I Can't Believe He wrote this.......2007-08-11

I'm sorry, but this was Robin Cook's worst books... It was slow going, boring and more like a TV drama that I don't care about. It was okay for a first novel, but I read more of his recent ones to be an inkling impressed with this one....

has it's ups and downs.......2007-05-11

THERE'S A SMOKING HOT CHICK IN THIS BOOK! Ok, now that I have your attention... I personally wasn't to enthralled with the beginning. It just didn't grab my attention. There's alot of medical talk in this book, so be prepared to be a little confused at times. But don't get me wrong, it has it's plusses. There are some weird things going on in the story (which in my oppinion make the book pretty much), and as previously stated, there's this hot chick that is the main character. Which of course, every guy in the book has to mention, is hot. I got really tired of hearing about it. Robin Cook obviously knows a good bit of medical terminology apparently, which makes the book seem a little more plausible. Overall a pretty good read.

Dated but still revelent.......2007-03-10

My main complaint about this book is that the ending feels rushed. Otherwise a strong effort.

Superb and utterly frightening.......2006-06-07

As Robin Cook explains at the end of this story, much of it is fact despite being sold as a fiction novel. This book was written in the late 70s, so I'm sure there have been advances, however I've seen exposes on shows such as 60 minutes (some time ago) exposing certain hospitals for their urgency on organ donors. One such program showed where a woman could have lived, but was a donor and was given the drugs required for donor harvesting. It was enough to convince me never to be a donor, nor to put it on my drivers' license. At any rate, this book will make you think and it's conclusion is probably a frightening reality in places like China where the stories of organs being harvested from prison inmates and death row inmates!

Impossible? No, not at all, because the patient/victim of organ harvesting doesn't receive the money into his estate for the donation. The hospital makes the money. Doesn't seem right to me and I doubt it seems right to many others.

Excellent plot; vapid characterizations.......2005-07-16

There is one thing for sure; Robin Cook is definitely a doctor. Due to the nature of the novel I was more than prepared to have a fair amount of medical terminology and jargon thrown at me...at times it was a bit tedious and the explanations quite lengthy, but for the most part the subject matter kept me interested. However, I was surprised at how sterile and predictable the main characters were written. Susan Wheeler is not only brilliant, but so stunningly beautiful that every male character's inner dialogue (and yes, I do pretty much mean every male) must endlessly muse about how "dynamite" her figure must be under those sexy scrubs. In fact for a good chunk of the book, the sole purpose the character Dr. Bellows served was someone to remind us how gorgeous and virile-looking Susan is. But of course, Wheeler herself feels that her profession has actually "neutered" her sexual appeal and confidence as a woman. Right. Really, Susan was not likeable and it had nothing to do with her seeming perfection. Her sense of entitlement is cloying, and she seemed unable to comprehend that you don't throw attitude towards your superiors on your FIRST DAY OF ROTATION. She simply was not human enough to sympathize with, which is a shame, because there were several instances which I did agree with the gist of her feelings regarding the unfair ways women are treated in the workplace.

Aside from the characters, the actual dialogue of the entire book is far too technical. And when I say technical, I don't mean in terms of medical terminology, because I said before, that was to be expected. But for example, one part of the book was describing you guessed it, Bellows attraction to Susan. It went something like, "Bellows felt his hypothalamus react to the smooth flesh of Susan's bosom". Uh, okay. And don't get me started on a scene where a med student faints while scrubbed in during an operation. Let's just say, Cook wrote more about the med student's physiological happenings while about to faint, rather than giving this med student an actual PERSONALITY.

Despite it's shortcomings, this book did keep me in suspense, and I said before the subject matter is inherently interesting. Although I have to say that finishing the book felt more like completing a required reading assignment rather than a leisurely entertainment. Oh well. This is Cook's first novel, and I can say that with his later writings he did in fact find a balance between writing suspenseful novels and giving miniature dissertations on the reactions of hypothalamuses. I do recommend Coma, and also "Mutation" if you get the chance.

Average customer rating:

One of Cook's Best!!!
The Perils Of Genetic Engineering -- Interesting Topic, Gripping Action
Great idea for a story, very poor follow through.
Another Great Book!
just something I didn't like about this book

Chromosome 6
Robin Cook
Manufacturer: The Berkley Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425161242
Release Date: 2000-06-12

Book Description

In his most prophetic novel, Robin Cook challenges the ethics of genetic manipulation and cloning.

"Shocking and thought-provoking...Cook's best to date." (ssociated Press)

Download Description

In his most prophetic thriller yet, Robin Cook challenges the medical ethics of genetic manipulation and cloning. In the jungles of equatorial Africa, a biotechnology giant has taken transplant surgery and animal research to a new level. Where one mistake could bridge the evolutionary gap between man and ape--and forever change the genetic map of our existence...

Customer Reviews:

One of Cook's Best!!!.......2007-10-08

This is one of my favorite Robin Cook books. This rather prophetically scary story weaves together genetic engineering and cloning in humans and primates. Given rapid advances in modern technology, a story like this not only could come true any day, but do we really have any idea whether something like this is actually happening, without general public knowledge of it??? Think about it.

The Perils Of Genetic Engineering -- Interesting Topic, Gripping Action.......2007-02-04

I'm a bit puzzled by the slams of this book in some of the other reviews. I found the topic of the book intriguing and the action strong. Also the ending while admittedly "neat" didn't seem as abrupt or contrived as some of the other reviewers thought.

In a nutshell, a murder victim in New York shows evidence of a recent liver transplant, oddly the victim has no record of such a procedure and no evidence of taking the needed anti-rejection drugs. Its almost like he was transplanted with his own liver.

The connection is to an lab in Equatorial Guinea where a brilliant scientist has discovered a way to genetically engineer Bonobos to develop the perfect "clone" for a particular human's organs. However, the alteration of the Bonobos has other effects on them which leads to the pimates being a closer "host" to humanity than was initially intended...

I found the action constant and gripping throughout the book. Yes there were a number of implausibilities or coincences as the book progressed, but that is something I typically anticipate in a thriller.

What gave this book the little extra in my view was that the plot was more believable than other genetical engineering plots. The Bonobo idea is a direct extension of pig-based organ transplants, and the Bonobo may be the closest relative to a modern human (or at least very close to a chimpanzee) and the idea of them being used as an organ farm would have to take place in a more lawless country, but is still one that would be plausible.

I hate not being able to give half stars since I would really put this at a 3.5, but in this case I'll do a round-up to 4 stars to counteract some of the other reviews.

Great idea for a story, very poor follow through........2006-03-18

I've read 2 or 3 Robin Cook books and this will most likely be my last. To be fair, I didn't read this one, I heard it as a book on tape.

The story idea is quite original - scientists are using bonobos (a chimp-like primate in West Africa) to grow hybrid human/bonobo organs for the ultra-rich. These are specifically matched to each client and held in an animal preserve until needed. Unfortunately, there may be unintended results by mixing animal and human DNA...

Good premise for the story. Poor, poor, poor dialogue and awful follow through. There are stilted, silly sentences that sound unnatural when spoken out loud. Unexplained odd illogical behavior such as the downright stupid employees at the morgue. How stupid are they? The body of a mob boss disappears. The mayor is super angry and making telephone calls. People's jobs are on the line. The media is everywhere and asking questions. Do the morgue employees even bother to open up ALL of the body drawers just to see if the body was just misplaced? N0, because if they did they would have found one of the biggest clues of the mystery at the beginning of the book rather than towards the end.

The premise of the book is a sound one and it would have been a heckuva read if it had been placed in the hands of a different author.

My grade: C-

Another Great Book!.......2005-12-14

Robin Cook did again. Took mystery and science right to the edge. Kudos!

just something I didn't like about this book.......2005-11-01

some familiar faces return in this one which was pretty cool. That's one thing I like about certain authors. They bring back certain characters. Not necisarily in a 'series', but just to show that once you read them in one particular book, they're not forgotten by the author. Also brings a certain sense of attachment and interested with them.

the story reminded me a little of something James Rollins would come up with. Probably because of the setting moreso than anything else.

There's just something about the book that i couldnt' put my finger on that didn't have me completely wrapped up in it. Usually I get sucked into a book and can't wait to see how it pans out. I found that I wasn't overly excited to turn the page or get back to it when I had to put it down for a day or so.

I think it was the fact that the characters, for the mostpart, seem wooden in terms of their language and speaking style.

A great premise, but the execution fell short.

I liked necessary risk and blindsight much better.

Average customer rating:

Convulsion - Robin Cook
Convulsion
Convulsion by Robin Cook
convulsion

Convulsion
Robin Cook
Manufacturer: Plaza y Janes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0307348237
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Book Description

El doctor Daniel Lowell y su asistente (y amante) Stephanie son científicos que investigan en el campo de la biotecnología celular. Están desarrollando una posible cura para enfermedades como Alzeihmer, Parkinson o diabetes. La investigación se basa en transplantar células sanas para alterar el ADN de las células enfermas. Los experimentos que realizan con ratones dan muchas esperanzas de éxito y el próximo paso es experimentar con humanos.
El trabajo de Lowell se ve totalmente paralizado y la empresa que le financia retirará todos los fondos si la ley se aprueba. Estará arruinado. Pero de repente, el senador Ashley le cita en secreto para confesarle que él sufre de Parkinson, lo cual implica el final de su carrera política. Quiere probar el nuevo tratamiento de Lowell y, si funciona, promete apoyar su investigación. Ashley también le hace una exigencia inesperada: las células que usen para el transplante han de proceder de la Sábana Santa. Conseguir unos fragmentos de hilo del sudario será toda una aventura y un fascinante argumento secundario.

Customer Reviews:

Convulsion - Robin Cook.......2007-10-10

Author has generated another superb book. Had me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

Convulsion.......2007-07-30

When I got this copy, it was in Spanish. I don't recall reading that it was in Spanish when I ordered it so I'm not sure where the mistake lies. The Title I was looking at and ordered from on the site was in English so I was very surprised when it arrived and it was in Spanish. So, I just shook my head and tossed it! However, WAS IT SUPPOSED TO BE IN SPANISH??? It would be nice to know that I need to be aware that you have books in Spanish and I need to make sure the one I am ordering is in English.

Convulsion by Robin Cook.......2007-02-25

I wanted this book by Robin Cook and didn,t know that it was written in Spanish. However, if I had scrolled down the page I would have realized it. I donated the book to our marina library since I personally was unable to read it. I feel Amazon should have noted somewhere that it was written in Spanish near the initial picture of the cover.

convulsion.......2007-01-18

It was not clear that this book was written in spainish and the return policy made it not worth returning

ABC's of Architectural and Interior Design Drafting with an Introduction to AutoCAD 2000

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ABC's of Architectural and Interior Design Drafting with an Introduction to AutoCAD 2000
Tony Cook , and Robin Prater
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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ASIN: 0130866377

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Don't judge a book by its main character
Intriguing and disturbing. . .
Bad Medicine
Outstanding
The truth about medical training

The Year of the Intern (Signet)
Robin Cook
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451165551

Book Description

Originally published by Signet in 1973, this startling novel reveals what happens to a young intern as he goes through the year that promises to make him into a doctor-and threatens to destroy him as a human being.

Customer Reviews:

Don't judge a book by its main character.......2007-05-04

At first, the temptation is to read this book as an autobiography of Robin Cook. Don't give in to it, or you might be further tempted, as I was, to swear off reading anything else by the author. The experiences of the main character are fascinating, and that almost allows you to overlook his increasingly unavoidable character flaws. Mercifully, Dr. Peters isn't Dr. Cook. He's an avenue by which Cook diagnoses the symptoms of a disease doctors catch from internship. It is damning of the medical field that this book is so relevant in the 21st century.

In the end, the book is brave, subtle, and excellently crafted.

Intriguing and disturbing. . ........2007-02-21

The Year Of The Intern chronicles the year a young doctor spends as an intern. Along with lots of fascinating medical detail, the book takes a searingly honest look at the physical and psychological cost to the intern. These include: the near-indescribable exhaustion, the expectation of carrying out complicated and risky procedures the intern does not have the experience for, the life-or-death decisions to be made daily, dealing with anxious, angry and distraught relatives and, worst of all, the gradual ebbing of empathy eg Dr Peters starts thinking of each patient by their disease rather than their name.

What really disturbed me was the fact that this was written in 1972 and so little has really changed. This should be compulsory reading for anyone thinking of entering the medical or nursing professions. If it doesn't put you off, you've found your calling!

Bad Medicine.......2007-01-03

This is and old book and I really hope things have changed. They have not in Third World countries where some of the terrible things described in this book still happen every day. If you study Medicine or are a physician, you will find this book quite useful with its rough stories to make you reflect on the so many things that can go wrong in a hospital and how important is to realize you work with and for human beings. The book is great but to know this things can happen is just sad.

Outstanding.......2006-09-17

This is not a medical mystery novel. It is, in fact, written in an auto-biographical perspective from an intern--a doctor in his first year of training AFTER medical school. I have read, re-read, and pondered this book and find, that after 20 years, the last chapter(s) are still accurate. The training of physicians, today, is antiquated--has not changed since the "Halstead-ean" era of college, medical school, internship, residency, and fellowship. If you want to go to medical school I suggest you read this book and the book called, "Intern" by "Dr. X". . .you'll quickly change your mind about pursuing medical school.

The truth about medical training.......2006-06-25

This book is honest and crisp. Some of the descriptions of "doctors" are terrifying. Surgery performed by the inept G.P., or the surgical egomaniac, assisted by Dr. Peters, who can barely stay awake, in fact, often doesn't, while he's holding the wound open with retractors. Dr. Cook has a sense of humor and a great memory for details that must have actually happened during his own internship. Medical training is medieval, according to this story. His elusive romances make the reader more sympathetic. No wonder alternative medicine is such a popular pursuit these days.

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Captivating, Scary, Sad
An interesting view of the mind of the author
Awful Characters
A MEDICAL THRILLER IF THERE EVER WAS ONE
Robin Cook: Toxin

Toxin
Robin Cook
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 0425166619

Amazon.com

Just when you thought it was safe to eat a hamburger again, Robin Cook--master of medical mysteries, deadly epidemics, and creepy comas--returns with an all too likely villain drawn right from current headlines: the American meat industry. If you've ever wondered where the E. coli bacteria comes from, and exactly how it can ravage the human body, destroying everything in its path, this is the book for you. As usual, Cook delivers solid information, well-researched medical arcana, and a scathing indictment of managed health care.

His protagonist, Kim Regis, is an all-too-typical ego-driven surgeon, whose arrogance and invulnerability set him up to be brought low by the deadly toxin that takes the life of his young daughter. Sparing no time and barely a paragraph to reflect on his loss, Regis goes right after the culprit, a meat-packing behemoth that brings dead and diseased animals to the slaughterhouse, breaking every health regulation in the book. The scenes set on the killing floor and in the boning rooms will make a vegetarian out of the most confirmed red-meat eater. Toxin is a heart-pounding thriller that hits very close to home. --Jane Adams

Book Description

Newly divorced surgeon Dr. Kim Regis is determined to remain a good father to his only son, Selden. On a special night out, Kim takes Seldon to his favorite fast-food restaurant for a feast of burgers and fries. But the good time turns to tragedy: the young boy becomes gravely ill and dies as a result of poisoning by E. coli. bacteria found in the meat. Was Seldon's death a result of shoddy food-handling practices? Or was it a sophisticated case of product tampering - by a rival fast-foot giant or a disgruntled employee? Or perhaps by someone with a score to settle with Kim? Taking a leave from his surgical practice, Kim devotes his energies to solving the mystery full time. But he immediately hits a brick walls: a code of silence more impenetrable than anything he has ever encountered in his medical career. Instead of a cold-shoulder reception, however, Kim is soon met with a boot and a fist as thugs attempt to quash his inquiry. Aided by his ex-wife, Kim pursues a trail of deadly evidence, uncovering complicity and guilt stretching from the slaughterhouse floor to the corporate boardroom. Racing against time before more are poisoned, the two come face-to-face with the shocking and elusive truth. And in their life-and-death search for answers, they rediscover the reasons they first fell in love. With trademark pulse-pounding flair, Robin Cook delivers a cutting-edge thriller, borrowing from today's fears and tomorrow's medical technology.

Download Description

The question - just how safe is America's meat supply? - stands as the basis for Robin Cook's most startling, and important, novel.

Customer Reviews:

Captivating, Scary, Sad.......2007-10-08

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I couldn't put down because it really drew me in. I was anxious to see if the father ever was able to find out why his girl died. It was about meat contamination and the scary part was that it was so believable that it could really happen.

An interesting view of the mind of the author.......2007-03-22

I guess other reviewers have described the plot well enough. Perhaps I'm biased by my own observations as a Medical Technologist, but I found myself wanting to strangle the protagonist Dr. Reggis for his combination of arrogance and bad judgement. His daughter might not have died from the contaminated hamburger, had he not been dismissive of her complaint to him that it was undercooked. Had he reported the evidence of toxic E. coli to the health department (which the doctors treating his daughter would have been required to do anyway in real life), the contaminated lot could have been properly sampled, the lot quarantined, and the USDA inspector not been murdered.
Besides his anti-meat agenda the author has his other demons, blaming evil lawyers, insurance companies, and hospital administrators, and self-indulgent news media for physicians' problems, which may not be entirely false, but glosses over how physicians have brought some of this upon themselves. That Dr. Reggis is unfamiliar with the concept of labeling a sample strikes me as quite realistic, along with Dr. Cook not portraying that in a critical manner. The author uses statistics on E. coli mortality that are higher than CDC's statistics, but which are claimed to be CDC's statistics.
Of course, like Dr. Cook's book "Coma", it is a work of fiction. Given that it is what it is, I think the author missed an opportunity to, without significantly changing the story line, give it a little wry humor by having Dr. Reggis advise the professional killer "Don't eat the hamburger."

Awful Characters.......2007-02-23

Somewhere in the Midwest, two man who are supposed to take away a sick cow to be killed instead sell it to a slaughterhouse, where the meat is turned into hamburger. The hamburger makes its way to a fast food restaurant, the Onion Ring, and into the body of Becky Reggis, ten-year-old daughter of a cardiac surgeon.

Becky is a promising ice skater and some would say she is on her way toward the Olympics. She is also the light of her parents' lives, especially now that they are divorced and don't get along very well with each other.

After a weekend spent with her father when she eats a burger at the Onion Ring that isn't fully cooked, Becky begins to feel very sick. At first everyone thinks she just has a touch of the flu, and nothing is done for her. But then she begins to get much worse--her stomach flu is turning into something serious.

When Becky is diagnosed with an E. coli infection, her father is determined to find out the cause of her illness, no matter how dangerous that mission is.

I liked the medical descriptions, and the slaughterhouse descriptions were eye-opening. I turned vegetarian for about five minutes. The idea of something like this really happening is horrifying. However, the characters, especially Dr. Reggis on his secret quest for answers, were wooden and unsympathetic.

A MEDICAL THRILLER IF THERE EVER WAS ONE.......2006-11-25

HAMBURGER AND CHEESE BURGER LOVERS SHOULD BE WARNED: BY THE TIME YOU'RE DONE READING THIS BOOK YOU'LL WANT TO BECOME A VEGETARIAN. ROBIN COOK COMBINES HIS MEDICAL TALENTS WITH THE HORRIFYING REALITY OF THE MEAT INDUSTRY, CREATING YET ANOTHER WONDERFUL MEDICAL THRILLER.

Robin Cook: Toxin.......2006-11-02

For a doctor I believe Robin Cook is a very good writer. In the book Toxin there is a food poisening going around in the meat. Even such a basic and boring topic, Robin Cook makes it into a suspensful thriller. Taking medical related topics such as this and making it into a very good thriller is just completely amazing. I recommend that everyone read this book, it's worth it.

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Whoa, this one will really freak you out!
from a high school standpoint.
Brain-a real experience for your brain.
Worth Reading
Just as the doctor ordered

Brain
Robin Cook
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451157974

Book Description

Two doctors place their lives in jeopardy to find out why a young woman died on the operating table-and had her brain secretly removed.

"Absorbing...provocative." (Houston Chronicle)

Customer Reviews:

Whoa, this one will really freak you out!.......2006-06-10

The story may be fiction, but the premise is factual and what Dr. Cook tells at the end of the book is enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck. In the 30s and continuing into the 70s the government experimented on a group of black men with the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments via the U.S. Health Dept., which is now the CDC. See BAD BLOOD by James Jones and THE TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS STUDY: THE REAL STORY AND BEYOND by Fred D. Gray who as a lawyer representing the Tuskegee Syphilis survivors sued the federal government. As well, see Eileen Welsome's THE PLUTONIUM FILES: AMERICA'S SECRET MEDICAL EXPERIMENTS DURING THE COLD WAR. If you believe Robin Cook's comments at the end of this book are fictional, think again! It took Eileen Welsome 10 years to research and write her book and she received the Pulitzer for her work. Robin Cook's information in this book should make you ponder what you sign when you visit a doctor's office...read it carefully and make sure you aren't another government experiment as there have been countless experiments besides the ones I've mentioned here.

from a high school standpoint........2006-05-09

Recommended by a teacher, Robin Cook, the first novel that caught my attention was Brain, my first Cook book too. this book had it all. I'm not a reader at all, and I dont usual enjoy it, but this book kept my interest and I couldn't put it down! Brain gives an amazing sense of imagery. Confusing, but you get the hang of it. I would DEFINITELY recommend it to anyone who wants a quick intense read!

Brain-a real experience for your brain........2005-11-27

This book is about a medical center that goes from saving lives to taking lives, like one of Cook's other books, Godplayer, only this one is about brain surgery. It may have been done before, but this book makes the plot of removing unsuspecting surgical patient's brains to make a supercomputer and is very disturbing. If you don't like to read descriptions of people's brains being disposed of and removed in the most gut-wrenching ways or if you can't understand complicated scientific jargon about how the brain interacts with computers, don't read this. If you do, read IT!!!!!!!

Worth Reading.......2004-12-24

Although this novel is over 20 years old, I found it interesting, intriguing, and shocking.

Dr. Martin Philips,Assistant Chief of Neuroradiology at Hobson University Medical Center is thrilled and intrigued with the new computer program that his colleague Michaels, a genius working in the Department of Artificial Intelligence presents to him. Eager to test his new program, Philips begins to try it out on a series of x-rays, and soon discovers some strange abnormalities in several patients, some whom have recently expired, and one who went missing. Soon, Dr. Philips begins to suspect that something very strange and unethical is taking place at Hobson Medical Center. As he pursues his investigation, he faces threats of losing his position, and inadvertantly discovers that the FBI may likely be involved in the illegal activities that are taking place at the Medical Center.
Although parts of this story dragged a little at times, I never lost interest, and found it to be a good read.

Just as the doctor ordered.......2004-12-08

If you see all my reviews of all RC's books that I have read, you will see that they are almost alike, when you finish one of these books you'll not want to go to any doctor at all, I have read many books written in this century (21st) that involve killing people to obtain their brains to make an "intelligent" computer, so if you think that this book is a "fairy tale" because it was written 25 years ago and it couldn't be possible you will get disappointed, maybe the explanation of how the computers work with the human brain is an easy way to explain it but you have to remember that this book was written in 1979, If you like these kind of books you can read Fountain Society by Wes Craven or Shadows by John Saul.

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