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Pia Grazdani #1
Death Benefit
Pia Grazdani is an exceptional yet aloof medical student working closely with Columbia University Medical Center’s premier scientist on cutting edge research that could revolutionize health care by creating replacement organs for critically ill patients. But when tragedy strikes in the lab, Pia, with the help of classmate George Wilson, launches an investigation into the unforeseen calamity in the hospital’s supposedly secure biosafety lab. Meanwhile, two ex-Wall Street whiz-kids think they’ve found another loadstone in the nation’s multi-trillion dollar life insurance industry, and race to find ways to control actuarial data and securitize the policies of the aged and infirm to make another killing. As Pia and George dig deeper into the events at the lab, one question remains is someone attempting to manipulate private insurance information to allow investors to benefit from the deaths of others?
546 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2011
414 people are currently reading
2559 people want to read
About the author
Robin Cook
181 books5,098 followersLibrarian Note: Not to be confused with British novelist Robin Cook a pseudonym of Robert William Arthur Cook.
Dr. Robin Cook (born May 4, 1940 in New York City, New York) is an American doctor / novelist who writes about medicine, biotechnology, and topics affecting public health.
He is best known for being the author who created the medical-thriller genre by combining medical writing with the thriller genre of writing. His books have been bestsellers on the "New York Times" Bestseller List with several at #1. A number of his books have also been featured in Reader's Digest. Many were also featured in the Literary Guild. Many have been made into motion pictures.
Cook is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia University School of Medicine. He finished his postgraduate medical training at Harvard that included general surgery and ophthalmology. He divides his time between homes in Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts where he lives with his wife Jean. He is currently on leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He has successfully combined medical fact with fiction to produce a succession of bestselling books. Cook's medical thrillers are designed, in part, to make the public aware of both the technological possibilities of modern medicine and the ensuing ethical conundrums.
Cook got a taste of the larger world when the Cousteau Society recruited him to run its blood - gas lab in the South of France while he was in medical school. Intrigued by diving, he later called on a connection he made through Jacques Cousteau to become an aquanaut with the US Navy Sealab when he was drafted in the 60's. During his navy career he served on a nuclear submarine for a seventy-five day stay underwater where he wrote his first book! [1]
Cook was a private member of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Board of Trustees, appointed to a six-year term by the President George W. Bush.[2]
[edit] Doctor / Novelist
Dr. Cook's profession as a doctor has provided him with ideas and background for many of his novels. In each of his novels, he strives to write about the issues at the forefront of current medical practice.
To date, he has explored issues such as organ donation, genetic engineering,fertility treatment, medical research funding, managed care, medical malpractice, drug research, drug pricing, specialty hospitals, stem cells, and organ transplantation.[3]
Dr. Cook has been remarked to have an uncanny ability to anticipate national controversy. In an interview with Dr.Cook, Stephen McDonald talked to him about his novel Shock; Cook admits the timing of Shock was fortuitous. "I suppose that you could say that it's the most like Coma in that it deals with an issue that everybody seems to be concerned about," he says, "I wrote this book to address the stem cell issue, which the public really doesn't know much about. Besides entertaining readers, my main goal is to get people interested in some of these issues, because it's the public that ultimately really should decide which way we ought to go in something as that has enormous potential for treating disease and disability but touches up against the ethically problematic abortion issue."[4]
Keeping his lab coat handy helps him turn our fear of doctors into bestsellers. "I joke that if my books stop selling, I can always fall back on brain surgery," he says. "But I am still very interested in being a doctor. If I had to do it over again, I would still study medicine. I think of myself more as a doctor who writes, rather than a writer who happens to be a doctor." After 35 books,he has come up with a diagnosis to explain why his medical thrillers remain so popular. "The main reason is, we all realize we are at risk. We're all going to be patients sometime," he says. "You can write about great white sharks or haunted houses, and you can say I'm not going into the ocean or I'm not going in haunted houses, but you can't say you're n
Dr. Robin Cook (born May 4, 1940 in New York City, New York) is an American doctor / novelist who writes about medicine, biotechnology, and topics affecting public health.
He is best known for being the author who created the medical-thriller genre by combining medical writing with the thriller genre of writing. His books have been bestsellers on the "New York Times" Bestseller List with several at #1. A number of his books have also been featured in Reader's Digest. Many were also featured in the Literary Guild. Many have been made into motion pictures.
Cook is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia University School of Medicine. He finished his postgraduate medical training at Harvard that included general surgery and ophthalmology. He divides his time between homes in Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts where he lives with his wife Jean. He is currently on leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He has successfully combined medical fact with fiction to produce a succession of bestselling books. Cook's medical thrillers are designed, in part, to make the public aware of both the technological possibilities of modern medicine and the ensuing ethical conundrums.
Cook got a taste of the larger world when the Cousteau Society recruited him to run its blood - gas lab in the South of France while he was in medical school. Intrigued by diving, he later called on a connection he made through Jacques Cousteau to become an aquanaut with the US Navy Sealab when he was drafted in the 60's. During his navy career he served on a nuclear submarine for a seventy-five day stay underwater where he wrote his first book! [1]
Cook was a private member of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Board of Trustees, appointed to a six-year term by the President George W. Bush.[2]
[edit] Doctor / Novelist
Dr. Cook's profession as a doctor has provided him with ideas and background for many of his novels. In each of his novels, he strives to write about the issues at the forefront of current medical practice.
To date, he has explored issues such as organ donation, genetic engineering,fertility treatment, medical research funding, managed care, medical malpractice, drug research, drug pricing, specialty hospitals, stem cells, and organ transplantation.[3]
Dr. Cook has been remarked to have an uncanny ability to anticipate national controversy. In an interview with Dr.Cook, Stephen McDonald talked to him about his novel Shock; Cook admits the timing of Shock was fortuitous. "I suppose that you could say that it's the most like Coma in that it deals with an issue that everybody seems to be concerned about," he says, "I wrote this book to address the stem cell issue, which the public really doesn't know much about. Besides entertaining readers, my main goal is to get people interested in some of these issues, because it's the public that ultimately really should decide which way we ought to go in something as that has enormous potential for treating disease and disability but touches up against the ethically problematic abortion issue."[4]
Keeping his lab coat handy helps him turn our fear of doctors into bestsellers. "I joke that if my books stop selling, I can always fall back on brain surgery," he says. "But I am still very interested in being a doctor. If I had to do it over again, I would still study medicine. I think of myself more as a doctor who writes, rather than a writer who happens to be a doctor." After 35 books,he has come up with a diagnosis to explain why his medical thrillers remain so popular. "The main reason is, we all realize we are at risk. We're all going to be patients sometime," he says. "You can write about great white sharks or haunted houses, and you can say I'm not going into the ocean or I'm not going in haunted houses, but you can't say you're n
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 452 reviews
November 7, 2012
Junk.
I reach to formulaic writers like Robin Cook (Crichton, Koontz, et al) to break from what I regard as more serious literature. The 8th grade composition and simple narrative—I consider Cook’s fiction a recess from my classics, my biographies, and my tough non-fiction. And that’s exactly how it should be. For me. Not necessarily you.
This sounds arrogant as hell, but it’s honest. You want an honest review or a coddling review? Between a Pulitzer Prize winner about Harry Truman and a military textbook about the presentation of air power, I need a 2-day distraction to recharge the frontal lobe. Cook is good for this, and his 5 x 7 paperbacks explore issues about medicine, my background. So, it’s apropos, but easy, like a footrub.
However, Death Benefit lowers Cook’s own 3-star standard. If there’s any novel that makes use of the y = mx + b formula, this is it. Plug the characters, the hospital environment, and the topic into the formula, and the book writes itself.
I’ve often thought that once a writer achieves break-through name recognition at Barnes and Noble, the hard part of the career is over. You now have a shadow staff of editors and fluffers that keep your novel on the correct slope to widest readership and maximal profits. It’s the b-intercept that matters to a publisher.
Spoiler. Bright & beautiful female medical student with tough, but oversorrowful past—unusual ethnicity. Works with lauded, but pariah sceintist on revolutionary medical process. Asian coworker in lab. Bumbling but lovable classmate sidekick. Something goes wrong. Superinfection and radioactivity. Death. Research items go missing. Only our student suspects something fishy. Wall street collusion. Medical insurance superstars could take major loss on medical investing scheme. Student does savvy investigative work. Gets access to privelaged information. Call in the Albanian thugs. Capture, escape, and resolution in the classic Scooby Doo simulacrum.
So, Robin Cook provides the paragraph above, and his journalism flunkies pound out a 500-page, 13-font storyline around it. Easy.
Then why the hell can’t I do it!?! I sit in my cubical all day. Man, I need a change.
Skip this novel.
I reach to formulaic writers like Robin Cook (Crichton, Koontz, et al) to break from what I regard as more serious literature. The 8th grade composition and simple narrative—I consider Cook’s fiction a recess from my classics, my biographies, and my tough non-fiction. And that’s exactly how it should be. For me. Not necessarily you.
This sounds arrogant as hell, but it’s honest. You want an honest review or a coddling review? Between a Pulitzer Prize winner about Harry Truman and a military textbook about the presentation of air power, I need a 2-day distraction to recharge the frontal lobe. Cook is good for this, and his 5 x 7 paperbacks explore issues about medicine, my background. So, it’s apropos, but easy, like a footrub.
However, Death Benefit lowers Cook’s own 3-star standard. If there’s any novel that makes use of the y = mx + b formula, this is it. Plug the characters, the hospital environment, and the topic into the formula, and the book writes itself.
I’ve often thought that once a writer achieves break-through name recognition at Barnes and Noble, the hard part of the career is over. You now have a shadow staff of editors and fluffers that keep your novel on the correct slope to widest readership and maximal profits. It’s the b-intercept that matters to a publisher.
Spoiler. Bright & beautiful female medical student with tough, but oversorrowful past—unusual ethnicity. Works with lauded, but pariah sceintist on revolutionary medical process. Asian coworker in lab. Bumbling but lovable classmate sidekick. Something goes wrong. Superinfection and radioactivity. Death. Research items go missing. Only our student suspects something fishy. Wall street collusion. Medical insurance superstars could take major loss on medical investing scheme. Student does savvy investigative work. Gets access to privelaged information. Call in the Albanian thugs. Capture, escape, and resolution in the classic Scooby Doo simulacrum.
So, Robin Cook provides the paragraph above, and his journalism flunkies pound out a 500-page, 13-font storyline around it. Easy.
Then why the hell can’t I do it!?! I sit in my cubical all day. Man, I need a change.
Skip this novel.
September 3, 2021
(Audiolibro)
Bueno pues, lo terminé. En 3 días. ¡ qué vicio !
De nuevo muy entretenido, muy variado, muy didáctico, muy enganchante, y muy, muy fácil de leer (o escuchar).
A ver, qué voy a decir, no tenía ni idea de que la ****** estaba tan avanzada, y éste señor me lo ha "enseñado". La trama tiene sus altos y bajos pero te mantiene pegadito al libro, rompiendote los sesos pensando en ésto y aquello y en éste o en aquél como el culpable ... y cuando menos lo esperas, ¡zas! te da un giro y te abre otra posibilidad y tú, vuelta a empezar.
No sabía que era el primero de 2 libros con la misma protagonista, pero como ahora mismo no recuerdo bien de que iba NANO (el segundo), no lo he echado de menos ni me ha estorbado.
En fín, que se lleva las 5 estrellas porque se las ha ganado y porque creo que si lo volviese a leer se las volvería a dar.
Bueno pues, lo terminé. En 3 días. ¡ qué vicio !
De nuevo muy entretenido, muy variado, muy didáctico, muy enganchante, y muy, muy fácil de leer (o escuchar).
A ver, qué voy a decir, no tenía ni idea de que la ****** estaba tan avanzada, y éste señor me lo ha "enseñado". La trama tiene sus altos y bajos pero te mantiene pegadito al libro, rompiendote los sesos pensando en ésto y aquello y en éste o en aquél como el culpable ... y cuando menos lo esperas, ¡zas! te da un giro y te abre otra posibilidad y tú, vuelta a empezar.
No sabía que era el primero de 2 libros con la misma protagonista, pero como ahora mismo no recuerdo bien de que iba NANO (el segundo), no lo he echado de menos ni me ha estorbado.
En fín, que se lleva las 5 estrellas porque se las ha ganado y porque creo que si lo volviese a leer se las volvería a dar.
November 1, 2019
Pia is a brilliant fourth year medical student working with a brilliant but difficult scientist on top secret, life changing research. Dr. Rothman gets along with no one but Pia and one other scientist. Pia, you see, may be beautiful on the outside but she is damaged emotionally. Her upbringing was difficult and filled with abuse and most of her fellow students dislike her. Except for sweet, handsome George, her boytoy (when she needs one) who hangs around hoping she’ll fall for him.When mayhem erupts in the lab, Pia’s sterile world goes all to hell and she spends the rest of the novel bent on seeking out the truth even if it means putting herself and George in danger. I really enjoyed this book in the beginning. Pia and Dr. Rothman’s relationship was interesting to me and I was fascinated by all of their interactions. They were two unlikely kindred souls and it was purely platonic. I loved that. Thus I was very sad to see the book take such a drastic turn and change into a tedious quasi-thriller loaded with interchangeable greedy bad guys instead of the quirky character focused medical thriller I was expecting. Yeah, there were some medical shenanigans taking place early on but in reality this wasn't at all what I’d classify as a “medical” thriller. And that’s a freaking shame. It’s about bad guys trying to take out a nosey girl determined to seek vengeance and expose them to ruin (oh noes!). And it’s not even thrilling because the author gives away his whole game early on.I have a little advice, not that anyone (especially the famous author) gives two craps, but I’m giving it anyway because it will make me feel better for wasting 12 hours of my life last week. Beware there are minor spoilers below.
1. Don’t tell us everything early on, leaving only your heroine blowing in the wind. It kind of kills the suspense, you know?2. Don’t kill off one of your most interesting characters. It kind of pisses me off as well as saddens me. And no, I am still not over it.3. Don’t spend pages and pages telling me about freaking finances and health care/insurance scams. I can go to work to bore myself silly. At least there I get paid. I don’t need to read about that crap in my fun time.4. If you’re going to write a revenge novel, next time go all the way to hell with it. Let your heroine shove a hot poker into at least one of the rapey bastard’s eyeballs or better yet let her shove it up one of their butts. They deserve it. Don’t let other characters handle the dirty work off screen. That’s lame.5. Give the good, loyal puppy dog George a real happy ending or set him free, poor sucker. Don’t leave him (and me) in limbo like that. How long can a guy pine away hoping the girl of his dreams will change? George and Pia deserve better and so do I after investing so many hours. The romantic in me is PO’d. Just saying.
On the plus side, I thought the author did a great job of fleshing out Pia. She’s not the nicest of people, actually she’s a bit of a bitch and she’s using George but he knows it and sticks around anyway which I didn’t really get. I understood Pia and her distaste for whiny people “quit whining like a baby” and didn't mind spending time with her. The narrator, George Guidall, has a rather grandfathery voice that is calming and I enjoyed listening to him. His Rothman is superb and I could have listened to him voice Rothman all day long. He surprisingly does a great job with Pia, even though I probably would've preferred a female narrator. He only falls flat with George, who sometimes sounds too old for a college student, and many of the secondary hoodlums who all end up sounding too alike. But then again they were pretty interchangeable anyway, so who cares, right? And there you have it. If you’re a medical thriller fan this may not thrill you. Or maybe it’s just me.
1. Don’t tell us everything early on, leaving only your heroine blowing in the wind. It kind of kills the suspense, you know?2. Don’t kill off one of your most interesting characters. It kind of pisses me off as well as saddens me. And no, I am still not over it.3. Don’t spend pages and pages telling me about freaking finances and health care/insurance scams. I can go to work to bore myself silly. At least there I get paid. I don’t need to read about that crap in my fun time.4. If you’re going to write a revenge novel, next time go all the way to hell with it. Let your heroine shove a hot poker into at least one of the rapey bastard’s eyeballs or better yet let her shove it up one of their butts. They deserve it. Don’t let other characters handle the dirty work off screen. That’s lame.5. Give the good, loyal puppy dog George a real happy ending or set him free, poor sucker. Don’t leave him (and me) in limbo like that. How long can a guy pine away hoping the girl of his dreams will change? George and Pia deserve better and so do I after investing so many hours. The romantic in me is PO’d. Just saying.
On the plus side, I thought the author did a great job of fleshing out Pia. She’s not the nicest of people, actually she’s a bit of a bitch and she’s using George but he knows it and sticks around anyway which I didn’t really get. I understood Pia and her distaste for whiny people “quit whining like a baby” and didn't mind spending time with her. The narrator, George Guidall, has a rather grandfathery voice that is calming and I enjoyed listening to him. His Rothman is superb and I could have listened to him voice Rothman all day long. He surprisingly does a great job with Pia, even though I probably would've preferred a female narrator. He only falls flat with George, who sometimes sounds too old for a college student, and many of the secondary hoodlums who all end up sounding too alike. But then again they were pretty interchangeable anyway, so who cares, right? And there you have it. If you’re a medical thriller fan this may not thrill you. Or maybe it’s just me.
December 29, 2025
Death Benefit is my second Robin Cook book having previously read and enjoyed Coma. Whilst this book has some flaws, it was still a page turner which is a sign of a good author telling a good story. It was slow to get going but gradually morphed into a fast paced thriller which had me completely hooked. The two central plot lines were both intriguing and thought provoking. One centred on two pompous wealthy men who started in Wall Street as stockbrokers, and are now trading complex financial instruments (some ethically questionable) and making millions. The second is about a brilliant scientist working in the field of stem cell research who is making incredible in roads in the area of organ regeneration. The two plot lines come together in a shocking way. The ending was abrupt and we really didn’t hear anything from the stockbrokers apart from the start and the end. I would have liked to have heard more from them intermittently. The M/C Pia was clearly highly intelligent but there was no build up to demonstrate this intellect. In addition she would just come up with theories/ideas with no explanation or thought process as to how she got there. A number of loose ends were left hanging which was annoying. An example is George’s Grandma whose story got a couple of chapters. I was waiting to see how it would come into the main story but it never did. Then I wonder what was the point of even including it. The Albanian maintenance man working in Pia’s office also seemed to have some significance to the story but again it never got mentioned again. The speed in which the stem cell research results were going to lead to actual human organ transplants was completely unrealistic. This process would usually take years but in the book it was a matter of months. I know there is a follow up book in this series which may tie up some loose threads but the writing seemed a little lazy in parts. The bottom line though is that this is a great story which had me engrossed. Would normally be a 4 star book but I am giving it 3 stars due to the abrupt ending and unfinished story lines.
February 3, 2012
After having read nearly all of Cook's previous books, it is natural to compare this one to those. After doing so, it was obvious to me that he has written books far better than this one. His character development was very good (but most of the characters were not particularly nice people). His plot and its combination of medical school students, Nobel Award level research, get-rich schemes, etc was well thought out. The problem is that the ending comes so abrupt without following up some of the subplots that the reader is left thinking there must a part two. Perhaps that is the author's intention. If not, one is left with the feeling that the author got lazy and ended it with a rather predictable ending and didn't bother tying any loose ends together. This is the first book in a long while that Cook does not use as his main characters the Drs. Stapleton although he introduces them to the story in cameo appearances near the end.
July 19, 2013
A complete let down :(
Coma, Fever, Fatal Cure....after many such wonderful writings, its hard to believe Death Benefit is a Cook's book. This one is a medical thriller with less of both medicine and thrill.
There was a time I used to fear hospitals after finishing Cook's book, his writings were so captivating, so real life like...Robin Cook missed the magic in this one.
It took a lot of effort to complete reading this one.
Coma, Fever, Fatal Cure....after many such wonderful writings, its hard to believe Death Benefit is a Cook's book. This one is a medical thriller with less of both medicine and thrill.
There was a time I used to fear hospitals after finishing Cook's book, his writings were so captivating, so real life like...Robin Cook missed the magic in this one.
It took a lot of effort to complete reading this one.
May 5, 2015
Tengo un serio problema con este libro, y puede extenderse quizás a casi todo lo que leí hasta ahora del autor. Cook es uno de mis primeros nombres a recomendar siempre y eso tiene que ver con dos cosas: el campo en el que sitúa la mayoría de sus historias y la investigación, la que comparte con sus lectores en algunas notas al final de sus libros, añadiendo fuentes y demás. Todo libro que trate sobre asuntos médicos tiene un lugar reservado en mi biblioteca, y Cook no es la excepción. Más bien, fue el primero.
Mi problema es que es literatura específica para gente no entendida en el tema, lo que hace que muchas veces el autor tenga que recurrir a escenas aburridas para los que manejamos cierta terminología para que el lector promedio entienda. Por ejemplo, la escena de Polonio 210 donde se hace un repaso sobre células madre me resultó aburrida e innecesaria. Sí, entiendo que es para el lector que no es "del palo", pero no pude evitar sentir que embarró un poco el momento. Cook escribe libros que pretenden enseñar y es un autor que abrió muchísimo el campo a este tipo de colecciones, pero siempre termino obviando las explicaciones, algunas notoriamente forzadas, que le sirven solo a quienes no saben lo que significa, por ejemplo, "pluripotente". ¿Y esto es malo? Para nada, incluso logra que muchos se interesen en este tipo de lecturas y es gracias a la demanda que los libros llegan a países como el mío, pero me sigue dejando un sabor amargo cada vez que una explicación aparece a la fuerza.
Otra cosa que siempre me deja mal sabor de boca es la repetición. Después de haber leído varios libros de Robin Cook (no solo médicos, sino también La esfinge y Abducción), siento que el autor se termina repitiendo. Los personajes y las líneas de las tramas siguen caminos similares, incluso más de un final puede anticiparse solo con haber leído otro de sus libros. Pero no porque sean finales idénticos, sino por cómo va la línea argumental.
Cook no es predecible, pero es lógico.
Otro detalle importante es que, a mi criterio, Cook no presenta personajes, sino conflictos médicos con alto contenido ético. ¿Qué quiero decir con esto? Que no me sorprende que personajes secundarios se hayan perdido en la trama (cosas que no voy a nombrar para no revelar de más) o que su mención haya cubierto un bache en un momento para desaparecer al siguiente. Si hay algo que aprendí de leer a Cook es que él no presenta historias de vida, sino circunstancias. Y cuando algo empieza a irse de su eje, vuelve de inmediato. ¿Podría dar un mejor resultado si se detuviera en estos detalles para darles solución antes de continuar con su nudo central? Seguro que sí, pero se perdería esa esencia de "libro de Cook" (¿me repito demasiado?) donde se trata el conflicto a partir de las personas involucradas de manera más directa... y nada más. Los personajes están para servir al conflicto.
La profundidad de los personajes se mide en primera instancia por sus planteos morales una vez definido el nudo central (que casi siempre es una temática médica), y casi siempre caen en desesperación. Pero esto no es un spoiler: sería imposible que estrés en estas cantidades no afectara a los personajes. Como dije, Cook es lógico en lo que hace.
Teniendo en cuenta que no fue el libro que más me gustó de él (aunque leí peores), le daría tres estrellas de cinco. ¿Por qué pongo cuatro entonces? Por una razón puramente personal. Salté de la ansiedad y admito haber releído la escena en la que aparecen Jack y Laurie. Como buena seguidora de los libros de Stapleton, tengo cierto fanatismo por él y su mujer, y cada vez que leo algo de ellos, termino con ganas de volver a Crisis, que fue el primer libro que leí de los que forman su historia. Imagino que este punto puede no ser muy bueno para los nuevos lectores, ya que a mí me resultó sencillo identificar cada diálogo de esta mínima aparición por lo que ya conozco de Laurie y Jack, pero si me pongo en el lugar de alguien que está asomándose a los mundos de Cook, puedo pensar que esa parte tiene algo fuera de lugar, sin descubrir qué es con exactitud.
¿Recomiendo este libro? Yo recomendaría casi todo de Cook, así que sí. Pero no llega a ser mejor que la colección de Jack Stapleton y Laurie Montgomery, eso seguro. La narración de Cook es sencilla en descripciones, algo técnica y altamente documentada (como en cruces de calles y tiempos, por ejemplo, ya que sitúa sus historias en lugares reales), así que se vuelve sencillo de leer. Y si agregamos que todo lo médico es explicado en algún momento (más temprano que tarde, generalmente), tenemos que es una lectura ágil e interesante. Sí, hay contrabando ruso y escenas de acción (que a Cook no se le dan nada mal), persecuciones y grandes tensiones que suelen llevar al corazón del conflicto.
Y más allá de la ficción, casi siempre propone debates interesantes. Cada libro de Cook nos deja imaginar hasta dónde la industria puede valerse de la ciencia para liderar el mercado, y algunos de sus planteos pueden llegar a poner los pelos de punta. Si bien pretende contar una historia, no es la de sus personajes. Ellos sirven al conflicto, como dije. El objetivo del autor es enseñar y generar debate. Y para ser alguien que está en el ámbito en el que desarrolla la mayor parte de sus novelas, puedo decir con total seguridad que lo logra.
Mi problema es que es literatura específica para gente no entendida en el tema, lo que hace que muchas veces el autor tenga que recurrir a escenas aburridas para los que manejamos cierta terminología para que el lector promedio entienda. Por ejemplo, la escena de Polonio 210 donde se hace un repaso sobre células madre me resultó aburrida e innecesaria. Sí, entiendo que es para el lector que no es "del palo", pero no pude evitar sentir que embarró un poco el momento. Cook escribe libros que pretenden enseñar y es un autor que abrió muchísimo el campo a este tipo de colecciones, pero siempre termino obviando las explicaciones, algunas notoriamente forzadas, que le sirven solo a quienes no saben lo que significa, por ejemplo, "pluripotente". ¿Y esto es malo? Para nada, incluso logra que muchos se interesen en este tipo de lecturas y es gracias a la demanda que los libros llegan a países como el mío, pero me sigue dejando un sabor amargo cada vez que una explicación aparece a la fuerza.
Otra cosa que siempre me deja mal sabor de boca es la repetición. Después de haber leído varios libros de Robin Cook (no solo médicos, sino también La esfinge y Abducción), siento que el autor se termina repitiendo. Los personajes y las líneas de las tramas siguen caminos similares, incluso más de un final puede anticiparse solo con haber leído otro de sus libros. Pero no porque sean finales idénticos, sino por cómo va la línea argumental.
Cook no es predecible, pero es lógico.
Otro detalle importante es que, a mi criterio, Cook no presenta personajes, sino conflictos médicos con alto contenido ético. ¿Qué quiero decir con esto? Que no me sorprende que personajes secundarios se hayan perdido en la trama (cosas que no voy a nombrar para no revelar de más) o que su mención haya cubierto un bache en un momento para desaparecer al siguiente. Si hay algo que aprendí de leer a Cook es que él no presenta historias de vida, sino circunstancias. Y cuando algo empieza a irse de su eje, vuelve de inmediato. ¿Podría dar un mejor resultado si se detuviera en estos detalles para darles solución antes de continuar con su nudo central? Seguro que sí, pero se perdería esa esencia de "libro de Cook" (¿me repito demasiado?) donde se trata el conflicto a partir de las personas involucradas de manera más directa... y nada más. Los personajes están para servir al conflicto.
La profundidad de los personajes se mide en primera instancia por sus planteos morales una vez definido el nudo central (que casi siempre es una temática médica), y casi siempre caen en desesperación. Pero esto no es un spoiler: sería imposible que estrés en estas cantidades no afectara a los personajes. Como dije, Cook es lógico en lo que hace.
Teniendo en cuenta que no fue el libro que más me gustó de él (aunque leí peores), le daría tres estrellas de cinco. ¿Por qué pongo cuatro entonces? Por una razón puramente personal. Salté de la ansiedad y admito haber releído la escena en la que aparecen Jack y Laurie. Como buena seguidora de los libros de Stapleton, tengo cierto fanatismo por él y su mujer, y cada vez que leo algo de ellos, termino con ganas de volver a Crisis, que fue el primer libro que leí de los que forman su historia. Imagino que este punto puede no ser muy bueno para los nuevos lectores, ya que a mí me resultó sencillo identificar cada diálogo de esta mínima aparición por lo que ya conozco de Laurie y Jack, pero si me pongo en el lugar de alguien que está asomándose a los mundos de Cook, puedo pensar que esa parte tiene algo fuera de lugar, sin descubrir qué es con exactitud.
¿Recomiendo este libro? Yo recomendaría casi todo de Cook, así que sí. Pero no llega a ser mejor que la colección de Jack Stapleton y Laurie Montgomery, eso seguro. La narración de Cook es sencilla en descripciones, algo técnica y altamente documentada (como en cruces de calles y tiempos, por ejemplo, ya que sitúa sus historias en lugares reales), así que se vuelve sencillo de leer. Y si agregamos que todo lo médico es explicado en algún momento (más temprano que tarde, generalmente), tenemos que es una lectura ágil e interesante. Sí, hay contrabando ruso y escenas de acción (que a Cook no se le dan nada mal), persecuciones y grandes tensiones que suelen llevar al corazón del conflicto.
Y más allá de la ficción, casi siempre propone debates interesantes. Cada libro de Cook nos deja imaginar hasta dónde la industria puede valerse de la ciencia para liderar el mercado, y algunos de sus planteos pueden llegar a poner los pelos de punta. Si bien pretende contar una historia, no es la de sus personajes. Ellos sirven al conflicto, como dije. El objetivo del autor es enseñar y generar debate. Y para ser alguien que está en el ámbito en el que desarrolla la mayor parte de sus novelas, puedo decir con total seguridad que lo logra.
October 14, 2012
Robin Cook.... Have not read him since I stopped a few books after Coma when he lapsed into his formulaic medical mysteries. So I thought I'd give him a try after 20 years or so.
I liked this book, it was a fun and entertaining read, but after I finished, I began to think of the shortcuts he took, the plot lines he left hanging and a really disappointing ending. I liked his heroine Pia. She's feisty and has survived a tough life. But the savior of her life was a convent, which Cook brings into the story for no other reason but to show how the nuns had saved her. A foray to the convent was interesting and really the only place Pia shows emotion the entire book. Then we never go back. Pia's close friend George has a grandmother who becomes a victim of this insurance scheme that is the reason for the murders of the two doctors that is at the center of the story. Again, we never return to grannie.
And while I don't mind an ending that doesn't seem "right" this ending was slapdash and it felt like Cook just wanted to wrap it up. While maybe one of the investors in the insurance scheme should have died like a dog, the other had no knowledge of his partners duplicity, yet he dies like the same dog. And the actual perpetrators of the murders, the Albanian mob, gets away scott free. So while it's a fun read, I believe Cook was very sloppy in his plotting and in the end, the book was fun but unsatisfying.
2.5 stars. And that generous.
I liked this book, it was a fun and entertaining read, but after I finished, I began to think of the shortcuts he took, the plot lines he left hanging and a really disappointing ending. I liked his heroine Pia. She's feisty and has survived a tough life. But the savior of her life was a convent, which Cook brings into the story for no other reason but to show how the nuns had saved her. A foray to the convent was interesting and really the only place Pia shows emotion the entire book. Then we never go back. Pia's close friend George has a grandmother who becomes a victim of this insurance scheme that is the reason for the murders of the two doctors that is at the center of the story. Again, we never return to grannie.
And while I don't mind an ending that doesn't seem "right" this ending was slapdash and it felt like Cook just wanted to wrap it up. While maybe one of the investors in the insurance scheme should have died like a dog, the other had no knowledge of his partners duplicity, yet he dies like the same dog. And the actual perpetrators of the murders, the Albanian mob, gets away scott free. So while it's a fun read, I believe Cook was very sloppy in his plotting and in the end, the book was fun but unsatisfying.
2.5 stars. And that generous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2012
The plot was outstanding but I didn't care for the main character Pia. As she got into deep trouble I found myself not caring if she got out of it or not! Finally at the end of the book Cook's great reoccurring character Jack Stapleton and his wife Laurie appeared but had a small cameo role.
February 10, 2012
I had a hard time really getting into this book, particularly at the beginning when Cook focused on all of the ins and outs of the securities industry. At times, I had to force myself to continue reading and not to give up on this book. I'm glad that I did, because it did get better.
One of the problems that I've had with several of my favorite authors lately is that the lead character is not likable, and for me, feeling some empathy with the lead character is one of the things that keeps me turning the pages. In this case, Pia is a sociopath of sorts, and she comes across as entirely self-centered. One feels equal parts sorry for and exasperated with her admirer, George, who hangs in there despite repeated rebuffs from Pia. She uses him incessantly, and it's annoying to read about. Pia makes Lisbet Salander of TGWTDT look charming. While Lisbet has her moments of affection and loyalty, Pia doesn't. She is continuously manipulating people, usually by virtue of her extraordinary good looks, to do her bidding. It is not until the very end of the book that Pia shows some humanity.
I much prefer Cook's series about the husband and wife medical examiners, Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery. They make an appearance in this book, but only peripherally. I smiled when they were introduced about 3/4 of the way through, because I thought that finally they would take over the remaining pages, but that wasn't the case.
The book also leaves one big question unanswered, which is how the bad guys found out in the first place that Pia was on to their machinations. Obviously, there were spies planted, and we are left to infer who those spies were. As a sociopath, Pia was not well-liked, nor was the main victim in the book. While we can assume that some "electrical maintenance workers" who happened to be Albanian tipped them off (the murderers in this book are the Albanian mafia), that is never clarified.
I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this book, although as a die-hard Robin Cook fan I wouldn't have skipped it. For good Robin Cook fare, read the series about Jack and Laurie, who are the central characters in most of his books.
One of the problems that I've had with several of my favorite authors lately is that the lead character is not likable, and for me, feeling some empathy with the lead character is one of the things that keeps me turning the pages. In this case, Pia is a sociopath of sorts, and she comes across as entirely self-centered. One feels equal parts sorry for and exasperated with her admirer, George, who hangs in there despite repeated rebuffs from Pia. She uses him incessantly, and it's annoying to read about. Pia makes Lisbet Salander of TGWTDT look charming. While Lisbet has her moments of affection and loyalty, Pia doesn't. She is continuously manipulating people, usually by virtue of her extraordinary good looks, to do her bidding. It is not until the very end of the book that Pia shows some humanity.
I much prefer Cook's series about the husband and wife medical examiners, Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery. They make an appearance in this book, but only peripherally. I smiled when they were introduced about 3/4 of the way through, because I thought that finally they would take over the remaining pages, but that wasn't the case.
The book also leaves one big question unanswered, which is how the bad guys found out in the first place that Pia was on to their machinations. Obviously, there were spies planted, and we are left to infer who those spies were. As a sociopath, Pia was not well-liked, nor was the main victim in the book. While we can assume that some "electrical maintenance workers" who happened to be Albanian tipped them off (the murderers in this book are the Albanian mafia), that is never clarified.
I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this book, although as a die-hard Robin Cook fan I wouldn't have skipped it. For good Robin Cook fare, read the series about Jack and Laurie, who are the central characters in most of his books.
March 9, 2012
I am almost done with Robin Cook's new book- excellent as usual- facinating plot- tight prose- really quite good- with one major and very confusing issue- the lead character Pia is one of the most unlikable, self-absorbed nasty characters i have ever encountered in a thriller. I am not asking for a superwoman- a mix between Mother Theresa and Lynda Carter - yet with thrillers- there is that aspect of having a lead character who the reader can root for, if not identify with, and Pia is so very nasty and distant- that I almost root for the bad guys when she goes up against them. This is very suprising because Cook's previous characters Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery were both quite likable- flawed but very much characters I looked forward to "meeting" once a year in each new book. They have cameos in this new book- which only drives home how much they are missed. There is truly no aspect of the lead character in this book to "hook" the reader into rooting for her- something key to a thriller.
February 25, 2019
It took me forever to read this book because I had to force it down like a giant nasty tasting pill. Every time I put it down for a while I think I developed amnesia and thought it would be better next time. Three main issues I can easily lay out for this book:
1) The characterization of Pia is horrendous. She such a trope of the typical female-written-by-male-author. She’s beyond gorgeous (and we have to hear about it continually), she’s very smart, but she’s also (of course!) very damaged. No worries though, her attractive male love interest is there at all times despite the fact that she treats him like crap.
2) The research methods in this book are ridiculous. That’s not how research works, and any researcher who worked this way and then tried to publish their work would get torn apart by the scientific community. Way to give clinical research a terrible name.
3) The end left much to be desired. So many loose ends left flapping about. I feel cheated after slogging through everything else.
1) The characterization of Pia is horrendous. She such a trope of the typical female-written-by-male-author. She’s beyond gorgeous (and we have to hear about it continually), she’s very smart, but she’s also (of course!) very damaged. No worries though, her attractive male love interest is there at all times despite the fact that she treats him like crap.
2) The research methods in this book are ridiculous. That’s not how research works, and any researcher who worked this way and then tried to publish their work would get torn apart by the scientific community. Way to give clinical research a terrible name.
3) The end left much to be desired. So many loose ends left flapping about. I feel cheated after slogging through everything else.
April 28, 2012
Loved this book, but then Cook & Crichton are two that seldom go wrong in my opinion. This topic was esp. interesting & timely for the world today & in my life. I have a special place in my heart for stem cell research & organ regeneration. Transplants are needed by so many & how can we keep it from becoming a "money making or stealing" program? My favorite books are character driven & the main character of Pia & the ex-Wall street wizard made me furious while keeping me turning the pages. As usual, Robin Cook can do no wrong in keeping me coming back for more.
July 23, 2013
Ugh. Painful. Lack of character development. Inaccuracies regarding medical/research issues. No plot development for pages and pages. Uninteresting conflict with unsatisfying resolution. Ugh.
November 23, 2023
Dieses Buch lag schon ewig auf meinem Stapel der ungelesenen Bücher. Es wurde also mal höchste Zeit das Buch davon zu befreien.
Was soll ich dazu schreiben. Also erstmal finde ich das Cover gut gelungen, es passt zum Inhalt.
Dieser Thriller aus der Feder von Robin Cook ist in Kapitel aufgebaut, diese lassen sich sehr angenhem lesen. Der Schreibstil ist flüssig.
Die Story finde ich sehr interessant, durchaus ein Szenario was so passieren könnte. Was ich allerdings etwas schade fand, war die Tatsache das sich das Buch teilweise etwas in die länge gezogen hat und leider auch etwas vorhersehbar war. Dafür gibt es einen Stern Abzug.
Die Protagonisten fand ich interessant und gut herausgearbeitet. Das Ende des Buches kam etwas überraschend.
Zusammenfassend bekommt das Buch 4 von 5 Sterne. Ein typischer Cook Thriller mit kleinen Schwächen.
Was soll ich dazu schreiben. Also erstmal finde ich das Cover gut gelungen, es passt zum Inhalt.
Dieser Thriller aus der Feder von Robin Cook ist in Kapitel aufgebaut, diese lassen sich sehr angenhem lesen. Der Schreibstil ist flüssig.
Die Story finde ich sehr interessant, durchaus ein Szenario was so passieren könnte. Was ich allerdings etwas schade fand, war die Tatsache das sich das Buch teilweise etwas in die länge gezogen hat und leider auch etwas vorhersehbar war. Dafür gibt es einen Stern Abzug.
Die Protagonisten fand ich interessant und gut herausgearbeitet. Das Ende des Buches kam etwas überraschend.
Zusammenfassend bekommt das Buch 4 von 5 Sterne. Ein typischer Cook Thriller mit kleinen Schwächen.
May 18, 2017
A definite food for thought kind of book. Story was slow in some parts and thrilling in others. I really enjoyed it.
August 2, 2017
A little slow to start, but fast-paced ending. Still worthwhile. Recommended.
July 30, 2019
Usual good read. Not high literature but a good story
August 31, 2021
Terrible book. Robin Cook has written many good books - this was not one of them. Do not waste your time
December 10, 2021
It was an ok read. The story theme was good, but I found it lacking something and it wrapped up really quick.
October 8, 2019
This was my first Robin Cook novel,and I must say he didn't fail on making a good first impressions.
Pros:
Cook's writing reminds me of Sydney Sheldon's writing, especially the detailed character backgrounds right in the beginning of the story to add a personal touch, and the ever-loved thrill of the world of medical specialists.
If you enjoy stories with strong female protagonists with troubled pasts, stuck in situations spiralling out if control, virtuous and determinant, then this book is for you. Definitely a Friday night-long weekend read.
The language of the book is quite interesting, definitely not for a beginner but an intermediate reader would enjoy it thoroughly.
Cons:
Cook takes his own time over the course of about 500 pages to tie all sides of the story together, however it is slightly disappointing as some intergral questions/ issues are left unanswered or inadequately answered.
Although the characters are fairly well developed, I personally feel too much attention to the plot in general steered away from a look into the minds of the main characters,their emotions etc. In dept. Hastily tied up at the end in that respect.
All in all I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's looking for a full medical thriller-romance package which should definitely be turned into a movie,if it hasn't already.
Pros:
Cook's writing reminds me of Sydney Sheldon's writing, especially the detailed character backgrounds right in the beginning of the story to add a personal touch, and the ever-loved thrill of the world of medical specialists.
If you enjoy stories with strong female protagonists with troubled pasts, stuck in situations spiralling out if control, virtuous and determinant, then this book is for you. Definitely a Friday night-long weekend read.
The language of the book is quite interesting, definitely not for a beginner but an intermediate reader would enjoy it thoroughly.
Cons:
Cook takes his own time over the course of about 500 pages to tie all sides of the story together, however it is slightly disappointing as some intergral questions/ issues are left unanswered or inadequately answered.
Although the characters are fairly well developed, I personally feel too much attention to the plot in general steered away from a look into the minds of the main characters,their emotions etc. In dept. Hastily tied up at the end in that respect.
All in all I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's looking for a full medical thriller-romance package which should definitely be turned into a movie,if it hasn't already.
November 29, 2018
Fã dos livros de Robin Cook e tendo trabalhado em Transplantação este livro desiludi-me um pouco.
Cook recorre imenso a terminologia médica tornando a leitura monótona e extensa.
Cook recorre imenso a terminologia médica tornando a leitura monótona e extensa.
July 15, 2022
One word - boring. I gave this book 100 pages and just couldn’t get into it. Too much science stuff at the beginning about stem cells to set the stage and the author lost me before he had me. I used to read a lot of Robin Cook about 25 years ago and enjoyed his stuff but this one just wasn't interesting or engaging for me. Recommend a pass on it.
October 29, 2018
Well, no book can be compared to the effect that COMA created. Well written but could have been much better. Doesn't seem like Robin cook's work.
February 19, 2013
This is the first robin Cook I have read in a while, and stands up to his previous books, giving me a nice thrill, although I did have trouble identifying with the heroine - not because of her previous life experiences, but rather the character that she became from them - scrappy, single-minded focus to the point of absurdity. Pia Grazdani is a 4th year medical student at Columbia, followed by her lapdog friend George, who is so obsessed with her, that he ignores her rude behavior to him, and comes begging for more. Pia is doing an elective in a research lab lead by the cold, but brilliant Dr. Rothmann, with whom Pia finds a compatible soul. He is working on organogenesis (organ growth from tissue samples of the host's own body), as well as cutting edge work on virulent stains of salmonella. She becomes engrossed in the work, and in the doctor, finds a father figure she never knew.
Meanwhile, two ex Wall Street guys have hit upon a surefire scheme to make money - buying life insurance policies, with death benefits, for pennies on the dollar from cash-strapped people, and then paying the premiums and collecting the benefits when they die. Elaborate calculations have found that those in need of organ replacement are prime examples of certain money. The odds of one of them finding a compatible organ that gives them lots of extra time is outweighed by the chances of not finding an organ, rejection, etc. All goes well, until they find a ex-protegee who is short selling their stock. They go to her to find out why, and since she was rejected by one of them, she decides on some payback. Her in-depth research has led her to Dr. Rothmann and his cutting- edge work on organogenesis and what it would do for the bankers new business - if the organ growing business comes to fruition fairly quickly, and works, as it is suspected, then all those policies they bought will need continual premium payments, causing their business model to fail. They seek outside advice from another fellow who has dabbled in a number of areas, and since he invested heavily in their scheme, as well as setting up a secret competing one, he devises a plan that will fix the problem. But when things start happening, Pia decides to jump in head first, at the cost of angering the hospital, her colleagues, and even her place in medical school, as well as putting herself and George in danger. This is the first book to feature Pia - the next one is "Nano" which I am reading now. As always, a good, fun medical thriller, if a little implausible for the heroine's absolute single-mindedness, although the author is at pains to explain in detail why she acts the way she does, but still...
Meanwhile, two ex Wall Street guys have hit upon a surefire scheme to make money - buying life insurance policies, with death benefits, for pennies on the dollar from cash-strapped people, and then paying the premiums and collecting the benefits when they die. Elaborate calculations have found that those in need of organ replacement are prime examples of certain money. The odds of one of them finding a compatible organ that gives them lots of extra time is outweighed by the chances of not finding an organ, rejection, etc. All goes well, until they find a ex-protegee who is short selling their stock. They go to her to find out why, and since she was rejected by one of them, she decides on some payback. Her in-depth research has led her to Dr. Rothmann and his cutting- edge work on organogenesis and what it would do for the bankers new business - if the organ growing business comes to fruition fairly quickly, and works, as it is suspected, then all those policies they bought will need continual premium payments, causing their business model to fail. They seek outside advice from another fellow who has dabbled in a number of areas, and since he invested heavily in their scheme, as well as setting up a secret competing one, he devises a plan that will fix the problem. But when things start happening, Pia decides to jump in head first, at the cost of angering the hospital, her colleagues, and even her place in medical school, as well as putting herself and George in danger. This is the first book to feature Pia - the next one is "Nano" which I am reading now. As always, a good, fun medical thriller, if a little implausible for the heroine's absolute single-mindedness, although the author is at pains to explain in detail why she acts the way she does, but still...
July 9, 2013
Already rich authors must be able to take chances that novices can’t. Robin Cook teaches us this sad lesson in his latest, Death Benefit. This is a typical Cook “thriller,” long on medical jargon and improbable combinations of acts and science, total illogic—how many fourth year medical students criticize attendings and accuse them of malpractice and survive to tell the story and how do you leave out of the plot for almost half the novel mention of the guys who planned the murders that are supposed to be at its core? Pia Grazdani is an unbelievably luscious beauty who gets the juices flowing in almost every many she meets, but she is a serious Albanian med student, or that’s what she keeps telling us. After charming the uncharmable Dr. Rothman, Nobel laureate about to win another one for his work in organogenesis (growth of organs from stem cells) she goes about solving his mysterious murder. The murder is made necessary by the fact that his process will grow new pancreases, killing the market for diabetes drugs. The fact that this process is not even in FDA human trials and is a minimum of five years away, if all goes well, is apparently lost on Cook, who compresses deadlines from years into weeks and days. I have trouble with novels that either lie to me or purport to be scientific and then toss the science out the window for plot demands. In this case, the plot demands are flimsy to begin with. There are long, seemingly endless passages on the importance of loyalty to Albanian hoodlums. These digressions serve no purpose other than filler and are such obvious plot crutches that it gets embarrassing to have to plow through them to get to the finish of this quack and hack novel. The novel will probably sell well because Cook has a following but on the evidence of this one, he’s starting to phone it in big time. I know a book is in trouble with me when I start looking at the shelves to see what’s next. I was doing that about halfway through this novel whose title makes no sense other than to get “death” into it. I found the dialogue stilted and repetitive, the character of Pia totally dominated by her looks, no matter how much she endlessly proclaims she’s a serious medical student, and the science questionable at best and merely glib at its worst. Cook gives signs of burnout, as well he might after the 30 books he has completed. I think he needs to take a sabbatical for some post-doc studies on reality and writing believable dialogue or he should lose his license.
Read
February 24, 2012Reading a techno-thriller is much like watching one of those plate-spinning jugglers who performed on
Sunday nights on the Ed Sullivan Show. One plate after another is set spinning atop sticks while hoops are spun on arms, legs and ankles and there is always at least one beautiful woman who smiles and hands the performer yet another plate to set spinning. We become so enthralled with the music and motion and the beautiful assistant that we fail to notice an occasional dropped plate or sagging hoop. So it is with this latest book by the long-time master of the medical thriller, Robin Cook.
In this novel, the beautiful woman is Pia Grazdani, a brilliant and beautiful (is there any other kind in these stories?) fourth year medical student at Columbia University in New York City. Pia has landed a plum assignment as an assistant to the even more brilliant but brittle Dr. Tobias Rothman who is engaged in two simultaneous fields of research—super virulent strains of salmonella and the challenge of growing complete and functioning human organs from stem cells.
Every story must have villains and in “Death Benefit,” we have two. Edmund Mathews and Russell Levevre are Wall Street traders who, having made large fortunes by wrecking the economy with sub prime mortgages, are now set on making even larger fortunes with a new company that cons little old ladies out of their life insurance policies. These two are so dastardly they lack only mustaches to twirl. But the thought of order-ready organs for transplant threatens to derail their latest venture and they are growing desperate.
So more plates are set to spinning. The Albanian mob makes an appearance, vials of deadly salmonella are stolen, and a container of toxic polonium-210 is tossed into the mix...with the expected deadly consequences.
This is a fun read. Sure, there are a few dropped plates along the way, but the book moves along at such a rapid pace that the reader doesn’t notice or mind.
Reviewed by Andrew MacRae for Suspense Magazine
Sunday nights on the Ed Sullivan Show. One plate after another is set spinning atop sticks while hoops are spun on arms, legs and ankles and there is always at least one beautiful woman who smiles and hands the performer yet another plate to set spinning. We become so enthralled with the music and motion and the beautiful assistant that we fail to notice an occasional dropped plate or sagging hoop. So it is with this latest book by the long-time master of the medical thriller, Robin Cook.
In this novel, the beautiful woman is Pia Grazdani, a brilliant and beautiful (is there any other kind in these stories?) fourth year medical student at Columbia University in New York City. Pia has landed a plum assignment as an assistant to the even more brilliant but brittle Dr. Tobias Rothman who is engaged in two simultaneous fields of research—super virulent strains of salmonella and the challenge of growing complete and functioning human organs from stem cells.
Every story must have villains and in “Death Benefit,” we have two. Edmund Mathews and Russell Levevre are Wall Street traders who, having made large fortunes by wrecking the economy with sub prime mortgages, are now set on making even larger fortunes with a new company that cons little old ladies out of their life insurance policies. These two are so dastardly they lack only mustaches to twirl. But the thought of order-ready organs for transplant threatens to derail their latest venture and they are growing desperate.
So more plates are set to spinning. The Albanian mob makes an appearance, vials of deadly salmonella are stolen, and a container of toxic polonium-210 is tossed into the mix...with the expected deadly consequences.
This is a fun read. Sure, there are a few dropped plates along the way, but the book moves along at such a rapid pace that the reader doesn’t notice or mind.
Reviewed by Andrew MacRae for Suspense Magazine
January 22, 2012
When a thriller has a medical angle, I'm hooked from the get-go; that's why Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Crichton, Karin Slaughter and the like are on my list of favorite authors. Cook, a doctor, never fails to come up with intriguing, well thought out plots, and Death Benefit carries on the tradition in superb fashion. This one, which is complex and involves several different groups of characters with different agendas, was interesting to read if only to see how Cook introduces and develops each group until they're finally woven together to complete the story.
In one sense, the book follows the usual formula: A medical setting, a bit of free license with the realities of research and the inevitable "oops." But Cook never crosses the line into impossibility, so it's easy to get lost in the action and suspense that keeps things moving along.
I'll admit to being a tad disappointed at the ending, though; the case at hand was solved, of course, but I'd love to know what the future holds for the research that was so interesting (and central to the plot here) as well as for one or two of the main characters. Hmmm, might there be a follow-up book somewhere along the way?
In one sense, the book follows the usual formula: A medical setting, a bit of free license with the realities of research and the inevitable "oops." But Cook never crosses the line into impossibility, so it's easy to get lost in the action and suspense that keeps things moving along.
I'll admit to being a tad disappointed at the ending, though; the case at hand was solved, of course, but I'd love to know what the future holds for the research that was so interesting (and central to the plot here) as well as for one or two of the main characters. Hmmm, might there be a follow-up book somewhere along the way?
September 16, 2013
Death Benefit is the first Pia Grazdani novel, I believe. I had read her second escapade in Nano and didn’t think too much of it. However, Death Benefit is a far cry from Nano.
Pia Grazdani is introduced to Robin Cook readers as an intelligent, work-driven young attractive female who suffers from a detachment syndrome due to her abuse as a child at the hands of her uncle and other authority figures in the foster care system as well as the betrayal of her father who never came to rescue her from foster care. It is a serious flaw in her character and it becomes apparent to readers in the way she treats her friend George, who is in love with her. The creation of such a character to take the centre stage has been successfully engineered by Cook since Pia is believable and quite human.
The novel itself is an interesting read, worthy of Robin Cook – the master of medical dramas. While we already know the plot as we are introduced to the antagonist early on and we can pretty much deduce what will happen in terms of what kickstarts Pia into commencing her own investigation, Cook has maintained a fast paced thriller that still manages to keep the reader interested.
Pia Grazdani is introduced to Robin Cook readers as an intelligent, work-driven young attractive female who suffers from a detachment syndrome due to her abuse as a child at the hands of her uncle and other authority figures in the foster care system as well as the betrayal of her father who never came to rescue her from foster care. It is a serious flaw in her character and it becomes apparent to readers in the way she treats her friend George, who is in love with her. The creation of such a character to take the centre stage has been successfully engineered by Cook since Pia is believable and quite human.
The novel itself is an interesting read, worthy of Robin Cook – the master of medical dramas. While we already know the plot as we are introduced to the antagonist early on and we can pretty much deduce what will happen in terms of what kickstarts Pia into commencing her own investigation, Cook has maintained a fast paced thriller that still manages to keep the reader interested.
July 26, 2012
I've been reading Robin Cook's books for probably close to twenty years now, and have been rather disappointed in the past few offerings. I don't know if they are all this bad, or if my tastes have changed, but at this point I just don't think he's writing very good books. His plots are completely unbelievable, particularly the readiness of regular people to sanction violence, including murder. There's little character development, and what character development there is seems forced. And with regard to characters in general, he often seems to fall into the trap of telling instead of showing.
That said, the premise of this book was interesting, and it made decent airplane reading.
That said, the premise of this book was interesting, and it made decent airplane reading.
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