What do you think?
Rate this book
Hooked
HOOKED is a story of sex, greed, ambition, murder, revenge and assassination — and of a gifted doctor from a small town in Kentucky.
Written in 2011 with a contemporary feel, the novel takes place in the mid-20th century when America was at the pinnacle of its power and prestige. Set in New York and Washington, a remote fishing village on the Turkish Riviera, Sweden, Vienna, Cairo and aboard Lydia, the world’s most beautiful yacht, the story centers on Gavin Jenkins, the brilliant, charismatic Dr. FeelGood.
Dr. Jenkins' miracle treatments give patients everything they want: youth, beauty, radiant vitality and sexual potency. No wonder he is worshiped by the celebrities who become his patients. No wonder his influence runs from the private island of an enigmatic Turkish billionaire with a bloody secret to the crimson-draped bedroom of a depraved, Mid-eastern Prince; from the private dressing rooms of world-famous artists to the heights of international society and the inner sanctums of the White House itself.
Written in 2011 with a contemporary feel, the novel takes place in the mid-20th century when America was at the pinnacle of its power and prestige. Set in New York and Washington, a remote fishing village on the Turkish Riviera, Sweden, Vienna, Cairo and aboard Lydia, the world’s most beautiful yacht, the story centers on Gavin Jenkins, the brilliant, charismatic Dr. FeelGood.
Dr. Jenkins' miracle treatments give patients everything they want: youth, beauty, radiant vitality and sexual potency. No wonder he is worshiped by the celebrities who become his patients. No wonder his influence runs from the private island of an enigmatic Turkish billionaire with a bloody secret to the crimson-draped bedroom of a depraved, Mid-eastern Prince; from the private dressing rooms of world-famous artists to the heights of international society and the inner sanctums of the White House itself.
ebook
First published January 1, 2011
83 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Harris
23 books37 followersRuth Harris is a New York Times and Amazon bestselling author and a Romantic Times award winner for “best contemporary.” Ruth’s emotional, entertaining fiction has topped Amazon’s Movers and Shakers list and her highly praised novels have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club. In their e-book editions, Ruth's novels have been featured on Ereader News Today, Pixel of Ink and Kindle Nation Daily.
Ruth writes about strong, savvy, smart and witty women who struggle to succeed and, when sometimes they don’t get what they want, they find something even better along the way. Critics have compared Ruth to Nora Ephron and Joan Didion and called her books "brilliant," “steamy,” "stylishly written," ”richly plotted,” “first-class entertainment” and “a sure thing.”
With her husband, Michael, Ruth indulges her wild side and writes bestselling thrillers with vivid characters, international backgrounds and compelling plots. Their thrillers have made numerous appearances in the top 3 of Kindle’s prestigious Movers & Shakers list; in the Top 100 in the Kindle Store; Hooked has appeared continually on three Medical bestseller lists since its publication; #1 and #2 on two different Political bestseller lists; #14 on the Thrillers bestseller list.
Publisher’s Weekly called Ruth's and Michael's thrillers "Slick and sexy [with] all the sure elements of a big seller written by pros who know how to tell a story.” Readers have raved, calling their books “awesome,” “gripping,” “chilling,” “a must-read,” and “a real page-turner.”
It's no surprise Ruth is a writer. Her Mom was an RN who had a trove of big-city hospital stories—some funny, some sad, some touching—and told them with great style. Her Dad loved words, word play and language (Ruth still has his collection of dictionaries) and he is remembered by those who knew him as "always reading." Ruth's paternal grandfather was noted for his extensive library and both her parents were avid readers: her Mom loved popular fiction and her Dad bought four or five newspapers every day and subscribed to what seemed to be every magazine published—from Life and Look to BusinessWeek and Organic Gardening.
As a girl, Ruth wanted to be a professional ice skater. In her teens, she wanted to be a lawyer—a summer job in a law office cured her! After college, she got a beginner's job in publishing and her career path—first as an editor and then as a writer—was set.
Ruth writes about strong, savvy, smart and witty women who struggle to succeed and, when sometimes they don’t get what they want, they find something even better along the way. Critics have compared Ruth to Nora Ephron and Joan Didion and called her books "brilliant," “steamy,” "stylishly written," ”richly plotted,” “first-class entertainment” and “a sure thing.”
With her husband, Michael, Ruth indulges her wild side and writes bestselling thrillers with vivid characters, international backgrounds and compelling plots. Their thrillers have made numerous appearances in the top 3 of Kindle’s prestigious Movers & Shakers list; in the Top 100 in the Kindle Store; Hooked has appeared continually on three Medical bestseller lists since its publication; #1 and #2 on two different Political bestseller lists; #14 on the Thrillers bestseller list.
Publisher’s Weekly called Ruth's and Michael's thrillers "Slick and sexy [with] all the sure elements of a big seller written by pros who know how to tell a story.” Readers have raved, calling their books “awesome,” “gripping,” “chilling,” “a must-read,” and “a real page-turner.”
It's no surprise Ruth is a writer. Her Mom was an RN who had a trove of big-city hospital stories—some funny, some sad, some touching—and told them with great style. Her Dad loved words, word play and language (Ruth still has his collection of dictionaries) and he is remembered by those who knew him as "always reading." Ruth's paternal grandfather was noted for his extensive library and both her parents were avid readers: her Mom loved popular fiction and her Dad bought four or five newspapers every day and subscribed to what seemed to be every magazine published—from Life and Look to BusinessWeek and Organic Gardening.
As a girl, Ruth wanted to be a professional ice skater. In her teens, she wanted to be a lawyer—a summer job in a law office cured her! After college, she got a beginner's job in publishing and her career path—first as an editor and then as a writer—was set.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 27, 2015
I have not read a lot of this book, but already there were three sessions of sex, so I don't see how this can be a thriller--we all know how sex works--there is little new to add.
April 30, 2015
Don't waste your time :(
March 9, 2018
This book was so bad it was hard to read. The story did not have a good plot besides tossing around sex and what or how much money people had. would not recommend this book unless you want to read a sleazy type book.
March 27, 2018
I found this book because I read her husbands book Nuked. They had a sneak peak of this book in there. The first chapter was intriguing but as it progressed on it felt more like I was reading a play. Chapters didn't flow together. It was a bit all over place.
March 12, 2017
had interesting but juvenile plot
July 20, 2019
Interesting premise. It was fast paced and kept my interest. It is interesting what people will do to make themselves feel better, look better and be younger and this book caught that craziness.
January 5, 2023
This is not really my genre - yet it is! To be honest, I don’t know WHAT genre this is, but the blurb drew me in!
Dr Gavin is an enigma. Cleo is also an enigma, but in a different way, you can’t relate to her because you’ve never been in her shoes and are never likely to be! She comes across initially as a ‘weak’ woman, but she’s not!
In fact, all of the characters in this book are strong, ambitious, purposeful people. That’s what makes this story interesting. The driver of the plot: get your life back on track, improve your health, your lifestyle, your future, is totally compelling! In so many ways, you will be hooked by this book!
This is my first foray into this ‘genre’ with these authors, but it’s certainly NOT my last!
Dr Gavin is an enigma. Cleo is also an enigma, but in a different way, you can’t relate to her because you’ve never been in her shoes and are never likely to be! She comes across initially as a ‘weak’ woman, but she’s not!
In fact, all of the characters in this book are strong, ambitious, purposeful people. That’s what makes this story interesting. The driver of the plot: get your life back on track, improve your health, your lifestyle, your future, is totally compelling! In so many ways, you will be hooked by this book!
This is my first foray into this ‘genre’ with these authors, but it’s certainly NOT my last!
April 1, 2015
"A medical thriller that gave me the needle"
These two have certainly found the formula for writing a best seller! Today's reader seems to enjoy devouring stories involving the endless pursuit of eternal youth and celebrity among the rich and famous; people with ample time for hour upon hour of sex and swanning around on luxury yachts, because they don't have to get up in the morning to work for a living. The characters aren't particularly vividly drawn, the action flits to all corners of the globe and yet the whole world these high fliers inhabit is shallow and hollow. If this book had been a critique of this hedonist lifestyle it could have been far more biting and exposed it for what is, but sadly it read like a celebration.
These two have certainly found the formula for writing a best seller! Today's reader seems to enjoy devouring stories involving the endless pursuit of eternal youth and celebrity among the rich and famous; people with ample time for hour upon hour of sex and swanning around on luxury yachts, because they don't have to get up in the morning to work for a living. The characters aren't particularly vividly drawn, the action flits to all corners of the globe and yet the whole world these high fliers inhabit is shallow and hollow. If this book had been a critique of this hedonist lifestyle it could have been far more biting and exposed it for what is, but sadly it read like a celebration.
April 25, 2014
A Hollywood pulp fiction without any character development. The authors give nothing in terms of scene description. The end, while "exciting" was too fast and quick in its development with simple things like, The President was shot. This momentous event deserve more than a paragraph, probably a whole chapter. Also they projected modern times and thinking into the 1950's and so made the book seem strange in time set. That they would exploit the Kennedy assassination with a fantasy story was oblique. But the story premise was good and unique enough to finish and gain the coveted three stars.
March 19, 2015
Hooked is a crazy, exciting trip through a story set a ½ Century ago when Men were Men, Doctors were Gods and no one ever thought twice about mysterious “feel good injections”. Set in a world of opulence, wealth, power and violence. It is the rise and fall of a man, a doctor and the people he treated.
This is a story coaxed from yesteryear's gossip columns. You will recognize the many of the characters as versions of historic personages from the 1960's – if you don't ask you mom or your grand mom.
This is a story coaxed from yesteryear's gossip columns. You will recognize the many of the characters as versions of historic personages from the 1960's – if you don't ask you mom or your grand mom.
Read
July 18, 2015I just cannot give this book any stars. It was billed as an action thriller. What it amounted to was a book filled with tacky sex scenes with a lot of weird ideas strung between them. This is one of those books that feels like it was written when someone was really high and said "oh, lets add this". Thee fact that this is written by a husband and wide writing team leads me to believe that the two of them were writing more for each other's erotic benefit than anything a serious reader wants to read. It's soft core bad porn and if that's all you're looking for....well, have at it!
January 24, 2012
Young Doctor developes a magic mix of drugs that when injected seem to have an extrodinary effect on the patient. He developes quite a folowing, gets hired by unscruplus billionaire to furthher his plans. Musical girl friends of the Billionaire complicate things before the Drs. treatments start to backfire. Lots more going on including bedroom scenes more fitting to a pulp harliquin bodice ripper which is the reason for the low rating.
April 10, 2015
This book fulfilled what it promised, which is about all I can say in its favor.
Young doctor has powerful injections to rejuvenate people; make them more handsome, intelligent, sexual. For a while. Beware of long-term consequences. It's the 60s and the jet set is in full swing.
Some of the writing, especially at the beginning, was appalling. I kept reading because I had to wait for an appointment and had nothing else to do. It's that kind of book.
Young doctor has powerful injections to rejuvenate people; make them more handsome, intelligent, sexual. For a while. Beware of long-term consequences. It's the 60s and the jet set is in full swing.
Some of the writing, especially at the beginning, was appalling. I kept reading because I had to wait for an appointment and had nothing else to do. It's that kind of book.
March 1, 2016
Michael Harris, Ruth Harris, Hooked: A Thriller, NB-M @ 2011, 7/11/15, 148 pages.
A young doctor becomes world famous when he develope a cocktail shot that cures the rich and famous. Egyptian oil magnates, mad dictators, concert pianists, and the U.S. President are all involved in this thriller. Okay.
A young doctor becomes world famous when he develope a cocktail shot that cures the rich and famous. Egyptian oil magnates, mad dictators, concert pianists, and the U.S. President are all involved in this thriller. Okay.
May 15, 2015
No stars for this book. Has inspired me to have a list called "Authors I will never ever read again. Don't waste your time. this is the 2nd book I have read by this author. Didn't like either. Life it too short to spend on bad books
March 25, 2015
Quick read, not a lot of depth to the characters. Great book to take to the beach or on an airplane.
April 7, 2015
I really hate to give a bad review, but this book reads as though it were written for elementary students, except for the trashy parts.
April 10, 2015
Strange book. Way too much graphs sex just. For the sake of sex. Poorly written. I should have put it down way before I did.
April 25, 2016
.
This was one of the worst books I have read in a long time. I couldn't follow what was going on because of the character jumping with too many sub plots.
This was one of the worst books I have read in a long time. I couldn't follow what was going on because of the character jumping with too many sub plots.
April 22, 2015
Could not get thru 2 chapters
They should give sexual ratings in the description. Pages of detailed sexual activities does make it intriguing, mysterious or interesting to read
They should give sexual ratings in the description. Pages of detailed sexual activities does make it intriguing, mysterious or interesting to read
September 9, 2012
A serious medical/political thriller. So far so good...
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews