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New York Times-bestselling author Robin Cook takes on the cutting-edge world of gene-modification in this pulse-pounding new medical thriller.When an unidentified, seemingly healthy young woman collapses suddenly on the New York City subway and dies upon reaching the hospital, her case is an eerie reminder for veteran medical examiner Jack Stapleton of the 1918 flu pandemic. Fearful of a repeat on the one hundredth anniversary of the nightmarish contagion, Jack autopsies the woman within hours of her demise and discovers some striking first, that she has had a heart transplant, and second, that, against all odds, her DNA matches that of the transplanted heart. Although the facts don't add up to influenza, Jack must race against the clock to identify the woman and determine what kind of virus could wreak such havoc--a task made more urgent when two other victims succumb to a similar rapid death. But nothing makes sense until his investigation leads him into the fascinating realm of CRISPR/CAS9, a gene-editing biotechnology that's captured the imagination of the medical community. . . and the attention of its most unethical members. Drawn into the dark underbelly of the organ transplant market, Jack will come face-to-face with a megalomaniacal businessman willing to risk human lives in order to conquer a lucrative new frontier in medicine--and if Jack's not careful, the next life lost might be his own.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 11, 2018
2170 people are currently reading
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About the author
Robin Cook
190 books5,057 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 914 reviews
January 11, 2019
Robin Cook’s Pandemic is the eleventh book in the Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery series. It is, however, the first of the set that I’ve read. Considering both the popularity of Cook’s sizable body of work and his huge fan base, I expected so much more. In the end it was just not enjoyable.
Generally, I avoid novels that feature the same characters over several volumes, and I do so for a number of reasons. First, I have commitment issues. Seriously. I want to meet them, read about them and move on once I close the cover. Second, in many same-character-series novels, I’ve found that in addition to a single, driving plot, an inordinate amount of real estate is occupied by subplots examining evolving situations and relationships—things that were established in earlier books. If the reader hasn’t read the earlier books, the characters lack that substance needed for one to fully engage. I mention all of this because it is at the crux of my disappointment with this book.
Jack Stapleton and wife Laurie Montgomery are both NYC medical examiners, and it’s clear from the start that their back story is complicated and complex, built upon over the course of the eleven novels in the series. References are made to their family, their jobs and the tension between them—references with vague explanations that left me feeling like an outsider, unable to appreciate them either individually or as a couple. There just wasn’t enough in this one novel to allow me to fully invest in what happened to either of them—they were both incredibly unlikable. I understand that the author is courting loyal followers, but here he is also alienating those new to the work.
Which brings me to the central plot. I was drawn to the title because I thought it would be about a...um....pandemic. Spoiler—it wasn’t (or it was but only tangentially). I won’t ruin it for you any further other than to say that the climax and conclusion were just a very weary “so what.”
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Cook overuses the verb “snapped” (seriously...the guy loves the word), that there are entire pages that require a medical degree to explain, and that the dialogue here is unrealistic, stilted and dry.
All in all, I’d skip this one and spend time reading something more appealing.
Generally, I avoid novels that feature the same characters over several volumes, and I do so for a number of reasons. First, I have commitment issues. Seriously. I want to meet them, read about them and move on once I close the cover. Second, in many same-character-series novels, I’ve found that in addition to a single, driving plot, an inordinate amount of real estate is occupied by subplots examining evolving situations and relationships—things that were established in earlier books. If the reader hasn’t read the earlier books, the characters lack that substance needed for one to fully engage. I mention all of this because it is at the crux of my disappointment with this book.
Jack Stapleton and wife Laurie Montgomery are both NYC medical examiners, and it’s clear from the start that their back story is complicated and complex, built upon over the course of the eleven novels in the series. References are made to their family, their jobs and the tension between them—references with vague explanations that left me feeling like an outsider, unable to appreciate them either individually or as a couple. There just wasn’t enough in this one novel to allow me to fully invest in what happened to either of them—they were both incredibly unlikable. I understand that the author is courting loyal followers, but here he is also alienating those new to the work.
Which brings me to the central plot. I was drawn to the title because I thought it would be about a...um....pandemic. Spoiler—it wasn’t (or it was but only tangentially). I won’t ruin it for you any further other than to say that the climax and conclusion were just a very weary “so what.”
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Cook overuses the verb “snapped” (seriously...the guy loves the word), that there are entire pages that require a medical degree to explain, and that the dialogue here is unrealistic, stilted and dry.
All in all, I’d skip this one and spend time reading something more appealing.
December 23, 2018
The protagonist was a major ass, and the dialogue was painful. Concept was interesting but poorly written. Sad because I was excited about becoming a medical thriller fan, but I think I'll have to search a bit harder for a good one.
October 9, 2018
I will first say that I have been a lifelong Robin Cook fan. He and Mary Higgins Clark were my two favorite authors growing up and I will always have fond memories of their novels. That bring said, this book ended up a mess. I have always loved the stories with Jack Stapleton but this one had him being whiny, bratty, and, honestly, completely unforgivable. Both in his professional and personal life, he was just a horrible example of a protagonist. I never remembered him being this incorrigable and I am not sure if Robin Cook is just losing touch with his character or more so losing touch with how the world is today. It was depressing to see one of my favorite characters fall from grace so hard.
Additionally, the last third of the book was terrible. The ending was so rushed with many questions left unanswered. It made me feel like it was assuming the reader wasn't paying attention or didn't care. So many loose ends and, on top of that, the fact that the main character doesn't even seem to learn anything from the situations he put himself in both at work and at home is SO ANNOYING. How is reader supposed to connect with the main character when he has literally de-evolved as a logical person since the beginning of the book? The book had so many chances to make a positive statement, whether it be towards new medical technologies, autism, or even homosexuality. It felt like it intentionally missed the mark the entire way, which is so sad.
I hate to say it but maybe Robin Cook is past his prime. Maybe Jack Stapleton has deserved to be laid to rest (not literally) in all the previous books that did him right. All I know for sure is the younger reader in me is at least looking fondly back on the old Cook novels that cemented my love for thrillers. My suggestion: read those instead.
Additionally, the last third of the book was terrible. The ending was so rushed with many questions left unanswered. It made me feel like it was assuming the reader wasn't paying attention or didn't care. So many loose ends and, on top of that, the fact that the main character doesn't even seem to learn anything from the situations he put himself in both at work and at home is SO ANNOYING. How is reader supposed to connect with the main character when he has literally de-evolved as a logical person since the beginning of the book? The book had so many chances to make a positive statement, whether it be towards new medical technologies, autism, or even homosexuality. It felt like it intentionally missed the mark the entire way, which is so sad.
I hate to say it but maybe Robin Cook is past his prime. Maybe Jack Stapleton has deserved to be laid to rest (not literally) in all the previous books that did him right. All I know for sure is the younger reader in me is at least looking fondly back on the old Cook novels that cemented my love for thrillers. My suggestion: read those instead.
February 26, 2019
If I could give this zero stars... or negative, I would. The story is unbelievable, but at least based in science so I could have looked past that if it was at all readable. The dialogue is written by someone who seems new to, as the author says "American English", armed with a thesaurus and a fundamental misunderstanding of how humans speak to one another.
I've never read another book by this author, but I am glad I haven't suffered through the ten previous in this series. The only character development is Jack plays "b-ball" tall black guys even though he's white! And his wife is the worst because she wont let him ride his bike.or play b-ball! Also, there are so many exclamation points in this book and I like exclamation points!
The Asian characters all seem to know crazy ninja karate moves and the main character, a white guy!, is able to defend himself even though he's white and doesn't know karate! But he plays b-ball so apparently that makes him good a fighting.
The author seems to try really hard not to be racist, then is pretty racist, then acts like it's ok, the main character is friends with black people and maybe attracted to a black woman?
The medical jargon doesn't bother me, but it seems unnecessary at times and not really integral to the story. Also, there are so many unnecessarily big words throw in casual conversation like "preternatural", which Jack uses with some possibly Asian guys who clearly dont speak English as their first language. It's annoying.
I would have given up on this book after the first chapter, but I have a preternatural inability to not finish a book. I also would have given up on this review long ago, but I read the whole damn thing and I feel the need to share.
Perhaps the most offensive part of this book was when Jack returns home from BEING KIDNAPPED AND HELD CAPTIVE IN A SLAUGHTERHOUSE-cum-science lab and makes his wife tell him about her day before he'll fill her in.
Also, their kid might have autism and any time anything is even remotely connected to autism he loses his shit. And the lesbians who die have puzzle piece tattoos and Jack learns that the autism awareness movement uses a puzzle piece as a symbol and these two things aren't connected at all but oh my God! Puzzles pieces, lesbians, tattoos, and autism, oh my!
Oh and Jack's favorite "joke" is to call any situation where there are more than two people in the room a "party" and everyone just loves his acerbic wit!
Finally, the best word Jack can come up with after quashing a mini pandemic, accidentally closing the entire city of New York for a day, almost losing his job and uncovering an underground human organ growing ring is interesting. Interesting, indeed.
I've never read another book by this author, but I am glad I haven't suffered through the ten previous in this series. The only character development is Jack plays "b-ball" tall black guys even though he's white! And his wife is the worst because she wont let him ride his bike.or play b-ball! Also, there are so many exclamation points in this book and I like exclamation points!
The Asian characters all seem to know crazy ninja karate moves and the main character, a white guy!, is able to defend himself even though he's white and doesn't know karate! But he plays b-ball so apparently that makes him good a fighting.
The author seems to try really hard not to be racist, then is pretty racist, then acts like it's ok, the main character is friends with black people and maybe attracted to a black woman?
The medical jargon doesn't bother me, but it seems unnecessary at times and not really integral to the story. Also, there are so many unnecessarily big words throw in casual conversation like "preternatural", which Jack uses with some possibly Asian guys who clearly dont speak English as their first language. It's annoying.
I would have given up on this book after the first chapter, but I have a preternatural inability to not finish a book. I also would have given up on this review long ago, but I read the whole damn thing and I feel the need to share.
Perhaps the most offensive part of this book was when Jack returns home from BEING KIDNAPPED AND HELD CAPTIVE IN A SLAUGHTERHOUSE-cum-science lab and makes his wife tell him about her day before he'll fill her in.
Also, their kid might have autism and any time anything is even remotely connected to autism he loses his shit. And the lesbians who die have puzzle piece tattoos and Jack learns that the autism awareness movement uses a puzzle piece as a symbol and these two things aren't connected at all but oh my God! Puzzles pieces, lesbians, tattoos, and autism, oh my!
Oh and Jack's favorite "joke" is to call any situation where there are more than two people in the room a "party" and everyone just loves his acerbic wit!
Finally, the best word Jack can come up with after quashing a mini pandemic, accidentally closing the entire city of New York for a day, almost losing his job and uncovering an underground human organ growing ring is interesting. Interesting, indeed.
December 4, 2022
This is not science fiction. A biologically active chimeric molecule -- CRISPR/CAS9 -- can modify the genetic makeup of living cells. The potential for use and misuse of this mechanism is quite promising on one hand and quite scary on the other. This story featuring forensic pathologist Jack Stapleton of the New York City Office of Medical Examiners focuses on the use of CRISPR/CAS9 in transplantation.
A young woman who had a recent heart transplant collapses and dies on the New York subway. Jack Stapleton performs the autopsy and is initially convinced that she succumbed to a particularly virulent strain of influenza. Worried about the potential for an epidemic, and because the woman has no ID on her, Jack begins an intense investigation involving testing of body fluids and specimens by specialists and goes into the field to attempt to isolate the virus that caused this death. There are no immediate new cases and that increases his confusion -- until the next woman dies. It is obvious to him that this particular virulent organism is something completely new and it proves difficult to identify. Can Jack figure out the origin and stop the spread of illness before more people die? NO SPOILERS.
If you like science and medicine, this is a medical thriller that will keep you absorbed. I couldn't put it down and read it over the course of a couple of hours. I loved the details about the chimera and all of the forensic pathology and epidemiological investigation. It's just as well that I could focus on the science because I can tell you that I can't stand Jack. His personality is so annoying and fortunately I was able to ignore him most of the time while reading. Considering what benefits to medicine and health that could be achieved with CRISPR/CAS9 is mind-boggling. Alleviating organ shortage is just one possible positive use but there are many other indications. But using it will come with a cost and it would be easy for ethical boundaries to fall making it dangerous in the wrong hands. How to control something so revolutionary that almost makes the user a god-like creator. And because of the way the world is now, it's quite worrisome. This particular book may be fiction, but the science of gene-editing is, and will be, at the forefront of huge changes affecting everyone on the planet.
I've read all of Cook's novels despite not liking anything about his main protagonist, Jack Stapleton. Medical thrillers are my favorite genre and I can highly recommend this to like-minded readers.
A young woman who had a recent heart transplant collapses and dies on the New York subway. Jack Stapleton performs the autopsy and is initially convinced that she succumbed to a particularly virulent strain of influenza. Worried about the potential for an epidemic, and because the woman has no ID on her, Jack begins an intense investigation involving testing of body fluids and specimens by specialists and goes into the field to attempt to isolate the virus that caused this death. There are no immediate new cases and that increases his confusion -- until the next woman dies. It is obvious to him that this particular virulent organism is something completely new and it proves difficult to identify. Can Jack figure out the origin and stop the spread of illness before more people die? NO SPOILERS.
If you like science and medicine, this is a medical thriller that will keep you absorbed. I couldn't put it down and read it over the course of a couple of hours. I loved the details about the chimera and all of the forensic pathology and epidemiological investigation. It's just as well that I could focus on the science because I can tell you that I can't stand Jack. His personality is so annoying and fortunately I was able to ignore him most of the time while reading. Considering what benefits to medicine and health that could be achieved with CRISPR/CAS9 is mind-boggling. Alleviating organ shortage is just one possible positive use but there are many other indications. But using it will come with a cost and it would be easy for ethical boundaries to fall making it dangerous in the wrong hands. How to control something so revolutionary that almost makes the user a god-like creator. And because of the way the world is now, it's quite worrisome. This particular book may be fiction, but the science of gene-editing is, and will be, at the forefront of huge changes affecting everyone on the planet.
I've read all of Cook's novels despite not liking anything about his main protagonist, Jack Stapleton. Medical thrillers are my favorite genre and I can highly recommend this to like-minded readers.
December 22, 2018
This is a rather poor example of a medical thriller and a long, long way from the author's early books such as Coma. The characters are wooden, the conversation is stilted and the plot downright boring and predictable. Was it really written by Robin Cook?
The plot, such as it is, centres around a medical examiner (pathologist) - Jack Stapleton - who is churlish, childish, rude and sarcastic. He has a very odd relationship with his wife Laurie, who also happens to be his boss. He comes across a couple of strange deaths and goes off to investigate. There's a Chinese billionaire, plenty of henchmen, some prima donna heart surgeons in a posh hospital and a slaughterhouse.
The ending is abrupt and pert, and pretty much known because the core of the story is told in the prologue, so we know where it's going right from the start. Having said that there are so many loose ends which did not get tied up, and many lost opportunities to weave CRISPR and upcoming techniques involving personalised medicine into the storyline more fully. Either Robin Cook has lost the plot or the publisher dumbed this book down. If so, I wish they hadn't.
And most importantly, there is NO PANDEMIC!
The plot, such as it is, centres around a medical examiner (pathologist) - Jack Stapleton - who is churlish, childish, rude and sarcastic. He has a very odd relationship with his wife Laurie, who also happens to be his boss. He comes across a couple of strange deaths and goes off to investigate. There's a Chinese billionaire, plenty of henchmen, some prima donna heart surgeons in a posh hospital and a slaughterhouse.
The ending is abrupt and pert, and pretty much known because the core of the story is told in the prologue, so we know where it's going right from the start. Having said that there are so many loose ends which did not get tied up, and many lost opportunities to weave CRISPR and upcoming techniques involving personalised medicine into the storyline more fully. Either Robin Cook has lost the plot or the publisher dumbed this book down. If so, I wish they hadn't.
And most importantly, there is NO PANDEMIC!
May 27, 2019
This may have been one of the worst novels I've ever read. It's poorly constructed and poorly paced. It takes more than 200 pages for much of anything to happen, and the climax and resolution are rushed through in the last 30 pages of the book. What's worse, that resolution is utterly unbelievable. Couple that with the absolute cringe-worthy dialogue and the insufferable nature of the protagonist, and this book was a struggle from start to finish. I found very little to redeem this medical thriller, which seemed hastily and shoddily constructed.
December 17, 2018
Great idea, so-so story with a shockingly terrible ending, imo. This felt like an entirely different author & I LITERALLY kept checking for more at the end as the ending was abrupt. Oh well.
December 12, 2024
I liked the concept but found the writing dry. You can check out my full review here! https://youtu.be/CELS028k-5g?si=J7XJy...
December 26, 2018
I am so disappointed with this book. I have been a huge fan of Robin Cook's books and have read every single one. but this one, I could not finish. I got halfway through it and gave up. too much description of where Jack is going on his bike, and to be honest I didn't like Laurie's character in this book, she seemed very bitchy and bossy. there was also too much tech talk and not enough details about the patients themselves. I just couldn't torture myself anymore by reading further. very disappointed :(
December 15, 2019
This was not a typical Robin Cook medical thriller that I was used to, but I did enjoy it. I love stories that introduce viral plagues that are hard to wipe out or figure out what happens. I felt bad for the MCs having a daughter with autism, a son forced to play with her by his grandmother, and a nannie who has had enough. That along with figuring out what is happening in terms of the medical threat was a lot to handle! Great story telling though.
November 8, 2020
It's been a while since I've read a book by Robin Cook. I used to really like his books, but I started DNF'ing his books and got to the point where I just stopped reading his books. This one sounded interesting especially because of everything going on right now with Covid 19 and lockdowns. Wow after reading this you would think he had some inside knowledge and psychic abilities because this book is like years old and was probably written a year before that.
Now for the book itself. it starts with a healthy young woman who suddenly develops pheumonia like symptoms while on the subway and then dies. Enter or protagonist Jack Stapleton a medical examiner for the city of New York. He races to find out the cause and identity of the woman because he's afraid it is the start of a pandemic as he blocked and stopped by everything from his wife who also happens to be his boss and a Chinese billionaire who for mysterious reasons is sinking millions of dollars into rural clinics and turning them into state of the art hospitals and transplant centers.
The story moves at fast pace and never gets booged down in medical techno babble, Cook makes it medical jargon interesting. Our protagonist also has a lot of outside issues to deal with , which makes him a more human character instead of a two dimensional cutout, which seem to populate his last few novels. Overall I give this 4 stars for pacing , character and plot. A step up from the last few.
Now for the book itself. it starts with a healthy young woman who suddenly develops pheumonia like symptoms while on the subway and then dies. Enter or protagonist Jack Stapleton a medical examiner for the city of New York. He races to find out the cause and identity of the woman because he's afraid it is the start of a pandemic as he blocked and stopped by everything from his wife who also happens to be his boss and a Chinese billionaire who for mysterious reasons is sinking millions of dollars into rural clinics and turning them into state of the art hospitals and transplant centers.
The story moves at fast pace and never gets booged down in medical techno babble, Cook makes it medical jargon interesting. Our protagonist also has a lot of outside issues to deal with , which makes him a more human character instead of a two dimensional cutout, which seem to populate his last few novels. Overall I give this 4 stars for pacing , character and plot. A step up from the last few.
April 4, 2022
Pobre, aburrido, predecible y con una traducción que es para arrancarse los ojos.
February 19, 2019
I don't think I've ever given a 1-star rating before now. I also can't believe that I actually took the time I did to finish this book after the first several chapters when I already knew I didn't like it.
When I first started this book, I had no idea that it was part of a series. Luckily, you don't have to have read any of the others to be able to follow along with the story line, especially because the author likes to repeat themselves about 80 times on every subject possible. I found this repetition to be one of the most annoying things about this novel. I heard "Jack needed those lab results as soon as possible" so many times that I wanted to pull my hair out.
Also, this book was published in 2018. Why in the hell is the main character so confused about gay people?? What's with the outdated views on tattoos and swearing too? And don't even get me started on the autism bullshit. Everytime it was brought up that his daughter might be on the spectrum I wanted to scream, "An autism diagnosis is not the end of the world!! You child is still happy and healthy and whole and if you think otherwise you can fight me" I just have so many questions about why the author wrote the character in this way. I found Jack incredibly unlikeable, annoying, rude, selfish, and at times, downright pathetic.
On top of everything, the ending made no sense. There was no true resolution. NO one was brought to justice, the impending epidemic was not technically cured, and the solutions posed in the "epilogue" (if you can actually call it that) were not feasible. I finished this book angry, dissatisfied, and confused. Don't waste your time.
When I first started this book, I had no idea that it was part of a series. Luckily, you don't have to have read any of the others to be able to follow along with the story line, especially because the author likes to repeat themselves about 80 times on every subject possible. I found this repetition to be one of the most annoying things about this novel. I heard "Jack needed those lab results as soon as possible" so many times that I wanted to pull my hair out.
Also, this book was published in 2018. Why in the hell is the main character so confused about gay people?? What's with the outdated views on tattoos and swearing too? And don't even get me started on the autism bullshit. Everytime it was brought up that his daughter might be on the spectrum I wanted to scream, "An autism diagnosis is not the end of the world!! You child is still happy and healthy and whole and if you think otherwise you can fight me" I just have so many questions about why the author wrote the character in this way. I found Jack incredibly unlikeable, annoying, rude, selfish, and at times, downright pathetic.
On top of everything, the ending made no sense. There was no true resolution. NO one was brought to justice, the impending epidemic was not technically cured, and the solutions posed in the "epilogue" (if you can actually call it that) were not feasible. I finished this book angry, dissatisfied, and confused. Don't waste your time.
January 5, 2019
I have read and enjoyed every book written by Robin Cook and I can tell you that this book was not written by Robin Cook. Either he's had a major change of personality, been replaced by an alien pod or he has allowed someone else to ghost write Pandemic because this book is nothing like his others. Not the writing style, the behavior of the main characters or anything else. It was as if I was reading a book written by someone else...and I think I was. Not sure why Cook would do this, but in my bones, I know he did. It took me 4 days to get through Pandemic, it was that boring and lack luster. I normally read a book in 2 days. All in all, I was disappointed with this book.
August 2, 2020
Cook wrote this book in 2018 and it has some frightening similarities to our current situation, maybe he knew something we didn't? His medical background makes for a compelling read, although some readers might find this to be somewhat tiresome, if not frightening, having said that, the story is fast past and complex which meant that I couldn't put it down. Its just what I needed to get my reading back on track.
January 8, 2019
As medical academician, I adore so much of Robin Cook's work. Unfortunately, Pandemic is far from his best. The characters were stiff, stereotyped, almost cartoon-like in their small emotional range. There was only one story line, and no intersecting dramas that would have given the story greater depth. What about David Zhao and his relationship to his father? Why did Carol need a heart transplant. Cardiomyopathy can be from many causes, some of them could have been included in the story. What about Carol's relationship with her parents? We never really learned about transmission of this virus pathogen; this plot-point and many others were left dangling.
But to my mind, worst of all, the science/medicine here was so limited. In a good Robin Cook novel, the science is woven into the story, and his genius his ability to bring the technical aspects into human terms. This was not the case in Pandemic. For example, the term "cytokine storm" - excessive inflammation found in response to a foreign substance, typically a replicating pathogen like a virus - was used repeatedly without any real explanation to the largely lay readership. Likewise, the process of xenotransplantation (i.e...transplanting organs from animals or grown in animals for use in humans) does have serious concerns, among them, transmission of foreign viruses (especially those to which we have no normal immunity). No need for espionage here as part of the plot, or, if used, explain somewhere was was done and why. Worst of all, he lost the opportunity to feature and to explain the revolutionary CRISPR/CAS9 methodology, a direct means for genetic manipulation of mammalian cells in the context of a medical thriller.
In the end, this wasn't about a Pandemic. Or really anything, unfortunately. I'm waiting for his next book!
But to my mind, worst of all, the science/medicine here was so limited. In a good Robin Cook novel, the science is woven into the story, and his genius his ability to bring the technical aspects into human terms. This was not the case in Pandemic. For example, the term "cytokine storm" - excessive inflammation found in response to a foreign substance, typically a replicating pathogen like a virus - was used repeatedly without any real explanation to the largely lay readership. Likewise, the process of xenotransplantation (i.e...transplanting organs from animals or grown in animals for use in humans) does have serious concerns, among them, transmission of foreign viruses (especially those to which we have no normal immunity). No need for espionage here as part of the plot, or, if used, explain somewhere was was done and why. Worst of all, he lost the opportunity to feature and to explain the revolutionary CRISPR/CAS9 methodology, a direct means for genetic manipulation of mammalian cells in the context of a medical thriller.
In the end, this wasn't about a Pandemic. Or really anything, unfortunately. I'm waiting for his next book!
October 31, 2019
I just skimmed through this book as I didn't like it and I have too many other books on my TBR list.
February 7, 2019
Two stars is OK, but this is such a come-down from previous books by Cook.
I think it was published only on the strength of his name. It was ill-edited (if it was edited at all) or possibly his contract called for a particular word count, but his plot only comprised 65% of that requirement so he had come up with 35% more words that did not advance the plot, just filled the page (or in my case,the CDs).
Example: Cook never has a character end a phone call with a simple "Goodbye" and take us to the next scene. No the phone call must be disconnected, the phone replaced in pocket or purse while the characters review the call in their minds.
There is a soap-opera-ish ploy to keep repeating the same information. With soap operas, of course, there was always the chance listeners missed a day or two and had to be brought up to speed again, but with a book~~~
Not only was the book too long, it was read by one of my favorite readers -- George Guidell -- he of the relaxed and comfortable voice. (He does a lot of Tony Hillerman.) But they had evidently massaged the sound to keep his same voice level while speeding it up which left him sounding breathless.
I did a lot of skipping from one track to the next. Should have checked here first. I saw too late it was 3.4 stars and don't usually start anything under 3.5
I think it was published only on the strength of his name. It was ill-edited (if it was edited at all) or possibly his contract called for a particular word count, but his plot only comprised 65% of that requirement so he had come up with 35% more words that did not advance the plot, just filled the page (or in my case,the CDs).
Example: Cook never has a character end a phone call with a simple "Goodbye" and take us to the next scene. No the phone call must be disconnected, the phone replaced in pocket or purse while the characters review the call in their minds.
There is a soap-opera-ish ploy to keep repeating the same information. With soap operas, of course, there was always the chance listeners missed a day or two and had to be brought up to speed again, but with a book~~~
Not only was the book too long, it was read by one of my favorite readers -- George Guidell -- he of the relaxed and comfortable voice. (He does a lot of Tony Hillerman.) But they had evidently massaged the sound to keep his same voice level while speeding it up which left him sounding breathless.
I did a lot of skipping from one track to the next. Should have checked here first. I saw too late it was 3.4 stars and don't usually start anything under 3.5
March 27, 2020
This book is not very good, but if you’re going to read it you should read it right now because there’s some inadvertent comedy.
Two people die on the NYC subway system and the city SHUTS DOWN ENTIRELY because they fear a pandemic. Two people die. No one else is even infected!
So there’s that. Otherwise it’s startlingly boring for a book that should be exciting. I mean, possible pandemic, shadowy doctor empire, it’s got a lot it could be working with.
And yet. Jack is a totally annoying character. This is admittedly book 11 of a series I haven’t read before, but man is he not sympathetic. On paper he should be, but I just found him so boring and dull.
And somehow this book is just constantly full of unimportant detail and description that totally slows down any sense of suspense. There’s a comic bit where our hero is possibly going to die and the author manages to make that boring by having Jack mentally ponder his dangerous situation with such a banal set of details I sort of wished he’d be killed just to liven things up.
The ending is a total wash because instead of having Jack do much of anything to figure out the mystery himself, he just meanders into two characters who simply tell him what bad things they did.
Two people die on the NYC subway system and the city SHUTS DOWN ENTIRELY because they fear a pandemic. Two people die. No one else is even infected!
So there’s that. Otherwise it’s startlingly boring for a book that should be exciting. I mean, possible pandemic, shadowy doctor empire, it’s got a lot it could be working with.
And yet. Jack is a totally annoying character. This is admittedly book 11 of a series I haven’t read before, but man is he not sympathetic. On paper he should be, but I just found him so boring and dull.
And somehow this book is just constantly full of unimportant detail and description that totally slows down any sense of suspense. There’s a comic bit where our hero is possibly going to die and the author manages to make that boring by having Jack mentally ponder his dangerous situation with such a banal set of details I sort of wished he’d be killed just to liven things up.
The ending is a total wash because instead of having Jack do much of anything to figure out the mystery himself, he just meanders into two characters who simply tell him what bad things they did.
January 5, 2019
My first book of the year is a not so typical Robin Cook thriller nevertheless keeps one’s attention alive throughout. The Chinese suzerainty on the future is here to stay and their hold on the latest medical technology can have really unprecedented consequences for the globe. It seems more of a non fiction and that makes this fiction a scary one.
January 18, 2019
If I met Jack Stapleton in real life I would think he was an entitled, self-righteous, short-tempered, selfish brat. This is our protagonist? The science is interesting, but not any more interesting than a popsci article. The title is so misleading; excitement level is zero.
January 20, 2019
*may contain spoilers*
The basis of this story is on an actual scientific finding of a gene editing tool known as CRISPR/CAS9.
With that in mind, it was both fascinating and terrifying reading this and knowing that the content could be very true one day (if not already).
The main character is not a lovable character, but I appreciated that he was a bit more realistic than some characters I have read in the past. His focus on his work in order to avoid the circumstances of his reality is something I’ve seen many doZ at times though, for a character that is supposed to be extremely intelligent, it felt like he was slow to connect the dots or to worry about certain safety concerns.
Overall, it was “interesting” and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys medical drama/mystery... however... I did feel like the ending came about too swiftly and gave you a nice red bow to boot which I’m not always fond of.
End result: Enjoyable read with some facts that make me want to do some research on the advances made with this very real gene editing potential.
The basis of this story is on an actual scientific finding of a gene editing tool known as CRISPR/CAS9.
With that in mind, it was both fascinating and terrifying reading this and knowing that the content could be very true one day (if not already).
The main character is not a lovable character, but I appreciated that he was a bit more realistic than some characters I have read in the past. His focus on his work in order to avoid the circumstances of his reality is something I’ve seen many doZ at times though, for a character that is supposed to be extremely intelligent, it felt like he was slow to connect the dots or to worry about certain safety concerns.
Overall, it was “interesting” and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys medical drama/mystery... however... I did feel like the ending came about too swiftly and gave you a nice red bow to boot which I’m not always fond of.
End result: Enjoyable read with some facts that make me want to do some research on the advances made with this very real gene editing potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2020
Jack. Go see a damn therapist.
The entire driving force of this book is Jack wanting a morbid distraction from, honestly? A really normal life. His daughter was just diagnosed as autistic, his MIL is staying with them, and his wife is now his boss. All of this is too much for him. So he decides to be an irresponsible father, husband and coworker. He ignores all things and jumps all personal and professional boundaries to solve the death of the only vaaaaaguely interesting character because he thinks it's just like the 1918 influenza epidemic. Did he mention the influenza epidemic? I think he hopes it's the flu epidemic of 1918.
The author literally cannot shut the fuck up about details he has already told you about, but cannot BOTHER to tell Jack's first wife's name. Did you know Jack plays street ball? He loves basketball. He only ever wants to play basketball and ignore his family and work to play a really dumb Sherlock on this mystery. (Jack also plays basketball better than all the black characters in the book, who are only there to show that Jack is good at basketball, and to help the plot along with providing information and a car.)
Additionally, this book is totally racist. Aside from basketball, you don't see any of the black characters besides Aretha do anything. The Chinese are literally the villains of this story. The Chinese characters are rarely, except three of them, are described as being anything other than asian and young. There is one character of Hispanic descent, and he's portrayed as lazy, no good and whiny. There is one lesbian, and she dies. There's one bisexual, she dies. The guy that was dating the bisexual? Dies. All the white people? Ok or corrupt. Jack? An actual piece of garbage.
This book is shit. I literally just angry-read it. The dialogue is bland, if not infuriating since Robin Cook clearly doesn't know what sarcastically means. The plot? Boring. The science is interesting! But unfortunately everything else made me want to gore myself on a tree. Negative 5 out of 5 stars.
The entire driving force of this book is Jack wanting a morbid distraction from, honestly? A really normal life. His daughter was just diagnosed as autistic, his MIL is staying with them, and his wife is now his boss. All of this is too much for him. So he decides to be an irresponsible father, husband and coworker. He ignores all things and jumps all personal and professional boundaries to solve the death of the only vaaaaaguely interesting character because he thinks it's just like the 1918 influenza epidemic. Did he mention the influenza epidemic? I think he hopes it's the flu epidemic of 1918.
The author literally cannot shut the fuck up about details he has already told you about, but cannot BOTHER to tell Jack's first wife's name. Did you know Jack plays street ball? He loves basketball. He only ever wants to play basketball and ignore his family and work to play a really dumb Sherlock on this mystery. (Jack also plays basketball better than all the black characters in the book, who are only there to show that Jack is good at basketball, and to help the plot along with providing information and a car.)
Additionally, this book is totally racist. Aside from basketball, you don't see any of the black characters besides Aretha do anything. The Chinese are literally the villains of this story. The Chinese characters are rarely, except three of them, are described as being anything other than asian and young. There is one character of Hispanic descent, and he's portrayed as lazy, no good and whiny. There is one lesbian, and she dies. There's one bisexual, she dies. The guy that was dating the bisexual? Dies. All the white people? Ok or corrupt. Jack? An actual piece of garbage.
This book is shit. I literally just angry-read it. The dialogue is bland, if not infuriating since Robin Cook clearly doesn't know what sarcastically means. The plot? Boring. The science is interesting! But unfortunately everything else made me want to gore myself on a tree. Negative 5 out of 5 stars.
February 16, 2019
It has been a while since I picked up any Robin Cook's book,and reading this was right decision since this one ticks all the boxes of being a good medical thriller, entertaining, informative not that I expected anything less from Dr.Cook
After 8 years of missing Jack and Laurie in action,this was definitely a nice comeback.
After 8 years of missing Jack and Laurie in action,this was definitely a nice comeback.
December 11, 2021
Did not realize this was part of a series; probably not the place to start it. Lead characters are unsympathetic and no one acts in a very plausible way even after accepting the initial set-up. Also, by definition there's no such thing as a tiny local "pandemic" so the title is just a scam.
December 30, 2018
This was my first medical thriller and the first book I’ve read in this series. I liked it but I felt like the ending was really rushed and disappointing. I guess I expected something more??
February 16, 2020
At present COVID9 global pandemic situation , this story goes parallel which is mind boggling.
February 20, 2020
Really enjoyed the book. Kept up the tension really well. Was an interesting read considering the current Corona Virus in China right now.
January 20, 2019
I grew up reading and loving Cook’s medical thrillers but it seems I’ve definitely outgrown his latest offering. This novel is so ridiculous I’d hazard the writing of yet another ‘ghost-writer’ and one purely for profit! I found it an insult to fans that a book this bad could be published.
It’s so bad I’m not sure what to mention first. Starting with the title - this is not about a pandemic (by any definition). Secondly, you will read the phrase ‘the 1918 influenza outbreak’ over and over again, ad nauseam (and a few others equally repetitive phrases). Thirdly , It takes 220 pages before the second person even dies! Fourth, Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery return in this 11th instalment- however, they’ve undergone complete personality transplants. Jack has become a whining, single-minded, self-centred excuse for a father & husband. He is entirely annoying. Laurie, now a weak-willed, spineless kowtowing wife to the narcissist...neither parent displaying any admirable qualities one would ever consider emulating. And finally, the most insulting plot a reader could be asked to invest in...the only redeeming quality in the entire rot is the gene-technology and medical science. Bar that, the plot does not even tie together logically. It reads as though ‘oh I’ve hit 330 pages, let’s wrap this BS up’...readers are morons they won’t know any better.
Utterly devastating to write a review of this nature about such a formally formidable author.
It’s so bad I’m not sure what to mention first. Starting with the title - this is not about a pandemic (by any definition). Secondly, you will read the phrase ‘the 1918 influenza outbreak’ over and over again, ad nauseam (and a few others equally repetitive phrases). Thirdly , It takes 220 pages before the second person even dies! Fourth, Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery return in this 11th instalment- however, they’ve undergone complete personality transplants. Jack has become a whining, single-minded, self-centred excuse for a father & husband. He is entirely annoying. Laurie, now a weak-willed, spineless kowtowing wife to the narcissist...neither parent displaying any admirable qualities one would ever consider emulating. And finally, the most insulting plot a reader could be asked to invest in...the only redeeming quality in the entire rot is the gene-technology and medical science. Bar that, the plot does not even tie together logically. It reads as though ‘oh I’ve hit 330 pages, let’s wrap this BS up’...readers are morons they won’t know any better.
Utterly devastating to write a review of this nature about such a formally formidable author.
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