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Viral
In this electrifying medical thriller from New York Times bestselling author Robin Cook, a family's exposure to a rare yet deadly virus ensnares them in a growing danger to mankind--and pulls back the curtain on a healthcare system powered by profit and greed.
Trying to find some normalcy during the Covid-19 pandemic, Brian Murphy and his family are on a summer excursion in Cape Cod when his wife, Emma, comes down with concerning flu-like symptoms. But their leisurely return home to New York City quickly becomes a race to the local hospital as she suddenly begins seizing in the car. At the ICU, she is diagnosed with eastern equine encephalitis, a rare and highly lethal mosquito-borne viral disease seemingly caught during one of their evening cookouts. Complicating the situation further, Brian and Emma's young daughter then begins to exhibit alarming physical and behavioral symptoms, too.
Emma's harrowing hospital stay becomes even more fraught when Brian receives a staggering hospital bill full of outrageous charges and murky language. To add insult to injury, his health insurance company refuses to cover any of the cost, citing dubious clauses in Brian's policy. Forced to choose between the ongoing care of family and bills he can never pay, and furious at a shockingly indifferent healthcare system, Brian vows to seek justice. But to get to the bottom of the predatory practices targeting his loved ones and countless others, he must uncover the dark side of an industry that has strayed drastically from its altruistic roots--and bring down the callous executives preying on the sick and defenseless before the virus can claim even more people . . .
Trying to find some normalcy during the Covid-19 pandemic, Brian Murphy and his family are on a summer excursion in Cape Cod when his wife, Emma, comes down with concerning flu-like symptoms. But their leisurely return home to New York City quickly becomes a race to the local hospital as she suddenly begins seizing in the car. At the ICU, she is diagnosed with eastern equine encephalitis, a rare and highly lethal mosquito-borne viral disease seemingly caught during one of their evening cookouts. Complicating the situation further, Brian and Emma's young daughter then begins to exhibit alarming physical and behavioral symptoms, too.
Emma's harrowing hospital stay becomes even more fraught when Brian receives a staggering hospital bill full of outrageous charges and murky language. To add insult to injury, his health insurance company refuses to cover any of the cost, citing dubious clauses in Brian's policy. Forced to choose between the ongoing care of family and bills he can never pay, and furious at a shockingly indifferent healthcare system, Brian vows to seek justice. But to get to the bottom of the predatory practices targeting his loved ones and countless others, he must uncover the dark side of an industry that has strayed drastically from its altruistic roots--and bring down the callous executives preying on the sick and defenseless before the virus can claim even more people . . .
605 pages, Library Binding
First published August 17, 2021
536 people are currently reading
2432 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 626 reviews
January 15, 2022
If you want one long-winded rant against healthcare and insurance companies, I present this book to you. I already know they are crooked bastards, so I DNF this one at 45%.
August 23, 2021
If you're interested in reading a disparaging, repetitive, and lengthy commentary on healthcare in the United States, this book is for you.
If you're seeking an "electrifying medical thriller", I strongly urge you to read one of Robin Cook's other books.
When I began VIRAL, I was instantly intrigued.
Former NYPD Brian Murphy and his wife Emma and their four-year-old daughter are vacationing on Cape Cod when Emma gets bitten by a Tiger mosquito.
Emma contracts viral Eastern Equine Encephalitis( EEE), a mosquito-borne virus that quickly turns deadly without the proper treatment.
Will thousands of other people catch this deadly mosquito-borne virus, too?
In addition to COVID, will there be a new virus to worry about?
Unfortunately, when Emma is admitted to the hospital, Robin Cook's "electrifying medical thriller" ended before it even began.
TO SUM UP: Brian and his wife have inadequate health insurance. When the couple left the NYPD to start a security company. they lost their highly coveted NYPD health insurance. Unbeknownst to them, the couple's new health insurance policy covers NOTHING.
VIRAL's remaining chapters focus on Brian's battle with a hospital that refuses to provide quick treatment for his wife, daughter(who also contracted the virus), and other patients with poor healthcare insurance coverage and/or mounting hospital debt.
The unscrupulous practices of hospital collection agencies are also repeatedly revealed. (Ouch!)
Yes, there are many, many, many things wrong with healthcare, healthcare lobbyists, and healthcare collection agencies in the United States.
This being said, I NEVER like it when an author uses a fictional book as a platform to voice his/her views on social issues and that is what Robin Cook did here.
I listened to the audiobook, read by Scott Brick, one of my favorite narrators. I can usually listen to Scott Brick read the phone book but even Scott Brick could not save this book.
One star rounded up. And that is only because Scott Brick narrated this book.
If you're seeking an "electrifying medical thriller", I strongly urge you to read one of Robin Cook's other books.
When I began VIRAL, I was instantly intrigued.
Former NYPD Brian Murphy and his wife Emma and their four-year-old daughter are vacationing on Cape Cod when Emma gets bitten by a Tiger mosquito.
Emma contracts viral Eastern Equine Encephalitis( EEE), a mosquito-borne virus that quickly turns deadly without the proper treatment.
Will thousands of other people catch this deadly mosquito-borne virus, too?
In addition to COVID, will there be a new virus to worry about?
Unfortunately, when Emma is admitted to the hospital, Robin Cook's "electrifying medical thriller" ended before it even began.
TO SUM UP: Brian and his wife have inadequate health insurance. When the couple left the NYPD to start a security company. they lost their highly coveted NYPD health insurance. Unbeknownst to them, the couple's new health insurance policy covers NOTHING.
VIRAL's remaining chapters focus on Brian's battle with a hospital that refuses to provide quick treatment for his wife, daughter(who also contracted the virus), and other patients with poor healthcare insurance coverage and/or mounting hospital debt.
The unscrupulous practices of hospital collection agencies are also repeatedly revealed. (Ouch!)
Yes, there are many, many, many things wrong with healthcare, healthcare lobbyists, and healthcare collection agencies in the United States.
This being said, I NEVER like it when an author uses a fictional book as a platform to voice his/her views on social issues and that is what Robin Cook did here.
I listened to the audiobook, read by Scott Brick, one of my favorite narrators. I can usually listen to Scott Brick read the phone book but even Scott Brick could not save this book.
One star rounded up. And that is only because Scott Brick narrated this book.
August 13, 2021
First, my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for this independent review.
I hadn’t read a Robin Cook novel in a very long time. But I remembered enjoying Coma and so thought to give this a try. I’m sorry to have to say this is one of the worst books I’ve read this year.
Melodramatic and thoroughly contrived, “Viral” seems intended not to tell a good story, but to cast the medical and insurance industries in the worst possible light in order to drive home the author’s plea—stated right up front in the dedication—that Congress enact “at the very minimum, a public health option.”
Brian Murphy, his wife Emma, and their four-year-old daughter are vacationing on Cape Cod when a mosquito bites Emma, and she contracts encephalitis and requires hospitalization. The former NYPD husband and wife have just begun their own security business, foundering in the midst of COVID, and the insurance company they chose to fit their meager budget has refused to pay any of the $200,000 in medical expenses. Things go from bad to worse for the Murphy family until Brian decides to retaliate.
The plot is entirely predictable. Most readers, movie-goers, and television watchers will be able to tell what’s going to happen 10-20 pages before it actually does. And it’s filled with the pedantic and mundane. Whole passages are devoted to describing the minutiae of parking at the beach, preparing for a picnic, a bicycle ride to get pastries, packing the family car, and the decision tree on an insurance company’s telephone system.
The characters are thinly drawn and entirely stereotypical, which means it’s tough to care about them. It doesn’t help that the dialogue is wooden and not realistic and that descriptions of characters’ thoughts, feelings, and reactions are, in many cases, not credible. Time and time again, I found myself thinking: people just don’t talk or react this way. As just one example, after learning he’s just been thrown into collections by the hospital, Brian receives another $30,000 worth of bills from other providers. His reaction is to “muse” and “wonder” about how financially predatory hospitals have become and how “complicit” the well-insured have been in this “tolerated fraud.” Is that a realistic reaction or simply the author telling us what he thinks about healthcare and insurance?
And “Viral” is so poorly written. It’s filled with exposition, long digressions into backstory, repetitiveness, wordiness, poor word choices, a heavy overuse of descriptive adjectives and adverbs--always s a bad sign—and more than a few grammatical errors. One wonders whether any kind of editor ever reviewed this.
On the positive side, “Viral” does seem to contain some information based on medical/ scientific research that needs to be taken seriously, especially about mosquito-borne illnesses and their effects. But that’s not enough to rescue this very bad novel. I had been hoping for a decent entertainment—indeed the “electrifying medical thriller” promised by the novel’s blurb. What I got was a political screed thinly disguised as fiction.
I hadn’t read a Robin Cook novel in a very long time. But I remembered enjoying Coma and so thought to give this a try. I’m sorry to have to say this is one of the worst books I’ve read this year.
Melodramatic and thoroughly contrived, “Viral” seems intended not to tell a good story, but to cast the medical and insurance industries in the worst possible light in order to drive home the author’s plea—stated right up front in the dedication—that Congress enact “at the very minimum, a public health option.”
Brian Murphy, his wife Emma, and their four-year-old daughter are vacationing on Cape Cod when a mosquito bites Emma, and she contracts encephalitis and requires hospitalization. The former NYPD husband and wife have just begun their own security business, foundering in the midst of COVID, and the insurance company they chose to fit their meager budget has refused to pay any of the $200,000 in medical expenses. Things go from bad to worse for the Murphy family until Brian decides to retaliate.
The plot is entirely predictable. Most readers, movie-goers, and television watchers will be able to tell what’s going to happen 10-20 pages before it actually does. And it’s filled with the pedantic and mundane. Whole passages are devoted to describing the minutiae of parking at the beach, preparing for a picnic, a bicycle ride to get pastries, packing the family car, and the decision tree on an insurance company’s telephone system.
The characters are thinly drawn and entirely stereotypical, which means it’s tough to care about them. It doesn’t help that the dialogue is wooden and not realistic and that descriptions of characters’ thoughts, feelings, and reactions are, in many cases, not credible. Time and time again, I found myself thinking: people just don’t talk or react this way. As just one example, after learning he’s just been thrown into collections by the hospital, Brian receives another $30,000 worth of bills from other providers. His reaction is to “muse” and “wonder” about how financially predatory hospitals have become and how “complicit” the well-insured have been in this “tolerated fraud.” Is that a realistic reaction or simply the author telling us what he thinks about healthcare and insurance?
And “Viral” is so poorly written. It’s filled with exposition, long digressions into backstory, repetitiveness, wordiness, poor word choices, a heavy overuse of descriptive adjectives and adverbs--always s a bad sign—and more than a few grammatical errors. One wonders whether any kind of editor ever reviewed this.
On the positive side, “Viral” does seem to contain some information based on medical/ scientific research that needs to be taken seriously, especially about mosquito-borne illnesses and their effects. But that’s not enough to rescue this very bad novel. I had been hoping for a decent entertainment—indeed the “electrifying medical thriller” promised by the novel’s blurb. What I got was a political screed thinly disguised as fiction.
September 21, 2021
I have read several Robin Cook novels over the years and usually what I find them to be is thrillers and suspense novels centering around the medical field. Not this time. Mostly this is a melodramatic story about the evils of large hospitals and the health insurance industry. Greedy bastards whose only motive is profit off the unknowing public.
Brian and Emma Murphy are vacationing in Cape Cod with thier four year old daughter. During an evening cookout Emma is bitten by an Asian tiger mosquito. She develops flu like symtpons and the family decides to return home to New York City early. While in the car on the trip home Emma has a seizure and Brian rushes her to the hospital. There she is admitted with Eastern Equine Encephalitis (a.k.a EEE).
Both Brian and Emma had been with the NYPD. They retired to start their own security business. They could not afford the COBRA payments to keep their NYPD health insurance so they went with a short-term health insurance policy. They were relatively young, healthy, and physically active. What could go wrong?
First the hospital discharges Emma before she is fully recovered. Then Brian starts getting the hospital bills. Very large bills that are indecipherable. Then the insurance company starts denying claims for Emma's care. The hospital turns to a collection agency. All in a few days! Brian and Emma's security business was hurting because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they face the possibility of losing their home. To make matters worse their daughter starts showing symptons resulting in trips to the ER.
The story had such potential. I don't think there is anyone who will disagree that the United States healthcare system is flawed. But to paint hospitals and health insurance companies as greedy and caring only about profiting at the expense of ordinary people? The characters are not believable as is the dialogue. If a family is going to head to the beach for a cookout I would think the husband might tell his wife that he will load the car or put the stuff in the car not give her an itemized list of every item he is going to put in the car.
This could have been a story with an important message if it had been well written.
Brian and Emma Murphy are vacationing in Cape Cod with thier four year old daughter. During an evening cookout Emma is bitten by an Asian tiger mosquito. She develops flu like symtpons and the family decides to return home to New York City early. While in the car on the trip home Emma has a seizure and Brian rushes her to the hospital. There she is admitted with Eastern Equine Encephalitis (a.k.a EEE).
Both Brian and Emma had been with the NYPD. They retired to start their own security business. They could not afford the COBRA payments to keep their NYPD health insurance so they went with a short-term health insurance policy. They were relatively young, healthy, and physically active. What could go wrong?
First the hospital discharges Emma before she is fully recovered. Then Brian starts getting the hospital bills. Very large bills that are indecipherable. Then the insurance company starts denying claims for Emma's care. The hospital turns to a collection agency. All in a few days! Brian and Emma's security business was hurting because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now they face the possibility of losing their home. To make matters worse their daughter starts showing symptons resulting in trips to the ER.
The story had such potential. I don't think there is anyone who will disagree that the United States healthcare system is flawed. But to paint hospitals and health insurance companies as greedy and caring only about profiting at the expense of ordinary people? The characters are not believable as is the dialogue. If a family is going to head to the beach for a cookout I would think the husband might tell his wife that he will load the car or put the stuff in the car not give her an itemized list of every item he is going to put in the car.
This could have been a story with an important message if it had been well written.
October 5, 2021
A vitriolic tirade by an author using fiction as a platform for his views (but done so badly it is harmful rather than helpful)!
Sadly, this so called novel, by one of my favourite authors, is riddled with redundancy, repetitiveness, long-winded side-bars and unrealistic situations that leave the reader feeling nothing. The book is an attempted swipe at the state of the health system in the US, and the burgeoning number of viruses impacting humans, but it’s so badly written I didn’t give a damn!
Unfortunately, the thinly veiled story is predictable from the beginning. Mr Cook should have written a 418 pages non-fiction expose rather than a novel, as readers would know what they were in for, and possibly have been open to what could have been a revealing book about medical scams and misconduct (in the US).
I ignored the very low GR ratings (my mistake) and plundered on (regrettably). I hope this saves at least one person from making the same mistake!
One star because I couldn’t give No-stars. Not even an editor read this! I am so thoroughly disappointed.
Sadly, this so called novel, by one of my favourite authors, is riddled with redundancy, repetitiveness, long-winded side-bars and unrealistic situations that leave the reader feeling nothing. The book is an attempted swipe at the state of the health system in the US, and the burgeoning number of viruses impacting humans, but it’s so badly written I didn’t give a damn!
Unfortunately, the thinly veiled story is predictable from the beginning. Mr Cook should have written a 418 pages non-fiction expose rather than a novel, as readers would know what they were in for, and possibly have been open to what could have been a revealing book about medical scams and misconduct (in the US).
I ignored the very low GR ratings (my mistake) and plundered on (regrettably). I hope this saves at least one person from making the same mistake!
One star because I couldn’t give No-stars. Not even an editor read this! I am so thoroughly disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2021
CONGRATS to Viral! It wins an award for the worst book I read in 2021 and one of the top ten worst books of all time.
This was not a thriller. It was a screed against the modern medical "establishment" — a worthy cause, but it translated very poorly into a novel format. Also, you will know this was written during the height of the pandemic of 2020 because the author mentions COVID-19, masks, staying six feet apart, or COVID tests every. other. page.
I finished it only to find out what happened and the absolutely absurd ending almost made it worth it. Almost.
This was not a thriller. It was a screed against the modern medical "establishment" — a worthy cause, but it translated very poorly into a novel format. Also, you will know this was written during the height of the pandemic of 2020 because the author mentions COVID-19, masks, staying six feet apart, or COVID tests every. other. page.
I finished it only to find out what happened and the absolutely absurd ending almost made it worth it. Almost.
August 1, 2024
Robin Cook, never again. That's my final decision after reading his 2021 novel "Viral". I had read one other book by Cook years ago, and I didn't like it, but I am always willing to give an author---especially someone like Cook, who has reached that level of bestsellerdom that few authors reach---a second chance.
Well, my take on "Viral"? Nope. Not gonna bother with another Cook novel.
This is one of those novels in which, I feel, the author had no idea where to go with it, so he decided to just take what was a pretty interesting premise and then shit on it.
I'll be honest: the first 75% of the book, I thought, was pretty good. It kept my interest, and it has the distinction of never having been done before. (Or, at least, I had never read another author tackle the subject.)
If you must know, the subject is medical billing. Yes, it's a thriller about medical billing. And I know some of you are laughing to yourselves, but---if you've ever been in a situation where you haven't had insurance or, in my case, shitty insurance---hospital and insurance costs can be horrifying. When you get a bill for $10,000 dollars, out of pocket, for a doctor visit that took a total of 15 minutes, try laughing then.
Anyway, Cook was going pretty strong with a story that, I felt, many Americans can probably relate to.
Then, in the last 25% of the book, Cook decided to literally have an aneurism and vomit gibberish on the pages. (I don't know if that's how it works, but I'm also not a medical doctor.)
The book is atrocious. It took what could have been an interesting idea and turned it into a farce.
So, no more Robin Cook books for me. I'm done.
Well, my take on "Viral"? Nope. Not gonna bother with another Cook novel.
This is one of those novels in which, I feel, the author had no idea where to go with it, so he decided to just take what was a pretty interesting premise and then shit on it.
I'll be honest: the first 75% of the book, I thought, was pretty good. It kept my interest, and it has the distinction of never having been done before. (Or, at least, I had never read another author tackle the subject.)
If you must know, the subject is medical billing. Yes, it's a thriller about medical billing. And I know some of you are laughing to yourselves, but---if you've ever been in a situation where you haven't had insurance or, in my case, shitty insurance---hospital and insurance costs can be horrifying. When you get a bill for $10,000 dollars, out of pocket, for a doctor visit that took a total of 15 minutes, try laughing then.
Anyway, Cook was going pretty strong with a story that, I felt, many Americans can probably relate to.
Then, in the last 25% of the book, Cook decided to literally have an aneurism and vomit gibberish on the pages. (I don't know if that's how it works, but I'm also not a medical doctor.)
The book is atrocious. It took what could have been an interesting idea and turned it into a farce.
So, no more Robin Cook books for me. I'm done.
January 30, 2022
There were so many bad things about this book I couldn't believe it. The odd nature of the Hispanic business partner who lives with them and suddenly becomes a nanny when the mom dies, the odd love interest who appears the day after his wife dies and just happens to be a child psychologist, both women are fine with not being paid for their services just to help out, the weird decision to twice to the ER after knowing that the insurance is not going to pay for anything with a child who has a mild fever and flu-like symptoms instead of going to his wife's funeral, and then to the ER again with a child who has 102 fever, he calls it a "high fever" but 102 is a moderate fever, 104 is high in kids. Even then the treatment for a fever is to bring it down, cold bath, ice, wet towels, children's Tylenol, who goes to the ER for that without evidence of life-threatening issues? COVID test - sure - go to Walgreens. The whole thing was just bizarre and bad. The main character was a dope, constantly doing idiotic things.
June 15, 2021
It breaks my heart to say this, but this book was just not up to par. I know that Dr. Cook is very devoted to the state of healthcare in this country, and this book does a wonderful job pointing out that our healthcare sucks. But he does so over and over and over ad nauseam. I mean talking about beating a dead horse.
It did do one good thing to get me off of my butt and make sure we had decent insurance (not short-term health insurance), and our local hospital was not part of a chain.
DR. Cook did a great job setting this story up during the Covid pandemic, but changing the danger to EEE (Eastern equine encephalitis ) and explaining why climate change is making our parts of the world so ripe for this virus.
The story in itself was eye-roll-worthy and obvious to the reader, especially as you get into the book and the conclusion...well, what can I say. I guess an eye for an eye?
*ARC provided by the publisher, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.
It did do one good thing to get me off of my butt and make sure we had decent insurance (not short-term health insurance), and our local hospital was not part of a chain.
DR. Cook did a great job setting this story up during the Covid pandemic, but changing the danger to EEE (Eastern equine encephalitis ) and explaining why climate change is making our parts of the world so ripe for this virus.
The story in itself was eye-roll-worthy and obvious to the reader, especially as you get into the book and the conclusion...well, what can I say. I guess an eye for an eye?
*ARC provided by the publisher, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.
September 6, 2021
Why do I keeps reading his insipid books. They are nothing but an agenda for his current medical complaint.
This storyline is so unbelievable, and I have zero sympathy for Bob?Dave? He is a total imbecile. Who doesn’t grieve and go to the funeral for his wife? And then immediately safely hook up with someone else? And what police force Is just going to say, “here take this sniper rifle so you can kill people”.
This storyline is so unbelievable, and I have zero sympathy for Bob?Dave? He is a total imbecile. Who doesn’t grieve and go to the funeral for his wife? And then immediately safely hook up with someone else? And what police force Is just going to say, “here take this sniper rifle so you can kill people”.
September 16, 2021
One star for being a fast read and for reminding me, as if I needed it, that healthcare is yet another reason I’m happy to be a Canadian. But zero stars for: stilted dialogue; telling rather than showing; a predictable plot line that can be seen from miles away; characters that behave like automatons, and far, far too much ink devoted to the minutiae of phone calls, bike rides, and a four year old’s DVD choices.
September 19, 2021
I only finished this because I figured it couldn’t keep getting any worse. I was wrong. This book is idiotic. The characters are cardboard stereotypes. The plot was ridiculous. The third person dialogue was stilted and painful to read. This is likely the most boring novel I have ever finished.
August 28, 2021
Skip if you can. I missed the old Robin Cook who wrote Coma.
February 8, 2023
As a healthcare worker who often talks to people about the varying coverage in their insurance policies, and oftentimes the gaps purposely written in to policies to save insurance companies from paying out, this book was phenomenal. The author obviously grasps the medical system and American health insurance workings, and paints a portrait that is easily understandable for the masses. I’ve been thoroughly sickened by the American healthcare for the 13 years I’ve been a nurse. The more I learn, the more I understand American capitalism doesn’t give a crap about providing honest, or even sub par healthcare. It’s no wonder America ranks so poorly in nearly every health outcome measure when compared to countries who provide universal healthcare. Yes, universal health care models have their own problems, but at least they aren’t based on predatory practices of the high up representatives of health insurance companies, health care systems, and lobbyists (and the officials who gladly take their money). People. In. America. Die. Because. Of. Greed. It’s disgusting and despicable. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say I loved the ending of the book.
August 29, 2021
For the love of writing, I cannot understand how Dr Cook's books continue to get published beyond his initial success. His writing has gone so far downhill with stiff, unbelievable characters, stilted dialogue that makes me think it was written by someone with English as a second language, a story line becomes totally fantastical by the end, after hammering his point so many times that I cried for mercy. Why did I continue to read it? I hoped that some of the characters he brought up early would reappear to save the day, like the billionaire financier who had a couple of brief appearances never to be seen again. Missed opportunities abound to add depth to this book. Having worked in healthcare administration for my entire career, I understand and agree with Dr Cook's explanation and fury at the greed and profit opportunities by those in charge. I don't think this book, however, will do much to solve the problem. A more realistic ending may have helped.
October 25, 2022
This is a stand-alone book. I have read quite a few books by this author and have enjoyed them all. This one deals with the greed of American hospitals and insurance companies. While I agree that a problem exists, the author takes the problems to another level. I wouldn't say this is a bad book, but I have to say I was really suprised at where it leads and the ending. 2.75 🌟
September 1, 2021
Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic.blogspot....
3,5 ⭐️
Thanks to PRH International, NetGalley and Putnam for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Robin Cook is another one of those authors I’ve been reading most of my adult life. I still remember reading some of his first books when I was a teen. While I’ve enjoyed some of them more than others I can’t imagine a year without one of his books.
Viral wasn’t what I was expecting at all but I still managed to enjoy it. I thought it would be a medical thriller but it was more of a family drama about the consequences of a mosquito bite and how such an innocuous act could make your whole life crumble to pieces.
After finishing it I could only be thankful for living in a country with a great public healthcare system. I had to stop reading from time to time cause I became seriously incensed with some of the things Brian went through. The American healthcare system is simply outrageous. I’ve read some reviews complaining this book was just a way for the author to push his ideas and his own agenda (?), but I found it really enlightening, especially for those of us not living in the US.
The Covid crisis is part of the plot and I found interesting reading about it in a fiction work, cause it looks to me like most of the books being published nowadays just overlook it as if it wasn’t a thing still a year and a half later.
The middle part became a bit repetitive with the different hospital visits and Brian’s conversations with the insurance company and the hospital admin, although they brought to light many shocking practices.
The ending was predictable but still yet I found myself biting my nails hoping everything went Brian’s way.
Although not the thriller I was expecting, it was an interesting story that made me learn about a system that needs some serious changes.
3,5 ⭐️
Thanks to PRH International, NetGalley and Putnam for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Robin Cook is another one of those authors I’ve been reading most of my adult life. I still remember reading some of his first books when I was a teen. While I’ve enjoyed some of them more than others I can’t imagine a year without one of his books.
Viral wasn’t what I was expecting at all but I still managed to enjoy it. I thought it would be a medical thriller but it was more of a family drama about the consequences of a mosquito bite and how such an innocuous act could make your whole life crumble to pieces.
After finishing it I could only be thankful for living in a country with a great public healthcare system. I had to stop reading from time to time cause I became seriously incensed with some of the things Brian went through. The American healthcare system is simply outrageous. I’ve read some reviews complaining this book was just a way for the author to push his ideas and his own agenda (?), but I found it really enlightening, especially for those of us not living in the US.
The Covid crisis is part of the plot and I found interesting reading about it in a fiction work, cause it looks to me like most of the books being published nowadays just overlook it as if it wasn’t a thing still a year and a half later.
The middle part became a bit repetitive with the different hospital visits and Brian’s conversations with the insurance company and the hospital admin, although they brought to light many shocking practices.
The ending was predictable but still yet I found myself biting my nails hoping everything went Brian’s way.
Although not the thriller I was expecting, it was an interesting story that made me learn about a system that needs some serious changes.
August 21, 2021
Not recommended
Very disappointing! The entire story line could have been written in one chapter. The constant relating of the message on health care etc. Became boring.
Very disappointing! The entire story line could have been written in one chapter. The constant relating of the message on health care etc. Became boring.
September 25, 2021
This book started out good and half way through it, the political viewpoints of the author kicked in and spoiled the remainder of the book. Liberal preaching 😠
May 11, 2022
I have been reading Robin Cook’s novels since high school. I’m now retired. That’s a life.
I see he’s got a new book, no brainer, I’m reading.
This review is my PSA - this is not a novel, it’s an hours long, painful commercial about the terrible state of American healthcare and the profit-over-people insurance system.
If it was advertised as a documentary, I’d allow it.
It is advertised as an “electrifying thriller.”
Only if you consider filling out documents as thrilling. Or waiting on hold. Or watching paint dry.
But just as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, when Cook’s next book comes out, I’ll be reading it.
I see he’s got a new book, no brainer, I’m reading.
This review is my PSA - this is not a novel, it’s an hours long, painful commercial about the terrible state of American healthcare and the profit-over-people insurance system.
If it was advertised as a documentary, I’d allow it.
It is advertised as an “electrifying thriller.”
Only if you consider filling out documents as thrilling. Or waiting on hold. Or watching paint dry.
But just as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow, when Cook’s next book comes out, I’ll be reading it.
September 1, 2021
This is more like a social story rather than a normal medical thriller. Very depressing. Mostly about healthcare sub-insurance. Don't except to read about a new viral epidemic following Covid-19. Far from it. The name of the book is misleading. Should be called "healthcare Insurance" .I do not believe that Robin Cook now age 81 wrote the book. It was probably a "ghost writer"
August 31, 2021
I give it 5 stars for being the most BORING book of the year!!
August 25, 2021
3.3 stars
This is my first RC novel (I DNF the last one); I think having my second favorite male narrator (Scott brick) helped tremendously.
That said, I was delighted to see a book showing the ugly truth behind medical billing. This was something I became aware of 15 years ago when I was working as a medical malpractice defense attorney.
If you’re unaware, hospitals routinely jack up the price of a procedure (eg routine hysterectomy) because they know big insurance will only pay 1/4-1/3 of what’s billed, however, the uninsured or “weak” insured (eg those not on a corporate plan through their job but something minimal OOP) are stuck with the full, overinflated price and are usually unable to negotiate it down as big insurance does.
While I was happy to see this horrific real-world injustice and problem brought to light, RC beats this issue to death in this book. It is tiring and redundant by the end.
I’m also not sure how this is considered a “medical thriller”. While it is fast-paced (meeting “thriller”) there is nothing “medical” about it, except that the character ends up in the ER (only to go home after being told s/he is fine). I’m not even sure I read a single medical term beyond “thermometer”.
I was also unhappy with how the book closed—I am not in favor of vigilante justice, though it was the obvious conclusion with all the foreshadowing in the book. The whole plot is predictable, yet you keep reading hoping it will not turn out as you expect.
If you’re not already, this book will make you terrified of mosquitos 🦟 especially if you are a woman with O blood.
SUMMARY: during covid (but not the lockdown) two ex-cops (married to each other) travel to cape cod with their 4yo. The wife is bitten by a mosquito. Her health rapidly declines after and she has a seizure on the way home/to the hospital. She is diagnosed with EEE a mosquito-carried virus that was previously not in America but is now spreading around the world due to climate change.
Although the wife is still clearly unwell, she is transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation center since she is not critical. After a few days there, despite still being clearly “not okay” she is sent home.
Her husband (and the extended family) struggle to take care of her and eventually she succumbs to complications caused by EEE. 😢
Reeling from his wife’s death, which husband blames the hospital and insurance company for (he believes she was discharged bc of their inability to pay) he contacts a lawyer and meets another family who went through a similar nightmare.
Husband and the other victim-family plot revenge and start building a case against the insurance company and hospital that wronged them and 100s more.
Then His daughter becomes ill, though the doctors say it’s just psychosomatic stuff because she lost her mother.
This is my first RC novel (I DNF the last one); I think having my second favorite male narrator (Scott brick) helped tremendously.
That said, I was delighted to see a book showing the ugly truth behind medical billing. This was something I became aware of 15 years ago when I was working as a medical malpractice defense attorney.
If you’re unaware, hospitals routinely jack up the price of a procedure (eg routine hysterectomy) because they know big insurance will only pay 1/4-1/3 of what’s billed, however, the uninsured or “weak” insured (eg those not on a corporate plan through their job but something minimal OOP) are stuck with the full, overinflated price and are usually unable to negotiate it down as big insurance does.
While I was happy to see this horrific real-world injustice and problem brought to light, RC beats this issue to death in this book. It is tiring and redundant by the end.
I’m also not sure how this is considered a “medical thriller”. While it is fast-paced (meeting “thriller”) there is nothing “medical” about it, except that the character ends up in the ER (only to go home after being told s/he is fine). I’m not even sure I read a single medical term beyond “thermometer”.
I was also unhappy with how the book closed—I am not in favor of vigilante justice, though it was the obvious conclusion with all the foreshadowing in the book. The whole plot is predictable, yet you keep reading hoping it will not turn out as you expect.
If you’re not already, this book will make you terrified of mosquitos 🦟 especially if you are a woman with O blood.
SUMMARY: during covid (but not the lockdown) two ex-cops (married to each other) travel to cape cod with their 4yo. The wife is bitten by a mosquito. Her health rapidly declines after and she has a seizure on the way home/to the hospital. She is diagnosed with EEE a mosquito-carried virus that was previously not in America but is now spreading around the world due to climate change.
Although the wife is still clearly unwell, she is transferred from the hospital to a rehabilitation center since she is not critical. After a few days there, despite still being clearly “not okay” she is sent home.
Her husband (and the extended family) struggle to take care of her and eventually she succumbs to complications caused by EEE. 😢
Reeling from his wife’s death, which husband blames the hospital and insurance company for (he believes she was discharged bc of their inability to pay) he contacts a lawyer and meets another family who went through a similar nightmare.
Husband and the other victim-family plot revenge and start building a case against the insurance company and hospital that wronged them and 100s more.
Then His daughter becomes ill, though the doctors say it’s just psychosomatic stuff because she lost her mother.
September 2, 2021
3.5... Oy, this started out great, I got it for my husband and listened in the car with him and decided I liked it too and would carry on, I was about at 4.5... And then the repetition began to bore me, how many bats to the head does one need to get your message. The first time was riveting, the 15th was making me catatonic, but I read prior reviews about the far fetched ending and wanted to see for myself. The reveal had me laughing, it was so ludicrous I couldn't believe I hung around for it! All in all its entertaining, could of been half as long, it was unusual in the fate of his family and a down right crazy ending that had me laughing for all the wrong reasons!
August 29, 2021
This is SO DUMB! It's just a rant about health insurance and a side note of environmental change. The characters are ridiculous. He should have written a non-fiction book instead of trying to turn this subject into a novel. Don't bother reading it!
August 1, 2023
Fast Paced
4 1/2 Stars
I could not put this book down. It pulled many emotions from me. Sadness, anger and pity were the main feelings because of the great characters.
The ending was a bit bizarre but different.
I recommend.
4 1/2 Stars
I could not put this book down. It pulled many emotions from me. Sadness, anger and pity were the main feelings because of the great characters.
The ending was a bit bizarre but different.
I recommend.
June 6, 2024
I lied. I didn’t finish this book. It was poorly written and contrived. The characters were never developed and the narrative boring and repetitive. After 200 pages, I quit. I couldn’t take it anymore. There was nothing but conversations with healthcare employees, frustration and looming financial disasters taking up page after page. I was exhausted and pitched it!
March 12, 2023
Con este libro fui completamente a ciegas.
Me bastaba con saber quien era su autor, pues ya había leído antes algún otro libro suyo y me habían gustado mucho.
.
Inevitablemente es leer que un libro trata de un virus mortal y me tiro de cabeza a por él. Todo lo que sea thriller médico me gusta y me atrae mucho, luego es otra historia cómo se desarrollen y si merecen la pena.
En este caso me ha sorprendido muy gratamente.
Si hubiera leído la sinopsis, creo que me habría destapado demasiado y no habría disfrutado tanto de su lectura.
.
Nos encontramos con una familia como protagonistas de una auténtica locura de sistema sanitario.
Tras la "insignificante" picadura de un mosquito, Emma enferma de gravedad y ha de ser tratada en el hospital. Todo se pondrá patas arriba cuando Brian, su marido, reciba la llamada del departamento administrativo del hospital para comunicarle que su aseguradora médica deniega el pago de la visita a urgencias de su mujer y que ha de hacer frente al pago de dicha factura.
A partir de aquí, se desarrollan los acontecimientos y os puedo asegurar que he sentido auténtica ansiedad de pensar que necesitas acudir a un médico y que no puedas por no tener cómo pagarlo, o que esa visita te suponga la ruina total.
.
Creo que es una magnífica forma de acercar al mundo la realidad del sistema sanitario de los Estados Unidos y del negocio que hay detrás de la salud, en este caso de los seguros médicos.
Una crítica redonda a un negocio que, desde la pandemia, es aún más lucrativo según se puede observar.
.
Después de leer este libro, me he dado cuenta de la "suerte" (pues no debería llamarse así, sino que debería ser un derecho mínimo de cada persona poder acceder a la sanidad sin arruinarse) que tenemos en España de contar con un sistema de salud público. Bien es cierto que no funciona como debería, pero ahí lo tenemos al menos, sólo hay que luchar para que haya más inversión y así mejorarlo.
.
Os animo a leer el libro porque yo me he quedado alucinada.
Quizá me ha faltado ese ritmo del thriller pero es que lo compensa con la rabia e indignación que te hace sentir ante los acontecimientos.
Me bastaba con saber quien era su autor, pues ya había leído antes algún otro libro suyo y me habían gustado mucho.
.
Inevitablemente es leer que un libro trata de un virus mortal y me tiro de cabeza a por él. Todo lo que sea thriller médico me gusta y me atrae mucho, luego es otra historia cómo se desarrollen y si merecen la pena.
En este caso me ha sorprendido muy gratamente.
Si hubiera leído la sinopsis, creo que me habría destapado demasiado y no habría disfrutado tanto de su lectura.
.
Nos encontramos con una familia como protagonistas de una auténtica locura de sistema sanitario.
Tras la "insignificante" picadura de un mosquito, Emma enferma de gravedad y ha de ser tratada en el hospital. Todo se pondrá patas arriba cuando Brian, su marido, reciba la llamada del departamento administrativo del hospital para comunicarle que su aseguradora médica deniega el pago de la visita a urgencias de su mujer y que ha de hacer frente al pago de dicha factura.
A partir de aquí, se desarrollan los acontecimientos y os puedo asegurar que he sentido auténtica ansiedad de pensar que necesitas acudir a un médico y que no puedas por no tener cómo pagarlo, o que esa visita te suponga la ruina total.
.
Creo que es una magnífica forma de acercar al mundo la realidad del sistema sanitario de los Estados Unidos y del negocio que hay detrás de la salud, en este caso de los seguros médicos.
Una crítica redonda a un negocio que, desde la pandemia, es aún más lucrativo según se puede observar.
.
Después de leer este libro, me he dado cuenta de la "suerte" (pues no debería llamarse así, sino que debería ser un derecho mínimo de cada persona poder acceder a la sanidad sin arruinarse) que tenemos en España de contar con un sistema de salud público. Bien es cierto que no funciona como debería, pero ahí lo tenemos al menos, sólo hay que luchar para que haya más inversión y así mejorarlo.
.
Os animo a leer el libro porque yo me he quedado alucinada.
Quizá me ha faltado ese ritmo del thriller pero es que lo compensa con la rabia e indignación que te hace sentir ante los acontecimientos.
September 6, 2022
This book takes the cake for the worst book I have ever read in my life. I struggled to finish it because I have OCD and can't bear the thought of leaving it unfinished, but I was also hoping it might get better. It got progressively worse, to the point I was thinking if I would be forced to live with characters thinking, talking and acting like that, I would find an Asian tiger mosquito to end things myself. The story was terrible, a complete string of "coincidences" and things that just miraculously happened exactly the way they should and when they should, nothing ever went wrong (except of course, the "main" part, but even that was only for a "better" purpose in the end). The writing was also horrible, zero literary skill (I have never read anything by Robin Cook before, but people were praising his writing), to me it was absolutely unbearable wooden language, I could not even feel an emotion when the main character's wife and daughter died (and my tears are usually very easy to trigger), the only emotion I felt (rage) was when they allowed the daughter to put her stuffed bunny in the casket, triggering more drama down the road. I could not bear any of the characters, they were meant to be strong and moral with straight spines but ended up caricatures, especially Brian, the main guy,, if I had to live with such a completely entitled moron, walking through life leaning on the actions of everyone else around him, including entrusting his traumatized 4 year old kid to a complete stranger he just met and trusting she would take better care of her than himself... I felt like screaming the whole book. Yes, I get it, American healthcare system is far from ideal, but it could have been put in a less painful way. Also, the ending left me baffled, let's just kill the bad guys and run away, that should fix all the issues, right? Bottom line, I didn't find a single positive thing about the entire book and that's a lot coming from me, I usually find something good in anything...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2021
Let me start by saying two things: 1) I have read all of Robin Cook's novels, and really liked most of them, and 2) I believe our healthcare system is broken. I am not against writing something that draws attention to the extreme need for reform in this area.
That said, this was the most preposterous book I think I have ever read. From start to finish, the main character in this book acts in a way that is completely unrealistic. The way he forms quick relationships and alliances with virtual strangers is ridiculous, and his volatile temper would be humorous if it wasn't so self-destructive. The interactions and reactions between the characters is also far from believable. Example 1: if your child has to go to the ER with a seizure, would you really call the person you just met 3 days ago at 5am, and would she really just hop on down to the hospital after you called? Example 2: if your child died this morning and you just got home from the hospital, would it be reasonable for the virtual stranger/new best friend who brought you home to ask you "what do you plan to do with all your daughter's stuff?"
I don't even know what to say about the ending, except that you could see it coming from a mile away. Hmmm... how convenient that ex-cop Brian is getting to try out the new sniper rifle, and how realistic that the captain just lets him take it home and keep it as long as he wants.
If the author was trying to use hyperbole to make a point, then I will give him an A++ on that endeavor. Otherwise - really? Is this the best you can do? A rant very thinly disguised as a so-called novel?
That said, this was the most preposterous book I think I have ever read. From start to finish, the main character in this book acts in a way that is completely unrealistic. The way he forms quick relationships and alliances with virtual strangers is ridiculous, and his volatile temper would be humorous if it wasn't so self-destructive. The interactions and reactions between the characters is also far from believable. Example 1: if your child has to go to the ER with a seizure, would you really call the person you just met 3 days ago at 5am, and would she really just hop on down to the hospital after you called? Example 2: if your child died this morning and you just got home from the hospital, would it be reasonable for the virtual stranger/new best friend who brought you home to ask you "what do you plan to do with all your daughter's stuff?"
I don't even know what to say about the ending, except that you could see it coming from a mile away. Hmmm... how convenient that ex-cop Brian is getting to try out the new sniper rifle, and how realistic that the captain just lets him take it home and keep it as long as he wants.
If the author was trying to use hyperbole to make a point, then I will give him an A++ on that endeavor. Otherwise - really? Is this the best you can do? A rant very thinly disguised as a so-called novel?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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