Rating: 
Summary: The real shock was how truly bad this was.
Review: Apparently when one becomes a name writer, there is no longer a requirement to adhere to the basic tenets of fiction writing and provide credible plot, characters, dialogue and pacing, because this book lacked them all.
The plot was silly and contrived. The main characters, two Harvard PhD's, (one in biochemistry no less) appear to have less sense than ditzy teenagers, as they participate in ridiculous escapades more suited to a poor sitcom.
The dialogue was banal, trite, and boring, mostly of the: "How are you?" "I am fine, thank you. And you?" variety. These two post docs made "Bill and Ted" sound erudite by comparison. Think about it, when was the last time you heard anyone actually say, "Gadzooks?"
The whole book plodded along until the last few pages, and then, wham bam thank you mam. I struggled and stuck it out, reading until the bitter end, except there was no end. The book simply stopped. My greatest fear is that this abrupt disconnect signals the intention of (heaven forbid!) a sequel.
This is the second terrible Robin Cook novel I've read lately. (The other being, Harmful Intent.) I used to enjoy his books, but doubt I will risk trying another one.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been interesting
Review: I listened to the audio version of the book. It was more tolerable when played at high speed ... but still dragged. Lots of extraneous details, unbelievable plot line, technical errors (how do you run a password cracking program on a locked server, so that you can then log on??), ...and as others have mentioned the abrupt ending. I'd hoped for a lot more from this book!
Rating:
Summary: Falls Flat!
Review: Without restating what others have said, I wanted to echo my disappointment with this book. I too have been a Robin Cook fan for many years, but the plot, characters and abrupt ending left me wondering if I'll ever pick up another of his books again. The stilted writing and shallow characters might have been understandable at the beginning of Dr. Cook's writing career, but at this stage??? Very poor writing, no conclusion ... just an end making me feel that Cook just got sick of the story himself and decided to simply stop writing one day.
Rating: 
Summary: Cook is good , as usual
Review: I was constantly worried that the main characters will be discovered and sent to the meat grinder or something, and i enjoyed learning about the hazards of money mixed with black medicine. I read this in a few days, and the ending still has me wondering...
As those two girls, got deeper into the mysterious clutches of this corporation, I was more scared for them. Fascianting, as always. Cook is great.
Rating:
Summary: Shocked at "Shock"
Review: I have (or perhaps now, had) been a fan of Robin Cook's medical thrillers for years. With this most recent one, however, either my taste has improved or Cook's talent has diminished. The subject of cloning and the ethical questions it raises should have provided a wonderful venue for a top-notch medical thriller. Instead, the author throws a couple of Harvard grads into an implausible scenario as the two, returning from months in Venice and settling into their high price condo, immediately set out to discover the fate of the eggs they donated to the Wingate Clinic. The duo have little trouble penetrating the clinic by gaining employment and then access to their files. Like the characters themselves, their disguises are hokey and the events too flawed to elaborate on, but they are shocked and horrified at the discoveries they make. Like the bulk of the book, the ending is overly pat, simple, and sudden. It had been my inclination to put the book aside about halfway through, but I truly felt it would get better. Unfortunately that wasn't the case so my recommendation would be to put it aside before reading page one.
Rating:
Summary: Not Up to Cook's Usual Standard
Review: As a fan of Robin Cook since "Coma" I was surprised by this book. I've come to expect a lot of medical detail, seemingly unrelated vignettes all coming together mid-story, suspense, and edge-of-the-seat spine tingling scenes leading to a frenzied climax. This book on the other hand was quite flat. The characters and their actions were unbelieveable, their ethics questionable (breaking into a fertility clinic before there's any plausible reason to do so), and everything was cliched and predictable. Perhaps Dr. Cook has run out of steam, or thought he could dash off a novel without devoting his full attention to it, depending on his name to sell copies. He's doing himself harm, since he's put his readers on notice that they can't automatically expect a high quality thriller anymore when they see his name.
Rating:
Summary: Shockingly bad!
Review: If cardboard characters speaking trite dialogue within a semi-boring plot line is your cup of tea, this book is for you.
I never cared about the two main characters. In fact as I was nearing the so-called climax of the book, I found myself rooting for the bad guys to put these two away. We are told they are Harvard PHD's, but they make one bonehead decision after the other and never (and I mean never) learn from past mistakes.If the author is trying to lure me into his next book via the open-ended conclusion, he has failed. I think I'm done with Robin Cook books. My leisure time is too precious to be wasted on such poorly written fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Who wrote this book?
Review: I found myself grimacing many times during this book that appears to be written with no imagination at all. The 2 main female characters were extremely weak and irritating. I have been a fan of Robin Cook for years however I feel that this is truly the worst book he has ever written.
Rating:
Summary: Is Spencer Wingate Robin Cook?
Review: This is is a monumentally terrible book. The character development is weak, the plot implausible, the sexual innuendo with which the text is laced adolescent. I finished the book primarily because I was fascinated to see what aesthetic depths the author would plum.
I suppose one can learn something from any experience. Assuming that the sometimes talented Robin Cook actually wrote this book, then the lesson would be the famous old saw about talent being 95 percent perspiration and 5 percent inspiration. Robin Cook is not a great author on his best day, but here he appears to have relied on a dollop of inspiration without bothering with the perspiration part. His record reveals that he is capable of doing much better. I wonder what led him to risk damaging his long career by releasing this well conceived but poorly executed thriller?
Rating:
Summary: Waste of time!!!
Review: Two characters were annoying, the writing was amateurish, and there was no ending.
I have read most of Robin Cooks books. Unfortunately the standard has been getting worse.
I dont think I will waste my time any more.
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