Rating: 
Summary: Great until the end
Review: This was a great read, right up until the climax near the end and then what a let-down. Unpredictable maybe but it seemed a very weak and perhaps hurried finish to the book. Despite this I still enjoyed the bulk of the story. Informative, interesting and a scary proposition
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and enlightening - a must read.
Review: I really enjoyed Robin Cook's Contagion. Not only is it an exciting tale of a white medical examiner living in the steets of Harlem, but it is an enlightening novel into the fields of bacteriology and medical examination. Just when you thought nobody would ever get the plague, someone gets it in one of the country's biggest and cleanest hospitals. It makes you wonder how safe you really are in your hospital. It makes going to the hospital a whole new adventure..
Rating: 
Summary: Another Good Medical Thriller from Dr. Cook
Review: The book starts off with three seemingly unrelated events that, we are told, will eventually collide. The main character in this story is Dr. Stapleton who works in the morgue of a medical facility. The doctor who is a mystery to his co-workers stumbles upon a mystery in the medical field. Several deaths from a local hospital have apparently occurred from rare diseases. Dr. Stapleton, who appears to enjoy living on the edge -- he's a caucasion living in Harlem, makes a genuine pest of himself while he investigates the origin of the diseases.
His pestering lands him on the most-unwanted-list for the hospital. This fact does not deter Dr. Stapleton since this hospital is also associated with a company who he blames for ruining his life. It's not until an attempt is made on his life that he realizes that he may have stumbled onto something more than a freak occurance. In this book there are other characters who either assist or hender Dr. Stapleton's investigation. The thrill is guessing who is actually "assiting" and who is actually "hendering." People are not
always what they seem or who they seem.
As usual, the medical jargon in Robin Cook's novel does not make it difficult reading. Most of the medical terminology is explained sufficiently for the reader to understand the significance of the medical find. The descriptions of the autopsies is not so graphic that it will offend anyone who normally reads medical thrillers. The book is fast-paced and definitely keeps your attention. The characters in the book are well thought out and quite believable. I enjoyed this book and plan to pass it along to others who share an
interest in mystery novels.
Rating:
Summary: Some HMOs are just Murder?
Review: Manhatten General Hospital seems to be a dangerous place to be hospitalized in. During a ninety-six hour period nine people have succumbed to not one, not two but three extremely rare diseases, especially for New York City. Jack Stapleton is the New York city Medical Examiner who discovered these occurrences in the course of performing autopsies upon the victims and while no one has questioned the natural occurrence of these deadly, highly infectious diseases, Jack eventually comes to the conclusion that these events are too much of a coincidence to be accidental.
Contagion was written by a prolific writer named Robin Cook. If you are not familiar with Cook you should be. He is the unquestioned king of the medical mystery/suspense genre, having written well over twenty such books, dating back to the seventies. If you happen to remember the scary movie Coma, that was Robin Cook.
With not one but three different extremely rare pathogens killing patients at the New York hospital, Stapleton suspects it's more than just coincidence. But Jack can't seem to get anybody's attention, especially at the Hospital itself where the management even resents and has barred his presence. This leads Jack to suspect there may be a connection between the mysterious microbes responsible for the deaths and the HMO that owns the hospital, Americare, the same HMO that once destroyed his flourishing medical practice. However Jack is unable to convince his friends and co-workers Chet and Laurie or his bosses that these occurrences are being orchestrated, even after a deadly form of Influenza makes an appearance killing many more patients and hospital staff.
Could Americare deliberately killing off its sickest patients - those who cost the most money to treat? If not, is there an even more dastardly motive behind the mysterious happenings at Manhattan General, and what about the sudden attempts on Jack's life by members of a black gang who surprisingly rescued by members of another black gang?
CONCLUSION
Contagion is a fun read, one that, as commonly happens with an intriguing book, I kept finding reasons to to read when I should be doing other things. Though Cook is known to throw in a generous dose of medical terms I forgive him, it is after all a MEDICAL THRILLER! Other than that his writing is fluid and user friendly, though sometimes a little weak when it comes to character development, and his fulminations about the dangers of managed care tend to compete with the plot. Still, to his credit, Cook doesn't try to overwhelm you with his obvious intellect. He writes to be understood and appreciated by the masses.
Speaking of the plot, Cook manages to instill a little bi-racial tolerance by having his protagonist (Jack)living in a flat in Harlem and becoming a basketball buddy with Warren, the imposing leader of a black gang. Coincidently another black gang is hired first to scare then to kill Jack and the interplay between good and bad black guys was a nice touch. In fact there were many nice touches which overcame some weaknesses which, to me, became evident toward the end of the book. But even though I questioned the improbable rational for the murders, I was totally surprised by the identity of of the perps.
Beware, Contagion may make you think twice about going to the hospital short of anything life threatening.
Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: One of Robin cook's best book, it's a medical thriller like almost of his books.
there are a lot of action and suspense.
The story is exciting, you never get bored.
It's sometimes boring because Jack Stapleton is .
The story: one day one "patient" of Jack has the pest and then three others strange disease appeared. Jack investigates in the Manhattan General hospital. There they don't like him and try to kill him.
Jack wants the truth so he continue to investigate.
If you want to know more read the book!
sometimes, the medical jargon in Robin Cook's novel does not make it difficult reading. Most of the medical terminology is explained sufficiently for the reader to understand the significance of the medical find.
This is the first time we hear of Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery. We hear of them again in Chromosome 6 and Vector. Robin tells you in more detail about Jack and Laurie then now the latter on. There is the plane crash that takes the life of Jack's family and how he leaves being a eye doctor to be a legist Doctor.
I Highly recommended it!
Rating:
Summary: contagion
Review: One of Robin cook's best book, it's a medical thriller like almost of his books.
there are a lot of action and suspense.
The story is exciting, you never get bored.
It's sometimes disgusting because Jack Stapleton is a legist doctor.
The story: one day one "patient" of Jack has the pest and then three others strange disease appeared. Jack investigates in the Manhattan General hospital. There they don't like him and try to kill him.
Jack wants the truth so he continue to investigate.If you want to know more read the book!
sometimes, the medical jargon in Robin Cook's novel does not make it difficult reading. Most of the medical terminology is explained sufficiently for the reader to understand the significance of the medical find.
This is the first time we hear of Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery. We hear of them again in Chromosome 6 and Vector. Robin tells you in more detail about Jack and Laurie then now the latter on. There is the plane crash that takes the life of Jack's family and how he leaves being a eye doctor to be a medical examiner.
I Highly recommended it!
Rating:
Summary: OK, GOOD, BUT HE SHOULDN'T HAVE.....
Review: I was entertained and educated. In light of Anthrax, this book is almost required reading. There was one error in judgement in my opinion. Cook shouldn't have divulged the deal made between the two gangs. That scene could have been left out completely, and I would have been in the dark with regard to the conclusion. Another mistake, & really this isn't too many mistakes, is the last sentence. "But don't worry; I'll explain it later." That sentence just grated. I hated it. I guess it's the "don't worry." Aside from those minor flaws, I was reading late into the night & thoroughly enjoying it.
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