Toxin

Rating:
Summary: This is a book that Dr. Cook never completed.
Review: Toxin provided a fascinating and frightening introduction to the meat packing industry and the danger of e.coli bacteria. this insight could have been provided in twenty pages or less. It was a very lopsided indictment of managed healthcare as seen the eyes of a dangerous egomaniac. The indictment could have been summarized in less than ten pages. The story of Kim Reggis could have been a great one, if only it had been completed. This book brings nothing to a conclusion. The reader finishes the last page and says, "where's the beef?" This will be the last Robin Cook book I spend money on.

Rating:
Summary: Frightening, yet incomplete!
Review: There is, without a doubt, that I have become more aware of the things (red meat, especially) that I now eat after having read the book, 'TOXIN.' Even though much of the contents which Dr. Cook wrote was 'indigestiable', the book certainly has made its impact; in getting the people to aware the things that they eat. However, the ONE thing which I dislike about the book; its so-so ending. I believe that there are many other ways which Dr. Cook could have end this book, but it just so happens that the one which he chose was perhaps not the one which many hoped that it would be.

Rating:
Summary: Insults our intelligence
Review: What a farce and waste of money. Last Cook book I buy. Unbelievable actions by a MD leave you wondering why publishers will pay for this material. Not a believable character at all.

Rating:
Summary: Dissapointed!
Review: After reading excellent works like Mutation and coma this book came as a big dissapointment. The story was very much predictable and there was no twists and turns that would have made the book much more unputtable. It could hardly be expected off a well educated and well placed surgeon to go about punching people who were just going about doing their duty. The part about Kim transforming himself into a punk to gain employment in the slaughterhouse was not very convincing. At one point I had to roll my eyes when Kim hands the gun back to Tracy before going into the slaughterhouse. What kind of nutcase would do that after 2 attempts on his life? :-) Anyway waiting for a better work from Robin Cook. Of course I still remain his true fan.

Rating:
Summary: Ground Beef = DISGUSTING!!
Review: I read this book and found it quite interesting. At times it seemed rather "far fetched,", but I have to admit, Grandma's meatballs will never taste the same after reading this book. I doubt I will ever eat ground beef again. I'm not sure if I am happy or sad about it, but it sure turns my stomach thinking about it. Yuck!!

Rating:
Summary: TOXIN is Toxic to any intelligent reader -- Beware!
Review: Bought this book at the Bangkok airport. It almost ruined an otherwise perfect two-week vacation at the beach. In an attempt to alert us to a real problem -- food-borne illness -- Cook utilizes a completely unbelievable plot populated by ludicrous, unreal characters. Did I forget to mention that they are, almost to a man, also a very unsympathetic bunch? The only character I liked was the little girl -- she died well. Unfortunately, the story ends with her parents and most of their peripheral "plotmates" as alive as the inept Cook could make them. Finally, the author's style is maddening as he stretches to use a wide and wild variety of adverbs and adjectives for what seems to be no more than a demo of his vast vocabulary. I'd like to quote an example (there are many), but the book was trashed just as soon as I finished it. Yes, I read the whole thing, and you should take that as a warning. Reading TOXIN is like witnessing a bad accident -- disgusting but fascinating. But it also teaches lessons: burn your burgers, wash your chicken, and avoid Robin Cook's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Tiresome polemic with boring unsympathetic "hero"
Review: This is a tiresome polemic in which an arrogant, spoiled brat orders his daughter to eat undercooked meat and then blames everyone but himself for the resulting tragedy. The "hero" is so busy finding scapegoats, assaulting people, and whining about his balance book that he can't be bothered to be at his daughter's side while she is in the hospital because he's too busy thinking about how _he_ feels. And the book's bizarre assertion that the restaurant is a "victim of the meat industry" because they didn't cook their food is beyond me.

Rating:
Summary: stilted dialogue, an irritating main character,
Review: and unconvincing situations made this book a chore to read. As an avid reader with a love of medical thrillers, i found this book to be unbelievable, not in the story it tried to tell, but in its writing. The main character, a heart surgeon named Kim, was combative and completely unlikeable. He and his ex-wife entered into long dialogues in the midst of a great tragedy involving their young daughter that i found unrealistic. He repeatedly resorted to physical violence with his colleagues and anyone who opposed him, refusing to listen to characters who seemed infinitely more reasonable. Even as a parent, i could muster little sympathy for this raging maniac. I actually found myself exclaiming out loud, "Oh come on, now!" at one point. This book now resides in my trash can.

Rating:
Summary: A thrilling Medical tragedy
Review: The book was fast paced and very descriptive. The tone of the book is set with the opening line : "The sky was an inverted bowl of gray clouds." This line starts the book off with a great specific image that brings you into the rest of the book. Through these specific images you are brought into the emotional tragedy of this book. It is written excellently with a somewhat decent plot and a greatly ironic ending. Predictability is a major problem in this book. Cook reveals too much too soon and it reveals the majority of the plot too soon. The book starts with dead cows; which told the reader its about ecoli 0157. When the burger scene took place the reader knows that the daughter was going to eat the infected meat. Thus the plot was done uneffectively and the major conflicts were poorly done. This made the book extremely hard to follow at times. The setting was also a major problem because you have no idea where you are in the book. An ER fan would love this book due to its great description of emergency room scenes. It also incorporates many genre which include : mystery, horror, and tragedy. The book brings a scary feel to because it is a very possible story. It was a greatly emotional book and I enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: A soapbox for Dr. Cook to express his views.
Review: This was not his best. Unfortunately, I do believe that much of what he is writing is true and we probably need to be informed. But he sure used this book to express his displeasure with the way health care could go, the USDA, the beef industry, etc. etc. It seemed to be less entertaining fiction and more proselytizing on his part. I agree with others, I may not be as quick to get his next book.