Toxin

Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking but a little weak
Review: This story will definitely make you think twice about your next trip to the fast-food joint. The evil HMO is present like many of his books. As others have said, the ending is lacking and weak, although if this would happen in real life, the ending would probably be the same. How many Americans still remember the hubbub caused by the Oprah trial. The next scandal is here. The book is a fast read and the action does not let up. Read it for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Robin Cook has the elements of a book that needs completion.
Review: Robin Cook left us wondering what happened to the hero, his girl, the martyr who was killed, and in general never bothered to finish the book. I guess he thought he was leaving us with the feeling of a monsterous plot left ongoing to harm us all. The initial plot had some promise, but was stretched to the point of unbelievability very rapidly. As a physician very familiar with the problems with managed care, even I found this book preposterous. Michael Palmer is a much better read.

Rating:
Summary: Bad meat, bad writing
Review: If Cook is trying to elicit support for his contention that the USDA is in bed with an evil meat industry intent on poisoning the public with tainted meat, he should at least take English 101 to learn some writing skills. It's not an easy sell except to alarmists who vow never to eat another hamburger again. He may make readers ill with his description of hamburger processing, but let's be realistic. Billions of burgers are consumed in this country every year and the number of fatal E. Coli victims are miniscule. After all, even Cook attributes the child's illness to one sick cow.

And the insipid high school writing! His dialogues are totally robotic; why do conversations (such as one in an elevator between two doctors) sound like pretensious academic seminars? And can't he find another way to express gut-wrenching grief other than repeating "I'm so sorry" in every discussion about his daughter's illness? The characters are made of genuine cardboard. The supposed "hero," Dr. Regis, is out-of-control idiot, his ex-wife, a psycho-babbling twit. The plot line lacks plausibility; real cardiac surgeons, who probably have some smarts beyond their skillful hands, are unlikely to unilaterally investigate their children's deaths in such a moronic manner.

Cook may have wanted to make a point about laxities in the beef industry. but he should have first read Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" to see what a well-crafted novel really can do to motivate the public. (It ultimately lead to creation of the FDA.) In the meantime, I'll just slap another burger on the grill. Pass the ketchup,please.

Rating:
Summary: It was great
Review: First off your synopis is wrong. Dr Reggis did not take his son Seldon to eatat a fast food joint. He didn't have a son, he had a daughter and her name was Becky and she was 10 years old. I think you should change it.

I think the book was one of his best. I'm wondering if he is going to do a sequal to it because of the way it ended. There was a lot of really great description of a slaughterhouse, after reading Toxin I don't think I waill ever eat hamburg again.

Robin Cook really knows how to tell a story and keep you interested in it from page 1 to the very last page. I do read a lot of medical thrillers and I can't really say who I like the best because they are all so good.

I don't have much to say except to read this book, you won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointed
Review: This is the first Robin Cook book I've tried and I certainly will not make the mistake again. Not only is Cook's prose awkward throughout, the plot gets more and more preposterous as the book progresses. The doctor goes to a TV reporter with information about a missing USDA inspector, finds human blood in the place she disappeared and is chased away from that spot by a knife-toting killer. The reporter's response? No story here. The same doctor is attacked again by the killer in his home. He and his wife barely escape. She suggests they call the police. No, he says. They wouldn't do anything. The doctor sneaks into a slaughterhouse under the pretense of being an illegal Mexican alien (with blond hair). But he speak only a few words of Spanish and uses English words like "pristine." It just goes on and on. I don't mind suspending belief a little, but the author gives his readers no credit at all in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Dr. Cook is in dire need of an editor or a ghost-writer.
Review: Robin Cook has always told a good story, filled with good science. His writing skills, particularly in terms of dialogue, have always been weak, but he hits a new all-time low with Toxin. Has this guy gone his entire life without ever having heard two normal humans converse? No one on the planet speaks the way Cook's characters do. I've read all of his works, have enjoyed most and have learned a little something with each experience. But Toxin was the end of the line for me. A first-class stinker all around.

Rating:
Summary: Once you read this, you WILL NOT eat meat !
Review: This was definately not Cook's best book by any means, but I had an interest in the E. Coli virus before reading this title, so personally, I enjoyed it. Overall, the main character is sometimes very irritating and annoying but what he eventually finds out is startling and will make you terrified of some of the contents of ground meat. It is worth reading if you want to become a vegetarian.

Rating:
Summary: "Toxin" is exciting, suspensful and thought-provoking.
Review: This book is a blend of edge-of-your-seat excitement and heart-rending tragedy. "Toxin" is emotionally gripping and thought-provoking. For me, it has also been life-changing. I have not touched meat since reading this wonderful, fascinating story. I highly recommend this intelligent, exciting, fascinating thriller.

Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTING
Review: What a big disappointment. Robin Cook is so much better than this! I couldn't believe how boring, annoying and unplausable this book was. Take my advice, skip this one and reread one of his old books.

Rating:
Summary: Weak stomachs beware
Review: Robin Cook did a great job of trying to make all of us vegetarians but the story fell short. The main character is so obnoxious! His daughter shows him her hamburger is uncooked and he is so unconcerned he tells her to eat it anyway. She gets sick and he tells her she is going skating anyway. He takes her to the emergency room and DEMANDS special treatment ahead of priority patients. He knows more about what should be done than doctor workings in their specialty. He is so out of control it is ridiculous. Robin Cook doesn't like the way medical care is going in this country or the way our government agencies are in bed with the people they are supposed to monitor. He brings this out loud and clear, but it would have been nice to have had some decent characters to go along with his soap box.