Rating: 
Summary: A Monumental Debut
Review: Crichton's first book (he had written several thriller novels under various names before, but this was his first serious book), is really quite an accomplishment. Here he introduces the suspenseful writing style that he has sustained throughout his career. I was hooked on this book from the very first sentence. An interesting thing about this book is that it was written in the first-person, something that Crichton has rarely returned to since. His distinct style is still omnipresent, however. This is also a very good mystery, and contains a lot of evidence for both sides of the abortion debate. It was a hot topic back when the book was written, and it still is today. This is still a highly relevant book. And, as always with Crichton, there is a lot of jargon and esoteric information, but we have come to expect this from him. It gives his books that distinctive pseudo-documentary, authentic style that is entirely his. Here we have the first book from one of the great American authors of the second half of the 20th century.
Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: This book is the best--not only is a great novel with a suspense filled plot, it's also presents great arguments and stuff to think about for both sides of the abortion debate, without even trying. Having been written before Roe v. Wade it presents a glimse into what society would be like if that decision was ever overturned. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: His best medical thriller.
Review: Great medical thriller. I got hooked at the first paragraph. A true page turner. I loved it a lot!
Rating: 
Summary: Good ? but not Crichton-nesque
Review: There is always a tough mental block when reading a book that is really outdated. This book deals with a doctor connected to a death through an illegal abortion. A small portion of this book deals with why abortions should be legal, and why there should be pity towards the doctors that perform illegal abortions. Of course, in today?s time, abortions are legal and the point becomes deadened quite a bit.In this book a doctor is accused of killing a woman through an abortion. Another doctor tries to clear his friend by investigating the case thoroughly. Without giving too much away, this book details how the doctor investigates the woman and her well connected family through interviews, spying, medical records, and autopsies. While it is a good mystery novel, Crichton doesn?t deliver his normal brilliance. Unlike the Great Train Robbery, the reader is not totally immersed in the setting. Unlike Sphere, the reader doesn?t get trapped in the suspense and mystery of the situation. A good, quick, and mildly exciting read, it?s out of date and not up to the extremely high standards that I expect from Michael Crichton.
Rating:
Summary: Great medical thriller
Review: If you are interested in medical thrillers or suspense-filled stories, this is the book for you. One of Crichton's best, will surely intrigue a broad audience of readers. I picked up this book one night because I couldn't sleep, and found myself up hours later still reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Early Crichton Book
Review: This is one of the very few books that I have enjoyed that is written in the first person. The story is about a doctor named John Berry. His coleage is arrested for an abortion gone wrong that ended in murder. So Dr. Berry plays detective and tries to get his buddy out of jail. The book takes place during one week and has an ending that I did not expect at all. This was one of Crichton's first books, and the profit off this one sent him through medical school. The book is full of medical terms and has a lot of footnotes that make you constantly have to move up and down pages. Although this isn't Crichton's best, I didn't even use a bookmark because I never put it down.
Rating:
Summary: ER Meets The Godfather
Review: This is one of Crichton's best books, and it is also one of the most technical. There is lots of medical abbreviations and lingo, but it is mostly all explained. The protagonist, John Berry, is a pathologist who carries out an investigation to discover the truth about the death of a young girl to protect his friend, a radical doctor who performs illegal abortions. On the way he is threatened by the patriarch or a powerful medical family who wants the truth to remain a mystery so that he can save embarassment. The stance on issues such as abortion seems a little dated, but all the arguments are familiar, just now society is on the other side of the coin. I couldn't stop reading this compelling book, and I loved every minute of it. If you liked The Andromeda Strain, Five Patients or The Terminal Man, you will like this book.
Rating:
Summary: informative medical fiction
Review: this book was a good way to spend a rainy day. crichton is so good at explaining technical information to the layperson, in this case medical terminology. as i reader, i felt a part of the medical community. this was a good early effort, preceding his wonderful ER tv series by a good 25 years.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is not so good
Review: I love Michael Crichton. I just really did not like this book. I found it unrealistic and dumb. There were plot holes big enough to drive a truck through and plot twists that didn't make any sense. I found the subject interesting but I think Crichton took it the wrong way.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of Michael's best books
Review: I am a big fan of Michael Crichton, but I did not care for this book.
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