Critical (Jack Stapleton Series #7)

by Robin Cook

Overview

New York City medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton return in this stunning novel from the “master of the medical thriller” (New York Times)—a ripped-from-the-headlines tale of an innovative doctor’s dangerous downward spiral.

After a rough climb to the top, doctor and businesswoman Angela Dawson appears to have it all: a start-up—Angels Healthcare—that’s about to go public, and a controlling interest in three busy specialist hospitals in New York City as well as plans for others in Miami and Los Angeles. But then a surge of drug-resistant staph infections in all three hospitals devastated her carefully constructed world...

NYC medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton are naturally intrigued by the uptick in staph-related post-procedure deaths at these hospitals. Aside from their professional curiosity, there’s a personal stake as well: Jack is facing surgery to repair a torn ACL at Angels Orthopedic Hospital.

Despite Jack’s protests, Laurie can’t help investigating—thus opening a Pandora’s box of corporate intrigue that threatens not just her livelihood, but both of their lives as well.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425222881
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/26/2008
Series:	A Jack Stapleton & Laurie Montgomery Novel , #7
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	544
Product dimensions:	7.44(w) x 11.12(h) x 1.12(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Robin Cook, M.D., is the author of more than thirty books and is credited with popularizing the medical thriller with his wildly successful first novel, Coma. He divides his time among Florida, New Hampshire, and Boston. His most recent novels include Host, Cell, and Nano.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Critical:

“A genuinely titillating epidemiological puzzle... Critical is tightly written, and each supporting character is vivid and memorable. The novel is a credit to the medical thriller genre, which Cook is generally thought to have created and made popular.”—The Associated Press

“Critical might scare you to death... his prescient plotting is far from far-fetched.”—The Tampa Tribune

“[A] lively new thriller... An entertaining mix of suspense, action, and education about medical issues.”—Publishers Weekly

“The medical mysteries and dangers the characters face should keep readers invested.”—Booklist

From the Publisher

Last seen in 2006's Crisis, New York City medical examiner Laurie Montgomery diligently investigates an abrupt rise in infection deaths at the start of bestseller Cook's lively new thriller. All the deaths can be traced to three Manhattan hospitals owned by Angels Healthcare. Unbeknownst to Montgomery, Angels, which specializes in high-profit surgeries of amply insured patients, is on the verge of going public and can't risk any bad publicity. She's also unaware that Angels' main financial backer is a local Mafia don, who's prepared to kill anyone standing in the way of his investment. Cook smoothly juggles several subplots-one involving Montgomery's husband and fellow coroner, Jack Stapleton, who's suffered a serious knee injury playing basketball-and ekes out maximum value from one of his regular standbys, bumbling hoods. It all adds up to an entertaining mix of suspense, action and education about medical issues. (Aug.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

Like Crisis, in which New York City medical examiner Laurie Montgomery last appeared, Criticalgravely examines the medical industry using the thriller as vehicle; unfortunately, both books are as dull as dirt. Cook here inelegantly examines the ethical impact of physicians becoming businesspeople: Which is more important, money or patients? The interest of the diligent Montgomery is piqued when she discovers that more than 20 deadly staph infections originated from the same group of specialty hospitals. All are owned by Dr. Angela Dawson, an MBA with designs on becoming a kind of hospital mogul. The element of danger comes from the mob, which provided Dawson's seed money. Despite featuring two female protagonists, the story is plodding and characteristically Cook: many useless details and completely unrealistic dialog. The only saving grace is George Guidall's routinely excellent narration. Not recommended.
—Douglas Lord

Library Journal

Flesh-eating staph germs and for-profit hospitals share billing as the top villains in this year's medical thriller from Cook (Marker, 2005, etc.). Angela Dawson, M.D., MBA, is close to redeeming herself from the humiliation she suffered when her inner-city clinic went into bankruptcy. Armed with the best business knowledge money can buy, she has established a string of free-standing surgical hospitals for the perfectly insured, where the poor and those in need of emergency medicine need not apply. So successful and so profitable had been Angels Healthcare L.L.C. that Dr. Dawson and the colleagues who bought into her concept are about to make a fortune as the firm goes public. Except that the wheels are coming off fast enough to give the toughest business and medical professional world-class acid reflux. Patient after patient undergoing surgery in Angels hospitals has been succumbing to incredibly fast-acting staph infections, and no amount of scrubbing, disinfecting or filtering can put a stop to the bacterial invasion. Angela's business plan is in the tank as elective surgeries have dried up until the surgeons can be satisfied that their liposuctions won't lead to the grave. Surely the Securities and Exchange Commission or the IRS or whoever will understand why Angela and her accountant haven't tattled on themselves as the IPO draws close. It's nothing but germs, right? Not so, says recurring pathologist Laurie Montgomery, whose hubby and New York City pathology colleague Jack Stapleton is due to get his ACL replaced at one of Angela's luxurious hospitals. Laurie wants to get to the bottom of the medical mystery before Jack goes under the knife. She would be even more worried if sheknew that mobsters were in the mix, or that Angela's chief accountant is the unidentified floater who bobbed to the surface off Manhattan and is now lying on a gurney in her morgue. Mild tension, easily relieved.

Kirkus Reviews

CRITICAL is Robin Cook's latest book featuring recurring characters Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton. George Guidall's performance is spot-on, as usual, but it's hard to imagine him keeping a straight face in the booth. First, there's some atrocious dialogue between two violent thugs. It's hard to take them seriously when they say "Hispanics" and refer to Rohypnol as "the date rape drug,” as opposed to a "roofie." Other than the silly dialogue and shallow characters, the story is engaging as it recounts Laurie’s travails in solving a series of gruesome staff infection deaths. Still, despite Guidall's perfect performance, this is more of a movie of the week than a blockbuster. E.D.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

APR/MAY 08 - AudioFile