Cure (Jack Stapleton Series #10)

by Robin Cook

Overview

With her son’s cancer in remission, NYC medical examiner Laurie Montgomery returns to work—and finds her first case back to be a dangerous puzzle in this compelling mystery by the bestselling “master of the medical thriller.” (The New York Times)

The investigation into the shocking death of CIA agent Kevin Markham is a professional challenge for Dr. Laurie Montgomery, and it has her colleagues wondering if she still has what it takes after so much time away. 

Markham’s autopsy results are inconclusive, and though it appears he’s been poisoned, toxiccology fails to corroborate Laurie’s suspicions. While her coworkers doubt her assassination theory, her determination wins over her husband, fellow medical examiner Jack Stapleton, and together they discover associations to a large pharmaceutical company and several biomedical start-ups dealing with stem-cell research. 

Laurie and Jack must race to connect the dots before they are consumed in a dangerous game of biotech espionage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780425242605
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/26/2011
Series:	A Jack Stapleton & Laurie Montgomery Novel , #10
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	196,213
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.30(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 Cure:

“Cook can write up a storm and spin a taut tale... A master.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Readers invested in Cook’s married ME duo will rapidly turn the pages as danger finds Laurie and Jack once again.”—Booklist

From the Publisher

Organized crime, international espionage, and kidnapping only mildly enliven Cook's methodical ninth medical thriller featuring husband-and-wife medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton (after Intervention). Laurie's first case back in the Manhattan medical examiner's office, after giving birth to the couple's firstborn, John "JJ" Junior, appears to be a routine case of death by natural causes. But Laurie suspects otherwise, and her dogged investigation uncovers a diabolical poisoning and a plot involving the Mafia and rival Japanese gangsters laundering money for a shady start-up firm promoting stem-cell research. To deter Laurie's prying, the thugs snatch JJ, and suddenly the intrigue gets very personal. Cook provides an interesting study of the strange bedfellows that the biotech business and the mob might make, but he telegraphs all his plot twists so far in advance that there's little suspense other than how quickly Laurie will tip to them. Even devoted Cook fans may find that the crimes and subterfuges are resolved too swiftly and perfunctorily. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Cook's 30th novel follows Intervention (2009), also available from Recorded Books/Penguin Audio and read by multiple Audie Award winner George Guidall. Medical forensics, intrigue, Japanese yakuza and the American mafia, and kidnap consultants all figure into this extraordinary fictional treatise on international business, stem-cell research, and organized crime. Listeners will feel compelled to look further into the potential health impacts of pluripotent stem cell (iPS) research; they can visit Cook's official website, robincookmd.com, for his take on the profits available to those who obtain iPS patents. Guidall masterfully reads this well-researched, expertly plotted thriller; highly recommended. ["A fascinating tale that never slows down," read the review of the New York Times best-selling Putnam hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 6/25/10.—Ed.]—Cliff Glaviano, formerly with Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH

Library Journal

Robin Cook’s thriller focuses on global corporate espionage in the field of medical research. Its most valuable asset is a cultured reading by George Guidall. Treating each character as an individual, he puts careful stress on single syllables, allowing his accents to vary and remain dignified while never descending into stereotype. Much of the book deals with the Yakuza (organized crime—Japanese style), and Guidall frequently delivers the narration in a rhythm that suggests Japanese intonation. His delivery of dialogue, regardless of nationality, is highly animated, and, fortunately, there's quite a lot of it. An overabundance of medical details often interferes with the story, so Guidall's voice brings welcome humanity to the numerous characters and credibility to the many action scenes. A.Z.W. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2010 - AudioFile