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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
A twist in the tale ... !
Somewhat of a departure for Robin Cook, Crisis is not so much medical thriller as it is legal thriller in a medical environment. But, whatever he chooses to write, Cook has certainly got a firm stranglehold on the ability to rivet a reader's attention from first page to last!
Craig Bowman is an affluent, successful Boston physician. That affluence is directly attributable to his controversial "concierge" practice - his patients pay a hefty up-front retainer that buys them special attention and a higher degree of direct, personal care because of their "membership" in a lower volume practice. When Patience Stanhope - a hypochondriac "problem patient" that Bowman inherited from the previous owner of the practice - dies of a heart attack, her husband sues Bowman for malpractice. As the trial progresses, Bowman's ability to function on a personal and professional level descends into a downward spiralling hole of misery. Bowman's wife begs her brother, New York medical examiner Jack Stapleton, to come to Boston to see if, as an outside observer with an eye for detail, he might spot a way out of the judgment that now seems will almost certainly go against Bowman. Stapleton's investigations point in the direction of foul play and the story accelerates as the proof must be discovered before the malpractice verdict is handed down in the courtroom of a harried judge determined to bring the trial to a rapid conclusion!
While Cook hasn't proposed any solutions, he certainly hasn't hesitated to use Crisis as a platform to indicate his concerns with a number of problems in the US medical and legal systems - for example, the inherent controversy of the "concierge" practice and the perception of its omission of medical care for the poor; the litigious nature of the US legal system and the devastating personal effect of a malpractice suit on a practicing physician; the basic flaws of an adversarial court system that allows legal tricks wherein the skills and personalities of the lawyers involved may overshadow the "facts" of the case; the huge diagnostic problems associated with false positive and negative outcomes in laboratory tests; and the propensity of the standard medical education to commonly produce extreme narcissistic personalities in those students that successfully persevere to graduate as medical practitioners (or perhaps it is a system designed to allow only individuals with already pronounced narcissistic tendencies to succeed?). The thinking reader won't come away with any simple ideas for resolution of these problems but the eyebrows will be raised on more than one occasion as the issues and their repercussions are showcased in a provocative thriller.
I wouldn't have hesitated to give 5 stars to Crisis except that I found the sub-plot of Stapleton rushing to get to his own wedding completely unnecessary. The timing of the trial provided all of the urgency necessary and, frankly, I found the threats and posturings of Stapleton's fiancée childish and irritating. The ultimatums that she issued during every conversation about the results of Stapleton's failing to appear at the altar would have been more than enough reason for me to simply call the whole thing off anyway.
But that minor quibble will be forgotten as Cook closes Crisis with a blockbuster unexpected twist - in the style of Jeffrey Deaver's Twisted or Jeffrey Archer's A Twist in the Tale, the quirky ending is held in reserve until the final sentence of the novel . Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended!
Paul Weiss
Somewhat of a departure for Robin Cook, Crisis is not so much medical thriller as it is legal thriller in a medical environment. But, whatever he chooses to write, Cook has certainly got a firm stranglehold on the ability to rivet a reader's attention from first page to last!
Craig Bowman is an affluent, successful Boston physician. That affluence is directly attributable to his controversial "concierge" practice - his patients pay a hefty up-front retainer that buys them special attention and a higher degree of direct, personal care because of their "membership" in a lower volume practice. When Patience Stanhope - a hypochondriac "problem patient" that Bowman inherited from the previous owner of the practice - dies of a heart attack, her husband sues Bowman for malpractice. As the trial progresses, Bowman's ability to function on a personal and professional level descends into a downward spiralling hole of misery. Bowman's wife begs her brother, New York medical examiner Jack Stapleton, to come to Boston to see if, as an outside observer with an eye for detail, he might spot a way out of the judgment that now seems will almost certainly go against Bowman. Stapleton's investigations point in the direction of foul play and the story accelerates as the proof must be discovered before the malpractice verdict is handed down in the courtroom of a harried judge determined to bring the trial to a rapid conclusion!
While Cook hasn't proposed any solutions, he certainly hasn't hesitated to use Crisis as a platform to indicate his concerns with a number of problems in the US medical and legal systems - for example, the inherent controversy of the "concierge" practice and the perception of its omission of medical care for the poor; the litigious nature of the US legal system and the devastating personal effect of a malpractice suit on a practicing physician; the basic flaws of an adversarial court system that allows legal tricks wherein the skills and personalities of the lawyers involved may overshadow the "facts" of the case; the huge diagnostic problems associated with false positive and negative outcomes in laboratory tests; and the propensity of the standard medical education to commonly produce extreme narcissistic personalities in those students that successfully persevere to graduate as medical practitioners (or perhaps it is a system designed to allow only individuals with already pronounced narcissistic tendencies to succeed?). The thinking reader won't come away with any simple ideas for resolution of these problems but the eyebrows will be raised on more than one occasion as the issues and their repercussions are showcased in a provocative thriller.
I wouldn't have hesitated to give 5 stars to Crisis except that I found the sub-plot of Stapleton rushing to get to his own wedding completely unnecessary. The timing of the trial provided all of the urgency necessary and, frankly, I found the threats and posturings of Stapleton's fiancée childish and irritating. The ultimatums that she issued during every conversation about the results of Stapleton's failing to appear at the altar would have been more than enough reason for me to simply call the whole thing off anyway.
But that minor quibble will be forgotten as Cook closes Crisis with a blockbuster unexpected twist - in the style of Jeffrey Deaver's Twisted or Jeffrey Archer's A Twist in the Tale, the quirky ending is held in reserve until the final sentence of the novel . Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended!
Paul Weiss
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I usually enjoy Robin Cook's medical thrillers, this one however had a lot more court-room drama going on in it and read a bit like a poor mans John Grisham. The storyline was good and some characters had a lot of potential but it was never really developed. The small cliffhangers at the end of every chapter a la James Patterson didn't work at all for this style of story.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.wordpress.com
It was interesting to leave the medical examiner's office in New York for a medical malpractice suit, but I wanted to see more of Jack and Laurie. I was also very disappointed in the ending of the novel. Although surprising, I didn't find myself believing it. I almost think it would have played out better had it been another conspiracy story against, in this case, concierge medicine. I found that I was left with very confused and ambiguous feelings, as it's almost as if you are meant to feel sympathy and understanding for Craig Bowman and then the epilogue happens and you're left wondering if he's a psychopath.