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pinksreads's review against another edition
4.0
A 3.5 star read for me.
I am left very unfulfilled by the ending of the book, but at the same time, I feel intrigued by the choice of words in the last two paragraphs. The ending is subtle and I had to read the last chapter twice to fully understand what each word implied, and its weight in the current situation.
The pacing was just - off? I cannot explain it but it gets very tedious at times (where the medical jargon is overwhelming, which is a personal critique, I suppose). For example, someone stabs another person in the hand. The muscles of the hand are painfully explained, following that particular act of aggression. Maybe the medical terms could have been restricted to the hospital and the research. Just, maybe.
I understand that this book was released in the 70s, hence the overwhelming sexism. I do not mind that, because it has not been positively encouraged. It has just been used as a tool to paint the cultural picture of Boston in 1970s. The imagery has been perfected by the excessive smoking, telephone booths and nurses uniforms.
The mystery was more on the predictable side. Not entirely so, but close enough. If another doctor (except Dr Harold Stark) would also have been open to Susan's theories, there would have been quite the confusion has to who the incriminating one is. Stark was not developed enough to throw the suspicion off him. He was only shown from others' eyes as being frightfully cunning but open-minded and kind to Susan. Having read Agatha Christie's Secret Adversary, I have learned to suspect people who are too kind. And Stark sat quite snugly in that bracket.
Something that bewildered me: why did Susan not call the police as soon as she trapped D'Ambrosio in the freezer? Why were the police shown as inept and powerless? In my opinion, it was done to further the narrative. But not crediting the police at all doesn't quite add up.
Also, what is up with the "illegal drugs in locker 338" plot line? The 'why it was introduced' part is satisfactory. It aided the suspicion, plus discovery of the drugs would lead to inquiry which will further lead to detailed investigation. The entire oxygen-valve fraud would have had a good chance of being discovered. But, even if you remove that plot line, the story will continue just the same. The locker was assigned to Mark, which was a good cue to give fuel to Mark's suspicion of the whole affair. But that could have been substituted by Susan's persistence, since Mark was in direct contact with her. So basically, this plot point was redundant, and caused an unnecessary death.
This is the first Robin Cook I read. My friend, who reads his work regularly, said that all his endings thrive on that vagueness factor. So I think that is just something I need getting used to.
A very decent read, and a good introduction to the medical thriller genre.
I am left very unfulfilled by the ending of the book, but at the same time, I feel intrigued by the choice of words in the last two paragraphs. The ending is subtle and I had to read the last chapter twice to fully understand what each word implied, and its weight in the current situation.
The pacing was just - off? I cannot explain it but it gets very tedious at times (where the medical jargon is overwhelming, which is a personal critique, I suppose). For example, someone stabs another person in the hand. The muscles of the hand are painfully explained, following that particular act of aggression. Maybe the medical terms could have been restricted to the hospital and the research. Just, maybe.
I understand that this book was released in the 70s, hence the overwhelming sexism. I do not mind that, because it has not been positively encouraged. It has just been used as a tool to paint the cultural picture of Boston in 1970s. The imagery has been perfected by the excessive smoking, telephone booths and nurses uniforms.
The mystery was more on the predictable side. Not entirely so, but close enough. If another doctor (except Dr Harold Stark) would also have been open to Susan's theories, there would have been quite the confusion has to who the incriminating one is. Stark was not developed enough to throw the suspicion off him. He was only shown from others' eyes as being frightfully cunning but open-minded and kind to Susan. Having read Agatha Christie's Secret Adversary, I have learned to suspect people who are too kind. And Stark sat quite snugly in that bracket.
Something that bewildered me: why did Susan not call the police as soon as she trapped D'Ambrosio in the freezer? Why were the police shown as inept and powerless? In my opinion, it was done to further the narrative. But not crediting the police at all doesn't quite add up.
Also, what is up with the "illegal drugs in locker 338" plot line? The 'why it was introduced' part is satisfactory. It aided the suspicion, plus discovery of the drugs would lead to inquiry which will further lead to detailed investigation. The entire oxygen-valve fraud would have had a good chance of being discovered. But, even if you remove that plot line, the story will continue just the same. The locker was assigned to Mark, which was a good cue to give fuel to Mark's suspicion of the whole affair. But that could have been substituted by Susan's persistence, since Mark was in direct contact with her. So basically, this plot point was redundant, and caused an unnecessary death.
This is the first Robin Cook I read. My friend, who reads his work regularly, said that all his endings thrive on that vagueness factor. So I think that is just something I need getting used to.
A very decent read, and a good introduction to the medical thriller genre.
montag_frater's review against another edition
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Death, and Blood
Minor: Cursing and Rape
sunshinemagik's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lazydoc98's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
charlie9_9's review against another edition
5.0
the book was well written, as always he builds his characters so you know then. it took me to the end to figure out this one as robin cook has always been one of my favs to read
donahuebn's review against another edition
5.0
A great mystery. I was truly surprised at each turn and there is no shortage of suspense. The protagonist is the perfect strong female. If you like medical mysteries this will be a hit for sure.
roneill's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0