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brandia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As this was written decades ago, language and homophobia is a main theme of the book so if that offends you, best to avoid. Gives a pretty accurate account to how aids and homosexuality was viewed in the 80’s/early 90’s and how muc discrimination the queer community suffered
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
jessicacombine's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
serenalawless's review against another edition
3.0
The "whodunnit" part of this book is what kept me going. I'm glad that I was wrong so that the twists and turns were unexpected, but holycrap, this book could've been half as long as it was. i found it really hard to read for a while, finding the characters irritating and one-dimensional with flimsy attempts at fleshing them out by giving them weird habits or quirks. They all had the same sense of humour - a sarcastic, snappy come-back sort, no doubt the author's own. I actually feel bad talking down the author, because I've loved some of his other books. Tell No One is easily one of my favourites in this genre. Everyone was either "sexy" or unattractive. What irks me about this book is that he says at the start that it's not his best, and I feel that as an author, why would you put something out into the world that you're not happy with? Why not take the time to fix it if you're so unhappy with it? It feels money grubbing, which is something I didn't want to associate with someone who comes across as nice as Harlan Coben does. That part of it was disappointing to me. I'm probably being overly harsh, but it's only because I expected better from him.
Bitching done. The mystery of this story was good, even if the content was a little preachy at times. The last 40% of the book had me interested enough that I couldn't put it down for long, so that's good.
Sorry, Harlan, I wanted to love this, and I was really looking forward to revisiting the world of your stories. Maybe Myron Bolitar will put me back in good spirits with you.
Bitching done. The mystery of this story was good, even if the content was a little preachy at times. The last 40% of the book had me interested enough that I couldn't put it down for long, so that's good.
Sorry, Harlan, I wanted to love this, and I was really looking forward to revisiting the world of your stories. Maybe Myron Bolitar will put me back in good spirits with you.
kayelldee's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
rbharath's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
While crime / suspense is one of my favourite genres, I have not read many of Harlan Coben’s books. This is apparently one of his early books and he warns that it may not be as polished as his later ones. That said, I liked the book for being a relaxing read.
The story will seem a little dated today as it is set at a time when there was a sense of hopelessness around AIDS, and gay people were stigmatized. Dr Harvey Riker & Dr Bruce Grey are partners in the Sidney Pavilion clinic working on a drug for AIDS, and on the verge of a breakthrough. A couple of cured patients are killed and it seems like there are enemies of the clinic out to destroy them. Dr Bruce Grey is found dead in what appears to be a case of suicide, by jumping from his hotel room. None who know him feel he had any reason to end his life, but he has left a suicide note in the hotel room. There are many other characters in the story:
· Ernest Sanders - an evangelist, accused of tax fraud, who is vocal that AIDS is a warning for humankind to return to the right path.
· Sarah Lowell - a newscaster who picks up the story of the clinic, with Donald Parker, a senior newscaster. She is married to Michael Silverman, a baseball player.
· Dr John Lowell - Sarah’s dad, who is sore that his cancer wing is not getting more funding due to most of it going to AIDS research.
· Cassandra – Sarah’s sister, is wayward and a little envious of Sarah. Gets romantically involved with Dr Harvey Riker.
· Dr Eric Blake – a new researcher and partner at the clinic.
· Lieutenant Max Bernstein – investigates the deaths of clinic patients to get to the serial murderer of the clinic patients.
· Senator Stephen Jenkins – his son is gay, though the information is not public and is being treated at the clinic. He is conscious and careful of his image with the electorate.
The pace is very good, and so is the character development. Though some of the murders are unnecessarily brutal, it is still an entertaining & relaxing read. This is written in a style which is somewhat typical of the genre with suggestions to the reader on who could be the culprit, only to spring a surprise later. Aspects of prejudice form a strong part of the story, and while a lot has changed, some of it stays till date. As Harlan Coben does warn in his foreword, the last section has long explanations of the motive and the resolution.
campreadkarin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
weaselweader's review against another edition
3.0
Today’s front page news makes a thirty-year old book brand new!
The story, despite its basic ugliness, is simple. A group of dedicated medical doctors and scientists in a private clinic on Manhattan’s upper west side are closing in on a cure for AIDS. The story, topical thirty years ago and even more timely now given the re-emergence and swelling approval of homophobia in the fundamentalist Christian evangelical community, is about a nasty political battle that turns to murder and begins to claim gruesome casualties. The fight is between the left wing’s support for the clinic and their attempt to protect it and care for an embattled homosexual community dealing with the threat of a deadly disease, versus the right-wing community and their attempts to halt the research at any costs and to smear, shut down and destroy the clinic’s ability to deal with what they characterize as God's punishment of an ungodly perversion.
With such a compelling story line and so much grist for meaningful political conversation, Miracle Cure ultimately just became too much of everything. – too much blood, guts and gore in the murders (although, to be sure, given Coben’s propensity for that kind of stuff, that shouldn’t have come as any real surprise); the bag of political nasty tricks from both sides of the spectrum was simply too deep, too grimy and too sleazy even by today’s standards; the mega-church pastor was so smarmy (even for this profoundly anti-religion atheist) that he entered the realm of cartoonish stereotypes; and the romance in the novel was, well, cute and too, too saccharine. In short, Coben took everything over the top and what could have been a 4- or 5-star suspense or medical thriller turned into an unmemorable 3-star crime novel.
And, lest I be misunderstood, I’ll admit to any potential readers that it was still a gripping page turner that I happily finished in only two days. But, for my money, it failed against what it could have been and what it should have been.
Paul Weiss
The story, despite its basic ugliness, is simple. A group of dedicated medical doctors and scientists in a private clinic on Manhattan’s upper west side are closing in on a cure for AIDS. The story, topical thirty years ago and even more timely now given the re-emergence and swelling approval of homophobia in the fundamentalist Christian evangelical community, is about a nasty political battle that turns to murder and begins to claim gruesome casualties. The fight is between the left wing’s support for the clinic and their attempt to protect it and care for an embattled homosexual community dealing with the threat of a deadly disease, versus the right-wing community and their attempts to halt the research at any costs and to smear, shut down and destroy the clinic’s ability to deal with what they characterize as God's punishment of an ungodly perversion.
With such a compelling story line and so much grist for meaningful political conversation, Miracle Cure ultimately just became too much of everything. – too much blood, guts and gore in the murders (although, to be sure, given Coben’s propensity for that kind of stuff, that shouldn’t have come as any real surprise); the bag of political nasty tricks from both sides of the spectrum was simply too deep, too grimy and too sleazy even by today’s standards; the mega-church pastor was so smarmy (even for this profoundly anti-religion atheist) that he entered the realm of cartoonish stereotypes; and the romance in the novel was, well, cute and too, too saccharine. In short, Coben took everything over the top and what could have been a 4- or 5-star suspense or medical thriller turned into an unmemorable 3-star crime novel.
And, lest I be misunderstood, I’ll admit to any potential readers that it was still a gripping page turner that I happily finished in only two days. But, for my money, it failed against what it could have been and what it should have been.
Paul Weiss
bobbikaye's review against another edition
3.0
I've read a couple of Harlan Coben's books so far but this one I couldn't finish. I just couldn't believe that people would be so narrow minded as to not want a cure for AIDS. I may be naive and people are truly out there but I can't fathom it.