10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fast Paced Medical Thriller, August 23, 2005
This review is from: Critical Condition (Mass Market Paperback)
Dr. Kathleen Sullivan and Dr. Richard Steele have returned (Mutant). Sullivan suffers a severe brain hemorrhage and finds herself totally paralyzed, but completely awake and aware. She is given a questionable treatment by the Chief of Neurosurgery. It is left to Steele to determine what a group of doctors in his hospital are up to. Throw in a fanatical murderer on the loose who is killing doctors, and you have a fast paced thriller. Clement has developed some intriguing characters for this outing. Realistic descriptions of stem cell research add to the mix. The skulking killer was a bit over the top, but needed, I suppose, for the suspense. Overall, a good read with a very exciting conclusion.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read, June 2, 2002
Peter Clement is a natural, the novel is full of surprises and action, and difficult to put down. Any book that keeps my interest over sleep and meals deserves the highest score. I have become a devout follower. I stongly recommend this book - A must read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unauthorized research has fatal consequences., June 2, 2002
In Peter Clement's "Critical Condition," Dr. Kathleen Sullivan suffers a brain hemorrhage and spends most of the book flat on her back, unable to move or to communicate normally. Her lover, Dr. Richard Steele, Chief of ER, is heartbroken, especially since his first wife died after a battle with cancer. Will Richard once again lose a woman he loves? Even if Kathleen survives, will she ever be able to function normally again?
There is a great deal more at stake here, however, than Kathleen's medical problems. There are a number of doctors in New York City Hospital who are engaged in unauthorized research that could revolutionize the treatment of a variety of medical conditions, including heart failure and strokes. When Kathleen, without her consent, becomes a guinea pig in this new research, she cannot easily communicate her terror to Richard or to the police. Complicating matters still further, there is a homicidal maniac on the loose, and he is targeting those very doctors engaged in this new research.
Although the plot of "Critical Condition" is extremely convoluted, Clement manages to hold the reader's interest with crisp dialogue and fast-paced action. There is plenty of gore here, as people are dispatched in extremely messy ways. One of Clement's strengths is his talent for explaining arcane scientific concepts, and his information about stem cell research is fascinating. Another plus is Clement's restraint in not making either of his heroes, Kathleen or Richard, super-detectives. Instead they are portrayed as vulnerable people, whose medical knowledge does not protect them from the evil that surrounds them. Finally, Clement wisely shows that there is a moral gray area surrounding controversial scientific research. Do the potential benefits that may result from stem cell research offset the moral questions that such research raises? Does the United States government handcuff its scientists too much with restrictive rules, or are these rules designed to protect us all from dangerous and untested practices? These are valid questions, which are intelligently addressed. Clement gives no pat answers; he allows the reader to make his own judgments concerning these thorny issues.
What weaken the book are the stereotypical villains and the melodramatic scenes at the end of the novel when the mastermind is finally revealed. Clement makes one huge error. He kills off so many people that it is fairly easy to figure out who the main villain is by the process of elimination. However, for medical thriller junkies, "Critical Condition" does provide plenty of excitement, action and scientific food for thought.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No