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79 of 86 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing read., August 17, 2010
This review is from: Cure (Hardcover)
I have long been a fan of Robin Cook since he wrote Coma and have read all his books, own them and some I have re-read. This one, however, was a major disappointment. His writing has changed dramatically with this book. He spends so much time on the Japanese mob and explaining all the intricacies of this organization, that he wastes time that could have been better spent on telling the kind of story he is well known for. Another thing I absolutely hated about this book and that was the inordinate amount of harsh profanity that Cook used in this book. He has never, ever used foul language; hardly ever more than a 'd' or 'h', but this time he uses the 'f' word numerous, numerous times, even 's' and 'gd' on numerous occasions. Now, I'm not a prude, but I was not brought up hearing language of that sort, none at all, and I believe you can tell a good story without profanity and vulgar language. It adds nothing to the story and turns me off completely. Robin Cook has always spun a great medical thriller without using these words and I wish that this would be the last time he uses language like this. It DID NOT help the story. There are many authors out there who consistently write good books without resorting to foul language to try to liven up their story. It took me till I was over halfway through the book to really get into it, not like I usually do from the first chapter in a Robin Cook book. It was sluggish and boring. Things started picking up nearly at the end but the action was short lived, nothing like what readers always get with a Robin Cook thriller. I persevered because I had paid good money for this book, but had I not bought it as I have all his other books, I would have given up long before halfway through. The next Robin Cook book that comes out, this reader will borrow it from the library. I won't pay good money to be bored and have my ears assaulted with vulgar language.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Is it a novel or a political statement?, August 18, 2010
This review is from: Cure (Hardcover)
I have been a fan of Robin Cook since COMA and I believe I read everything he writes and will most likely continue to do so. That being said, this book was not great. Too much explanation of the Japanese mob and too technical at times in explaining stem cells. Certainly timely and thought provoking though. Good basic story line. Robbery,espionage, kidnapping and murder are the things readers buy thrillers for.These elements are there. Some of the characters are a little too stereotyped for me. My biggest issue is the final chapter where the preaching takes place. I know there are issues with health care coverage and medical research and politics but I do not want to read about them in my novels. Dr. Cook could write a non-fiction treatise if he wishes to express his views on important issues. Leave the thrills in the thrillers and the commentaries out!
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39 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
cure, robin cook, August 10, 2010
This review is from: Cure (Hardcover)
In "Cure" by Robin Cook, Ben Corey is an American businessman and scientist, who plans to make himself a billionaire by investing in IPS cells--a new sort of stem cells--and buying their patents from the man who made their discovery while working as a researcher in a Japanese university--Satoshi Machita. Except things are not that simple. Satoshi lives in Japan, and he has been fired by the university where his lab books are stored. Corey teams up with the Japanese mafia known as the Yamaguchi, promising them a stake in his U.S. IPS start-up in exchange for breaking into the university, stealing Satoshi's lab books that detail his discovery, and smuggling Satoshi and his family to America where Satoshi will sign a contract handing over his patent to Corey's company. Everything works out until Yamaguchi's rival mafia organization--who have invested in the original Japanese IPS start-up--find out that the patent is being transferred right under their noses unless they can kill Satoshi and get his lab books back. The stakes are so high, that even the Japanese government is willing to cooperate with them--which spells trouble for both Satoshi, who is now residing in Fort Lee, New Jersey, as well as Ben Corey's company. This is the second Robin Cook book I've read, and continues his tradition of featuring New York City Office of the County Medical Examiner spouses Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton, whose lives are impacted when they become involved in the investigation after an unidentified Asian man turns up dead--seemingly of natural causes--until Laurie becomes increasingly suspicious. It was a long read, though the Japanese mafia premise was interesting. The pace picks up towards the end, after Cook adds an interesting plot twist. The suspense is not unpredictable, but does better itself toward the second half of the book. Overall, a light summer read.
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