Fatal Cure [Paperback]

Robin Cook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1995

Doctors Angela and David Wilson believe that they have found personal and professional bliss when they leave the stresses of urban life for a state-of-the art medical centre in Vermont. Swiftly, their happiness disintegrates as mysterious and unexplained deaths become more than coincidences.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If Cook's skills as a writer were as finely tuned as his sense of timing, his 14th medical thriller (after Terminal ) would be a lot more rewarding. Current political events guarantee that a suspense novel centering on health care management will be topical and at least potentially fascinating. Unfortunately, stock characters, stilted dialogue and improbable heroes and villains make for difficult reading here. Idealistic young doctors David and Angela Wilson take positions at a state-of-the-art medical center in a small Vermont town partly because they see it as an ideal spot for their daughter, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. But the town is not as idyllic as it seems, and the hospital is in a desperate financial bind due primarily to its contract with a local HMO, David's new employer. Worse still, patients are dying unexpectedly almost daily, and no one seems to care very much. The deaths are not normal, of course, and astute readers will quickly determine who is behind them, why and--most likely--how. Cook raises troubling questions about the conflicts between medical and financial priorities in managed care (albeit in a somewhat distorted fashion), but it's difficult to get emotionally involved in a scenario as improbable as this one. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selection; Mystery Guild alternate; Reader's Digest Condensed Book.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Recent medical school graduates David and Angela Wilson find the perfect setting for both their careers and family in rural Bartlet, Vermont. Not even the recent suicide and disappearance of two other physicians dampen their enthusiasm as they begin their jobs and buy their dream house. David's confidence is soon shaken, however, as his patients begin dying-not from their terminal diseases but from a mysterious illness. The deaths, coupled with attacks in the hospital parking lot, give the Wilsons the uneasy feeling that Bartlet is not what it seems. When a gruesome discovery prompts the Wilsons to hire a private investigator, the lives of several patients-and they themselves-are in danger. Physician and writer Cook once again terrifies and intrigues with this realistic and intense-to-the-end thriller, which is enhanced by actor Barry Bostwick's remarkable range of voices. For most popular collections.
Susan McCaffrey, Legg Middle Sch. Lib., Coldwater, Mich.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pan Books (September 8, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330337025
• ISBN-13: 978-0330337021
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,755,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Doctor and author Robin Cook is widely credited with introducing the word 'medical' to the thriller genre, and over twenty years after the publication of his breakthrough novel, Coma, he continues to dominate the category he created. Cook has successfully combined medical fact with fantasy to produce a over twenty-seven international bestsellers, including Outbreak (1987), Terminal (1993), Contagion (1996), Chromosome 6 (1997) and Foreign Body (2008).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, January 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fatal Cure (Paperback)

This was the first book by Robin Cook I ever read. I have Cystic Fibrosis, so I was immediately drawn to that as part of the subject, and decided to give this "new" (to me) author a chance! I have enjoyed reading Robin Cook ever since, and I am now on Sphinx... which unfortunately is the last one unread for me! Hurry up and write more, Dr. Cook! :-)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly possible, July 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Fatal Cure (Paperback)

As a healthcare professional for nearly 28 years, I find Cook's portrayal of the modern day HMO very scary, yet real. I have seen what 'cost containment' can do in real life and this scenario is not beyond the realm of possibility. Cook keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the book. I could not put it down

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling insight of healthcare, reminds me of "1984"., January 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Fatal Cure (Paperback)

As a healthcare professional, Robin Cook's books are chillingly realistic. Throughout the book I kept telling myself,"this could never happen". As we recall how bizarre and unrealistic George Orwell's "1984" seemed initially and now realize we are living very similar with little more than a nod of oddity.