Fatal Cure [Hardcover]

Robin Cook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 1994

Leaving their urban hospital for a modern medical facility in Bartlet, Vermont, Doctors Angela and David Wilson begin to notice puzzling details in the deaths of several terminal patients there. 250,000 first printing. $125,000 ad/promo. Lit Guild & Doubleday Main. Mystery Guild Alt.

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.

From Library Journal

A naive young couple sets out to practice medicine in an idyllic small town and find their dreams shattered within months of their arrival. Four of David Wilson's patients die unexpectedly, Angela Wilson is sexually harassed, and the dead body of an irascible old doctor is found in their cellar. Yes, they do solve the mystery and end up appearing on 60 Minutes describing what health reform could do to American medicine! Several hours of narrative are devoted to describing the Wilsons' stereotypic fairy tale before the plot starts to get interesting. Michael McConnohie reads clearly but is unable to do much with the author's simple sentence structure and unimaginative word choice. The abridged version of this novel, also available from Audio Renaissance (Audio Reviews, LJ 5/15/94), might be a better choice for popular collections.
Juleigh Muirhead Clark, Coll. of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 447 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (January 12, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039913879X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399138799
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,226,965 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 (Mass Market 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 (Mass Market 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 (Mass Market 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.