(unabridged audiobook read by George Guidall): Healthy patients are dying mysteriously, and medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton are on the case. I liked the plot - I wasn't able to guess the twists ahead of time and I learned a bit about medicine and the medical industry in the process - but some of the language got a little tedious. Perhaps doctors are different, but ordinary people do not regularly use that many four-syllable words per sentence. Cook also has an irritating habit of using "questioned" instead of "asked", and having a character get impatient at the silence should there be a pause in the narration for a brief bit of description. Taking in someone's appearance does not cause a noticeable lull in conversation. Most people's brains work more quickly than that. Overall, however, it's a pretty good story. I was indeed on the edge of my seat in parts (which is made worse in audiobooks since you can't read faster to get to the resolution), and the ending was mostly satisfying. Not a deep or especially memorable read, but a nice diversion during my daily commute. ( )

A fairly entertaining predictable medical thriller involving the usual ingredients of near death experiences, close calls and amazing deductions. The build up felt a little slow, but it picked up in the latter half. I thought the book did a great job pointing out the ethical dilemma facing our society as we map out the genome and gain insight into predicting human weaknesses. Although it's always gratifying to see the good guys win, threads of the story are left untold as the author leaves it to the reader to contemplate just how far up the chain of the private medical & insurance sector the conspiracy can go. Although not always as efficient, I still feel that medical practice and insurance should be heavily regulated or government controlled. Anytime decisions surrounding our healthcare involve profit, you know profit will prevail over a consumer's health and wellbeing.

A good story line, smooth, easy read. ( )

New York City medical examiners Dr. Laurie Montgomery and Dr. Jack Stapleton confront a ballooning series of puzzling hospital deaths of young, healthy people after successful routine surgery. It seems impossible to determine why and how these patients are dying, yet Laurie comes to suspect that not only are the deaths related--they're intentional, suggesting the work of a remarkably clever healthcare serial killer.

Hospital has a killer loose. Medical examiners work to solve it. ( )