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Purchased this book and read it in 1999. Amazing read. It is now 2021, and I still think about it anytime I consider purchasing a fast food burger. Highly recommend.

Newly divorced surgeon Dr. Kim Regis is determined to remain a good father to his only son, Selden. On a special night out, Kim takes Seldon to his favorite fast-food restaurant for a feast of burgers and fries. But the good time turns to tragedy: the young boy becomes gravely ill and dies as a result of poisoning by E. coli. bacteria found in the meat. Was Seldon's death a result of shoddy food-handling practices? Or was it a sophisticated case of product tampering - by a rival fast-foot giant or a disgruntled employee? Or perhaps by someone with a score to settle with Kim? Taking a leave from his surgical practice, Kim devotes his energies to solving the mystery full time. But he immediately hits a brick walls: a code of silence more impenetrable than anything he has ever encountered in his medical career. Instead of a cold-shoulder reception, however, Kim is soon met with a boot and a fist as thugs attempt to quash his inquiry. Aided by his ex-wife, Kim pursues a trail of deadly evidence, uncovering complicity and guilt stretching from the slaughterhouse floor to the corporate boardroom. Racing against time before more are poisoned, the two come face-to-face with the shocking and elusive truth. And in their life-and-death search for answers, they rediscover the reasons they first fell in love. ( )

One of my favourite Cook novels. It was an important message he was bringing here, about the state of the ground beef industry. Working conditions, sanitation challenges. It’s difficult to keep the outside of one end separate from the insides. People hence die from e.coli outbreaks. His heart surgeon characters are a lot of fun, and it was a very emotionally charged novel; but I wanted more. Towards the end I started looking at how many pages were left and thinking “He’s not going to show us…there are only enough pages for the dramatic life-threatening event and escape.” I was trying to read slowly so there would be more pages left for a longer time, but it didn’t work very well. I wanted to see the psychological effects of the eminent surgeon forced to work undercover without slipping up and using big words. I wasn’t convinced the main character Kim’s plan would work, but of course in the end he muddled through. It was gripping, thought inducing, and very enjoyable. ( )

Shortcuts at a local abattoir and burger restaurant result in a young girl becoming gravely ill from toxin. The girls father, a well-respected local cardiac surgeon, tries in vain to save her and then diverts his attention to finding the source of the contamination.

Another enjoyable medical thriller from Robin Cook. A little predictable and slow at times, but otherwise a recommended read. ( )

Very suspensful. A bit scary, makes you wonder what's going on with the food we eat. Whether life and helath is less important then companies and peoples pocket books/ I now want to do research in the truth regarding North America, slaughter houses, and government agencies. ( )