Mindbend

As usual, Cook has come up with an intriguing idea for a medical thriller, but can't get off his soapbox long enough to tell it.

This time the bogeyman is Big Pharma, directing an unlikely plot to create Stepford Docs willing to prescribe only their company's medications. There's also a subplot about their acquiring fetal tissue for experimentation via performing unnecessary abortions, which brings in the young hero whose unexpectedly pregnant wife is in jeopardy.

Mindbend focused on some rather controversial issues, most prominently featured being abortion and stem cell research. Originally written in 1985, Mindbend was well ahead of its time, delving into hot button topics still fiercely debated today.

Adam is a medical student forced to drop out of school and take a job with Arolen, a pharmaceutical company, when his wife, Jennifer, becomes unexpectedly pregnant. Early in the book, Jennifer accompanies a friend getting an abortion and the friend dies while in the hospital. Jennifer knows she would never have an abortion, but she has a family history of severe birth defects and knows the choice may be out of her hands.

Adam becomes suspicious of Arelon's practices when certain doctors associated show more with the company begin to behave strangely. When Jennifer's OBGYN prescribed Arolen's ineffective and potentially dangerous morning sickness medication, Adam demands Jennifer not take the medication and find a new doctor. Their already strained relationship becomes hostile, but Adam is far more concerned with Arolen than with his marriage. He begins an investigation into the company that uncovers more than he could have ever imagined.

Mindbend is a highly thrilling novel that loses credibility occasionally. The science-fiction feel of the "shocking revelation" makes the book less believable and therefore less frightening. The book is fast paced and well written, but modern readers may have difficulty relating to Adam's thought processes, especially when it comes to interacting with his wife. Mindbend is a highly enjoyable, if imperfect, medical mystery. show less

This book was completely underwhelming for me. Not one of the characters was even remotely like able. I actually contemplated not reading this book after the first chapter or two, but I persisted. Strangely enough, the book really didn't get much better, but for some reason I didn't want to put it down. I guess it was just curiosity about how this really predictable book would end. Every thing happened to help our "protagonist", and he caught every lucky break. I mean come on, our little medical student turned into a full blown Batman protege. My recommendation on this one: pass.

Once again, Robin Cook has provided me with an average but entertaining read. His medical thrillers always leave me with an odd mix of boredom and entertainment that I find difficult to describe. Still, as Cook novels go, this is one of his better books. Certainly, the concept is a scary one, even if it isn't presented as well as it could be. Worth reading if you are a Robin Cook fan or if you don't want to think too hard.

Adam Schonberg is an aspiring young doctor who is forced to drop out of medical school and take a job with Arelon - a pharmaceutical company - when his wife Jennifer becomes pregnant unexpectedly. Adam's new job with Arelon is extremely lucrative, and the company itself is gigantic with aspirations of ultimately dominating the medical field. He becomes suspicious of the company's practices when some of its physician employees begin to act strangely.

Extremely worried about her pregnancy due to a family history of severe birth defects, Jennifer's gynecologist prescribes a morning sickness medication created by Arelon. The medication proves to be ineffective and potentially dangerous, and Adam demands that Jennifer stop taking it and show more change doctors. Their already strained relationship becomes hostile as Adam becomes increasingly more determined to discover Arelon's secrets; he begins an investigation into the company which reveals more than Adam could have ever even imagined.

I must say that I enjoyed this book much more than I expected I would. Generally, I like Robin Cook as an author and have probably read about six or seven of his books in the past. However, occasionally I do have a little trouble getting into some of the plots of Robin Cook's books. I had no such trouble with Mindbend and I give this book an A+! show less

i so love how he gives the details of the characters and the settings in his books. this time it was easy to figure out how the story was gonna end but still a good read.

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