Host (A Medical Thriller)

I felt like so much of this book copied the story line of COMA - Once I got through the first half it improved somewhat - It was quite predictable - The ending left it open for a continuation which is ok but I hope the continuation is not a further copy of previous books. I usually LOVE Robin Cook's stories - I truly look forward to each release but I think this is the first time that I have been disappointed in a book from this author.

If this is supposed to be a 21st century rewrite of Coma, it's a very poor attempt. The characters are unlikable, and the story line old. I expect better from this author. I've read all of his books, and I was excited at the release of a new one. Why it is necessary to have intelligent young people speak like street thugs with the F-word every other sentence is beyond me. It certainly adds no great literary component to the story. Very, very disappointing. I didn't even finish the book. That's how bad it was.

I have always been a huge fan of Robin Cook and Medical mysteries in general. This one was a disappointment. I usually read reviews before ordering but I pre ordered this one. It was very much a rewriting of coma. In addition, the ending was not up to his usual standards. I do not like to spend money on a book and then be left hanging. There was no need to constantly remind me that Michael was Black. This had little to do with the story and was constantly repeated, once was enough.

As a Robin. Cook fan I was very disappointed; I wanted a good story but got a lecture. The work appears to a retelling of coma as a vehicle to crusade for the new world racism with all the associated catch phrases such as microaggressions and white privilege. If you are interested the social justice movement this may be a great work with regards to advocating for the cause. However, if you just wanted a good story by a great story teller this will likely disappoint.

This book could have been a good read but I was so turned off by the social justice lectures constantly interjected into the story, I stopped reading it. One of the characters is a black doctor who went to Medical School on a scholarship (good for him, he must be very intelligent) but when he whines because one of the nurses doesn't look at him because he is "black", it was too much for me to take. When his female doctor friend whines because it's harder for her because she is a women, I was done. Good grief! I want my money back!

Wanted to read a medical drama what I got was a poor white mans liberal view on discrimination in the Medical world.. Being in the medical field I find this nothing more then liberal arts study hollywood rhetoric. So much that has ruined the book and plot.

"The explosive new thriller from New York Times–bestselling author and master of the medical thriller, Robin Cook." -- is in bold on the amzon.com page for this book. Explosive? Thriller? It really isn't either. It seems that I have read this story before. As they say, the names and places have been changed, but the story is the same. The book is okay. That is the best that can be said for it. Cook made a big thing about stereotypical black male/white female. Why? He tossed in a lot bad Russians as well, who are intent on making trillions while using their thugs to take care of problems. The medical parts ... okay. The occasional diatribe on big pharma ... to be expected. It was a good book to read at bed time. A sleeper it was, most of the time. I am going in for surgery next week. When I first started reading the book, I thought "Do I really want to read this?" I read it it and it was nearly as good as the anesthesia I will get. Maybe I should bring the book and save the cost of an anesthetist.

Maybe because I read all of Robin Cook's book I had a sense of déjà vu reading this book - the story seemed so familiar and predictable. For some reason, I found it rather annoying that the author referred to the main characters as "the students" over an over, I wanted him to mix it up a bit, use their names and pronouns!

Ali Julia review

Jack Stapleton / Laurie Montgomery Series
1. Blindsight (1991)
2. Contagion (1995)
3. Chromosome 6 (1997)
4. Vector (1999)
5. Marker (2005)
6. Crisis (2006)
7. Critical (2007)
8. Foreign Body (2008)
9. Intervention (2009)
10. Cure (2010)

Novels
The Year of the Intern (1972)
Coma (1977)
Sphinx (1979)
Brain (1980)
Fever (1982)
Godplayer (1983)
Mindbend (1985)
Outbreak (1987)
Mortal Fear (1988)
Mutation (1989)
Harmful Intent (1989)
Vital Signs (1991)
Terminal (1992)
Fatal Cure (1994)
Acceptable Risk (1995)
Invasion (1997)
Toxin (1998)
Abduction (2000)
Shock (2001)
Seizure (2002)
Death Benefit (2011)
Nano (2012)
Cell (2014)
Host (2015)
Charlatans (2017)
Pandemic (2018)

There have already been much better reviews than I could possibly do, but this is one of the most condescending books I've ever read. Normally, Robin Cook gives us a smart, fast-paced thriller that grips the reader for a medical thrill-ride until the very end. This one manages to push every button that sets me off. I couldn't finish it. I have to be honest that after the 1001 different descriptions of Michael, who's black, but whom Cook wants to push to assure us that he's color-blind, I gave up. Having a character say that he'll teach "black talk" to someone made me want to ralph. Oh, and let's not forget that he's pushing his own agenda of government-run health care and how wonderful it is. Uh, no, it's not and I speak from personal knowledge (and not of the bastardized version currently bombing in the US). Skip this and rent a good movie instead.

This is the first Robin Cook book I have read. And, if this is indicative of his style of writing, it will probably be my last. The book was slow, drawn-out, unexciting, uninspired. Trite. Cook writes in a style that he feels he has to describe every detail and backstory. For example, he spent some paragraphs on the main character's father, Ned: how he was an alcoholic, lost his job and subsequently his medical insurance and how he died because he couldn't afford medication. This had nothing whatsoever to do with the plot. It did not advance the storyline one iota. Why???? The plot itself is plodding and the end result was not worth the grueling read. One of the worst books I have read in recent memory.

I was happy when I was contacted to find out if I wanted to read and review Robin Cook's newest thriller, "Host". I remembered that the name Cook used to be spoken reverently in our home when I was a teen. His books were always fought over by my parents, who got to read the latest tome first. I was therefore excited to read a Cook thriller, I have to admit, I thought "why haven't I picked one of his books up recently?". This offer from G.P. Putnam’s Sons/Penguin Random House certainly would correct my omission.

Lynn Peirce, a fourth year medical student at Mason-Dixon University hospital is our main character. Lynn encouraged her boyfriend Carl to have his simple knee operation done at her Hospital and she even recommended the perfect doctor to do it. But something goes wrong with the anesthesia and Carl doesn't wake up after surgery. Lynn is stunned but when she hears of another case of a simple surgery ending in the patient being comatose she becomes suspicious. Is there something going on in Mason-Dixon University Hospital? As Lynn and her medical school partner Michael look for answers, their medical careers and their very lives are put in danger. Searching for the truth may be very bad for their health.

Although Mr. Cook is still a wonderful writer who illicits feelings of excitement in the reader, this newest novel seems to be somewhat of a rehash of an older Cook thriller. As I understand, "Coma", written in 1977, was Robin Cook's first big hit. I am sorry to say that "Host" seems to be a rehash of the main theme of that first book.

Now, that's not to say it isn't good, at least for those who have never read Cook. I, however was a little disappointed. For me, because I had read "Coma", I found this book to be only a three star out of five. If you haven't ever read Cook though, I'd recommend trying this one, it has all the latest technological upgrades to the medical field added in that wouldn't have existed in 1977. I just wish this had been more of an original and new Cook book.

When I first saw this, I remembered a novel called Vector, which I didn't finish. Every time it focused on the American's POV, I felt irritated. To be fair, I didn't enjoy the Russian's POV. However, I empathized with him. He lost his job because, the company he worked for needed a scapegoat. He becomes a taxi driver, but gets no respect. Also, his wife didn't like him at all-she just wanted to marry a foreigner. (I say empathize because, he ended up becoming a criminal. Yeah, I'm not condoning that.) I wasn't going to post this at first since I've given up on several in a row. However, this novel deserves to be criticized.

At first, I was surprised some characters did research. However, after a while, I got used to it. I know they're adults, but I know several people who seem to have an aversion to research. They could be sitting in front of computer or laptop and not do any research. One of them even carries a phone, but they don't want to use it to learn. (For the most part, I do some research in my free time.)

I'm glad there wasn't much a rape scene. Not because they disturb me or because I like the victim. All of the ones I've read up until this point seem written for young adults. Either that or they're written by adults who can't stop being prudes for five seconds. Speaking of the rape scene, his criticism applies to the aftermath. Who in the right mind jokes about rape after it almost to their best friend?

I wanted to praise Michael for his intelligence and patience, but I'm not praising a conspiracy theorist. Same thing for Lynn, but she was irritating. I understand that Carl was her lover and she was emotional, but that's kind of not a good excuse when you become an adult. (For people who try to sound intelligent, conspiracy theorists just sound so distrustful instead.)

There were several times when I wondered whether or not I was supposed to take this seriously. (I try not to do that, but it's not fun when that happens.) The frequency of swearing makes the writing less intelligent. I know they're adults, but swearing a lot makes no one sound intelligent. They just sound like someone who's too lazy to expand their vocabulary. (You know how tough that can be even though English has about a million words.) The audience shouldn't have to be reminded that the Russian characters prefer their mother language over English. That seems like common sense. This is a minor criticism, but who says piss-poor while being serious?

I want to mention Pep for a bit. At first, I didn't think that her death was necessary. I figured Lynn didn't even have to mention her. I thought Frank could've fed her. The more I thought about it, I figured Frank would wonder why she can't handle the responsibility.

Another way Lynn irritated me is how she couldn't just take George's compliment with the wink. Granted, he could've been older, but her reaction was still unacceptable. If you're in a jerk in any way, who's going to compliment you? (I sure wouldn't.) I'm just a little glad that she didn't mind the second wink.

My biggest issue is how the novel wrapped up. Lynn and Michael violated the HIPAA guidelines, knowing very well that they were committing a felony. The lives of their relatives were put in jeopardy. Yet because she uncovered a conspiracy, it's all right? Not only that, but they still graduate. No matter why Mary Sues are rampant. (I'm aware that big issues have several factors.)

I felt Michael gave a good lesson on how to survive. He said he never got shot or jailed because, he learned not to irritate people. I guess one way would be not to perform actions you know will land you in hot water.

I could understand why some people wouldn't want Carl Vandermeer's case to be spoken about. Granted, it turned out to be linked to a conspiracy, but my thoughts remain the same. Even if the surgeons weren't sued, the someone would still have to pay. Also, the people at the people have their own ambitions. If the case got out, they might be ruined.

I have to agree with many of the less-than-stellar reviews here -- what a mess. This is Coma as Cook imagines it for the 21st century, but he tries to show how cool he is by voicing the characters of Michael (Get me! I'm black! I'll remind you of that in every scene!) and Lynn (Get me! I'm a modern woman! I'll remind you of that in every scene!) in a way that is cringe-worthy. Give it up, Robin. Write as an old white man and you'll sound believable. He also seems to feel the need to remind everyone that "going online" means using the internet. Sigh.

The medical detail, as usual, was interesting and seems accurate, except apparently all you have to do to violate HIPAA numerous times is put on some scrubs. The plot is a total rehash and you know what's going on from the beginning. Some of the characters speak in an oddly robotic voice; for example, a ward clerk says, "We have several rooms vacated this morning, and they have already been serviced, so they are clean and waiting." Who talks like that? No one, especially a busy clerk. However, I couldn't finish this horrible mess, so maybe the guy really is a robot. Don't know and don't care.

I like Robin Cook and have read at least 10 of his novels, mostly following the medical examiners Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery. His more recent books are not up to par, in my opinion, but I read them on occasion anyway. He was kind of phoning it in with this book. The plot of "Host" was predictable and followed the Cook formula to the letter - med students discovering a hospital conspiracy/coverup where patients are hurt, all in the name of corporate greed and big pharma. If you're not familiar with this formula, you will be soon if you read a few more of his books. His better books were written 20 years ago, and I do recommend those if you're into medical thrillers.

The dialogue is really unrealistic, forced, and out of touch. The main characters are young medical students, but they sound like stodgy 65-year-olds. It's cringe-worthy in spots. The frequent and overused emphasis on "smart phones" was also kind of funny, since I assumed that the characters were using smart phones. It doesn't have to be explicitly said.

What I did like about the book, and what I like about all the Cook books I read, is the in-depth explanations of medical and scientific things. I always feel like I learned something after reading a Cook book. The issues that he discusses are always relevant and relate to current events.

While this definitely isn't Cook's best work, it's still impressive that he is churning out stories after all these years. The book did hold my interest and was engaging. However, the Kindle version had a lot of grammatical/typographical errors, which seems par for the course for many Kindle books.

I don't know why I do this to myself... I read a Robin Cook novel, thinking I'll like the story (I enjoy medical thrillers). But as I get deeper into it, I find myself disliking the book as it's nothing more than a skeleton to push some medical injustice or soapbox that Cook has picked out. I swear I won't read another one... until the "another one" comes out and I try again...

... and I end up with Host.

The storyline isn't bad. Actually, it's the only thing that kept me reading. Healthy younger guy goes into the hospital for a relatively minor surgery (knee repair). Something goes horribly wrong, and he ends up in a coma. Two medical students (one of which is his lover) decide that they need to dig into his case to see how something could go so wrong. What they uncover is a conspiracy that links the hospital and a pharmaceutical firm in a scheme that is unthinkable (and of course, highly illegal).

There's some soapboxing here about the evils of drug companies, the amounts they charge, and the way they spend their money. I'm used to that, and I'll forgive a bit of it. What really turned me off was the characters and dialogue. The two students, best friends, are extremely smart and top of their class. They are fourth year med students, so I'd expect them to know a lot. But it seems like basic medical conditions and terms seem to be beyond them (causing lots of late-night research). I got *very* annoyed with the dialogue, as it was stereotyped and completely unrealistic. Michael is a large black guy, and his "hip and cool" phrasing goes completely overboard. Even if they are friends, I can't imagine people talking like that. Lynn isn't much better, though. She's attacked later in the story, and she's telling Michael what happened. Saying things like "We've stumbled onto a hornets' nest, and my tete-a-tete with the goon got worse." Really? You've just escaped getting raped, and you're saying stuff like that? Couple the dialogue with a large number of situations where you have to suspend belief beyond what is normal, and it was just too much.

I might be a bit more forgiving with a first-time author trying to get it right and find their style. Cook should do far better at this point. I think I'll likely stay away from future Cook novels... just like I've said in the past.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed

This latest offering by Robin Cook reminds me of his second novel, "Coma", in many respects. However, "Host" is so much more unrealistic and improbable that it borders on the absurd. Cook's attempt to rekindle interest in a grand medical conspiracy to harvest organs, or in this case, something a little different, doesn't work for me. Sorry. To me it reads like a tired old book that, unlike the little engine that could, didn't quite make it up that hill. Not even close. There is absolutely nothing realistic about it. Two medical students uncover a vast conspiracy, break into an ultra secret facility where unthinkable events ensue. Naturally, they are the top two students in their class at the University of Medicine. One is a black male, the other a white female. And yes, they do "make out". Chilling, right? I read a lot of novels, most of them thrillers/suspense/spy/action, and I have to say that this effort was totally pathetic. I kept thinking of a new series on Fox network.

Robin Cook is undeniably a very good writer; however despite the good writing - that is, the arrangement of the words - there were too many of them. I felt that the book was overlong. More importantly, I was convinced as I read it that I had read it before and had to look at the opening page to assure myself that it was a recent book. The main problem is that Cook was so successful with Coma that he made some changes in it and rewrote it as Host. The plot is similar.

I haven't read a Robin Cook book in a while but was expecting more from this new one. It is just awful, And stupid. And unrealistic . And boring. You have two medical students who were able to treat a patient with no supervision. Who were able to go anywhere and ask all kinds of questions of doctors and no one asked questions. And there was unnecessary constant stereotypical references to how a black medical student always spoke "blackishly." I am African American and no one I know speaks like that, And the relationship between the white "heroine" and her black male friend seemed forced with them calling each other twins. Who talks like that? The Russians were caricatures and offensive. The female anesthesiologist is murdered, buried, and never mentioned again,

There was too much medical terminology to the point of being unintelligible. There was unnecessary brutality that was unnecessary. And why kill the cat? The ending was shocking in that it wasn't and ending but a setup for a sequel. You can bet I won't sign up for more if this mess.

It's been a while since I've picked up one of his books, but I read them regularly in my late teens/early 20s....add 20 years to that, and I found myself with a copy of this book in my hands. I ended up putting it down, for good, after about 120 pages (shortly after Michael meets the Russian). I just couldn't excuse any more plot points based solely upon coincidence, or perfectly timed circumstance. It read like it was written by a gifted 4th grader. I kept telling my husband how ridiculous the plot progression was, and finally had to ask myself why was I even bothering if it wasn't enjoyable.

I agree with many of the criticisms made about this book and have a few of my own to add. The simplistic repeated lecturing about racism was annoying and unfairly insulting to many whites. The unbelievable plot was accompanied by very dubious science. The platonic relationship between the white, brilliant, beautiful heroine and black, brilliant, handsome hero was so unbelievable you could laugh. Cook repeated themes he has gone over many times before about big bad Pharma, hospitals that will do anything for a profit, and unscrupulous doctors. The idea that family members would allow their brain dead loved ones to live for maybe decades in a vegetative state while the family had virtually no visiting rights was ludicrous. Cook doesn't suggest that anyone (that's right not even one person) would object. On the positive side the novel was a fast read and at times I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the depiction of the various disreputable villains. And unlike some readers I relished all the technical medical descriptions. I could have given this book one star for unoriginality, ridiculous science and unbelievable characters and plot. Or five stars for a fun read (although I had to wince quite a few times). I settled on 3.

There is something sinister going on with hospitals connected with Middleton Healthcare including the Mason-Dixon Medical Center. Abnormally high numbers of patients going in for what should be routine surgical procedures are suffering from serious, unexplained yet often fatal complications. Such was the case with twenty-nine year old running enthusiast Carl Vandermeer who went into the Mason-Dixon hospital for a minor knee operation and unaccountably ended up brain dead. Carl’s girlfriend, Lynn Peirce is a fourth year medical student training at the same facility so after such a catastrophic result, she begins investigating with the help of lab partner Michael Pender who is black. Lynn and Michael, did I mention he is black(?) discover unnerving ties between Middleton Healthcare and Sidereal Pharmaceuticals that puts their lives in danger and if they aren’t careful, they will be the next victims of a very dark business venture.

This chiller, while interesting enough, is a resurrection of the old classic Coma with too much emphasis on Michael being black and Lynn having to work so hard because she’s a woman. The pace is fairly even and the characters are reasonably well developed so if you haven’t read Coma and don’t mind undo whining, then this is a decent chiller. The conclusion feels rushed and glossed over while hinting at a sequel, unfortunately this is not Cook’s best work by a long shot.

If you are looking for classic Robin Cook, look no further than Host. Updated to be more on trend with current technology, Host is basically Coma all over again. The story is good, but not original, with characters that are not very believable. Considering how much time Michael and Lynn spend ignoring and avoiding their responsibilities, I am not sure I would want them as my doctors. The story itself had many plot holes, especially in regards to Lynn and her role as Carl's girlfriend. Lynn spent so much time sneaking around, but her status as significant other would have afforded her certain privileges. The science was interesting, but the author spent too much time engaging in the game of "Bash the Pharmaceutical Industry" and not enough time on the actual plot. My advice to readers is to go back and read the early offerings by Robin Cook, but leave this one on the shelf.

Fiction demands that readers suspend disbelief and surrender to the world and characters created by the author. This demand is stretched to the absolute limit in Robin Cook’s latest medical thriller titled, Host. A pair of dopey medical students are the unlikely heroes in uncovering a major and implausible breach of medical ethics at a hospital center. Their curiosity leads into a medical world of the sleaziest criminal activity imaginable. Cook gets to educate readers a little about biologics in this novel, but the price a reader must pay to be informed and entertained may be too high for most readers.

Rating: Three-star (It’s ok)

40 years ago Robin Cook wrote the famous book “Coma” which was a hit among the medical thriller lovers . “Host” is quite a similar book with the same intense and breath taking story. It is great to go through it all (yet again), with a similar book. For someone who loves Medical thrillers an barley remember “Coma” it was great to relive that Goosebumps experience with a similar book.
I am sure that some of you will see it as a drawback to have a book with similar outlines as “Coma”, but if you liked the original and loved it, why not dive into the new book and just re-enjoy this one as well.

I used to like Cook's books, especially the Stapleton/Montgomery mysteries. But it seems that he has run out of good ideas and is recycling old ones mainly to peddle his political views that seem to be very shallow and simplistic. We have two 4th year med students, top of their class, who have to use Google to look up some very basic medical terms. I guess this is a technique to explain the terms ot the reader, but it makes the characters look ridiculous. Spoiler Alert: The concept of using humans to produce therapeutic antibodies is intriguing, but he doesn't explain two very big obstacles. First the cost of the facility he describes would be far too high to be competitive with current technologies. But the biggest challenge would be how to pass the FDA required inspection of production facilities. How did they get around that here? This makes the whole premise totally unbelievable.

I love Robin Cook books, but not this one. There was way too much medical terminology and I was quickly lost in it and never did understand it. The book was, also, very, very boring. Very little going on until the end which was exciting. And what about that teasing epilogue with Leonid and Darko? What was the purpose of that? Any other writer and I would guess a followup book is coming, but I don't thank that was the case

I am only 16% into this book but I am disappointed that a particular word had been used 4 or 5 times already :-(
It seems if one wants to see an otherwise good movie or read an otherwise good book, one has to put up with bad language. It is frustrating. It does not add to the story—is completely unnecessary. Times have sure changed. So, for you those who do not want their brain programmed with such language, skip this book.

Quite a few reviewers complain about Cook's liberal leanings in this book. In my opinion, the author is entitled to his political preference like anybody else. However, his dated, racist stereotypes depicted in this book offends me to the core. I want to believe it was an awkward attempt by a white guy to appear "hip and cool". Anyway, it was an epic fail as is this dreadful book overall.

“How nice -- to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.”

----Kurt Vonnegut

Dr. Robin Cook, the international best-selling author, has penned his another gripping medical thriller, Host that unfolds the story around two fourth year medical students discover that in their hospital some patients are going into coma due to anesthetic complications and then they need to figure out who or why they are behind such inhumane activity that are taking away innocent patients' lives, before they jeopardize their medical scholarship or rest assured their precious lives.

Synopsis:

The explosive new thriller from New York Times–bestselling author and master of the medical thriller, Robin Cook, takes readers back to where the genre began, with Coma: what happens when innocent hospital patients are used as medical “incubators” against their will.

Lynn Pierce, a fourth-year medical student at Mason Dixon University, thinks she has her life figured out. But when her otherwise healthy boyfriend, Carl, enters the hospital for routine surgery, she doesn’t know it’s the last time she will see him whole again.

Devastated by Carl’s death, Lynn searches for answers. Convinced there’s more to the story than what the authorities are willing to reveal, Lynn uses all her resources at Mason Dixon—including her initially reluctant lab partner, Edward—to hunt down evidence of medical error or malpractice.

What she uncovers, however, is far more disturbing. Hospitals associated with Sentinel Healthcare, including the one attached to Mason Dixon, have unnervingly high rates of unexplained anesthetic complications and patients contracting serious and terminal illness in the wake of routine surgery.

When Lynn and Edward begin to receive death threats, they know they’re into something bigger than either of them anticipated. They soon enter a desperate race against time for answers before shadowy forces behind Sentinel Healthcare can put a stop to their efforts once and for all.

Even the synopsis says that the book is a copy of Cook's sensational debut medical thriller, Coma. Who would have dared to thought when you are buying the book, that the author will not write a new story instead explore Coma in the best way possible as per him. Well it should have been the sequel to the debut book. I'm not ranting just because the author have copied his first book into this new one, but I'm screaming that I've wasted my money on the author whom I used to think as one of my favorite authors, just because of the way he penned the stories with so much suspense and thrill.

Neither suspense nor thrill greeted me in this 400 pages long book and I'm terribly dissapointed. Well I'm so dissapointed that I cannot even write a formal summary of the story. I think after this review I shall write a hate fan mail to my favorite author, Dr. Cook. I mean why did you do this? Where is your Cook-styled flair that will arouse the minds of the readers with a new kind of energy to jump inside the story? Never mind, it seems, Dr. Cook has lost his touch and charm. Even Cell, the book published right before Host, enthralled me and made me fall for Dr. Cook all over again.

The problem is with the readers like us, who are a die-hard fan of a particular author, is that they start expecting too much and one day the author when the author could deliver his best, the readers like those will scream and rant at the top of their voices. The story is tad boring from the very first page, the tension was missing from the very first page itself. The opening was not good enough I feel.

The writing is okay but not that brilliant or fascinating. The narrative, yawn, is IDK what was that. The prose is very unlike Cook's previous books, not good I mean to say. The pacing is very slow, as there is not much layers to explore in this story. The passion and zeal of the author were itself missing from the writing style of the author and that really put me off.

Where's adrenaline rush or the deadly adventure or chase to find out the truth, even though there was a bit of it, but the author could not project it, like he did in previous books. In a nutshell, I would suggest the regular Cook fans to not to waste their money on this book and for the non-Cook fans, I would also advise them to skip as there is nothing to hold on to while moving through the story.

The best thing I can say about this book is that I didn't pay for it. I got it as an MP3 from my library, and I am really wondering why they purchased it.

Once upon a time, long, long ago, Robin Cook was a number one writer and his book, Coma, was made into a top-selling movie. Since then, Robin's books haven't done so well. So in my fairy tale, Robin and his minions, who were borrowed from Despicable Me whilst on hiatus from filming, got together to try to figure out how to get Robin a book that will be another bestseller. Grandpa Minion recalled that Coma was a great book. Grandma Minion remembered Michael Douglas being a hot young thing in the movie. Backwoods Minion recalled that the Jack Stapleton books had some really cool black people in them. So hey, let's rewrite Coma, make the female doctor heroine into a neurotic mess and include a black hero male doctor. We will still have an institute where they take people that are in a coma from anesthesia, but instead of organ selling, we will make it about an evil Russian pharmaceuticals company. (Oh, and attempted rape is also a good idea, so let's tack in that mandatory scene). Other than a few tweaks we will make it just like Coma, except it won't make as much sense. Cool, cheered the minions. And another bomb was born. (Brought to you by the creators of Cell, who just stopped short of doing an urinalysis by peeing on the cellphone screen).

The story: Overall, it was a confusing, tepid remake of Coma. Updating Coma, this would have been a nice idea, but this remake was just poorly thought out from beginning to end. Doctor in training Lynn has a fiancée who needs a little orthopedic surgery. He ends up with reduced air intake during the surgery, and Lynn suspects the anesthesiologist is to blame that he is now in a coma. Lynn is going to prove it with the help of her trusty sidekick, Doctor in training Michael, the black man. He is her bro; she is his sis. Michael recalls that a drugged out slut from the hood had also had an unusual coma while at this hospital, and she is currently residing at the Institute where they take the coma victims, which is ran by evil looking Russians.

Characters: They are flat and annoying.
Lynn, the southern chick, has overcome her bigotry and has come to love the black Michael. They practice talking "hood talk" together. She has gained insight into how people will not look at a black man in a doctors coat because it makes them uncomfortable because he is black. She takes black Michael with her everywhere. She also realizes how uncomfortable it makes white people to see a white woman that gets upset when she is with a black man. (Dear Writer, are you trying to really badly discuss how people who are secretly bigots will overcompensate in their reactions to hide their bigotry? Do you realize that you overcompensated in your writing by mentioning in every scene that Michael is black? Just food for thought there).
Lynn was a neurotic mess throughout the entirety of the book, and she was usually making stupid decisions, real stupid. She spent a lot of time being distressed, disturbed or struggling with something in her life. Her inner monologue was a festival of mental trauma. Not surprisingly, this trait was shared with the female anesthesiologist that Lynn was accosting on a regular basis.
Michael was the impoverished, but intelligent black man. He would warn Lynn about the risks, but go along with whatever she wanted because she was his sis. Together, they were dumb and dumber.

Oh, please don't let this emotional infant be my doctor. I don't think she has time to make good decisions about my care without first rolling around a few times in all her inner turmoil. I would prefer the psychopath from the mental care lockdown ward. The book could barely progress due to the speeches on bigotry, expensive and inhumane pharmaceutical company practices, and rebuking the insurance companies for their actions prior to the Affordable Care Act. I am a liberal democrat who high fives all of your statements, but for the love of God, please let it go so I can have a story that progresses. Stop ranting! I can and do read political blogs, and I don't think people really want to read or listen to rants in a story.

Now speaking of doctors, I was figuratively beating my fists in frustration when the 4th year medical students couldn't initially figure out what was wrong with the accident victim. I am sitting there thinking its either air or blood in the thoracic space. You imbeciles need to remove it. This is basic stuff people.

Other stuff that made me thud my head against the table. HIPAA. You know the mama of the slut from the hood, and you know the mother of your boyfriend, and all you needed was written permission from them to see the records. The father was a lawyer, and I believe he could have immediately written out an order granting Lynn and Michael medical access. But noooo....it makes so much more sense to lose your career over HIPAA violations. Dumb and dumber strike again.

My house was broken into, they tried to rape me, and they shot the cat. Michael and Lynn can't go to the police because of the HIPAA violations. What are you two smoking?

Research: Ugh, for the love of whatever you worship, stop letting your doctors in the story use Wikipedia, which is reliant on the people putting in the information knowing what they are talking about.

And the research in this story sucked. SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT (also kind of boring if you aren't living in geek land with me).

Okay, the Russians are keeping people in the institute to make humanized monoclonal antibodies. At one point, they are seen removing what Michael and Lynn figure out are monoclonal antibodies from the people from a gastric type of feeding tube. Clean up in aisle five, an old lady with a cart has kicked over all the cans.
1) The very definition of a monoclonal antibody is a pure antibody which has been cloned. Growing a bunch in the unconscious stomachs of a bunch of people means that it is not a "monoclonal" anything. In fact growing anything in the acid swill of your stomach will have destroyed the protein coat of the antibody, and now all you have is gastric waste. (That would be poopie). If this book did lull me into a coma due to it being boring and they took it from the blood, they would have to remove the antibody one by one from the blood, which would be awesomely expensive and impossible. It is why the Ebola survivors gave whole blood to people with matching blood types, and you were screwed if your blood didn't match.
2) Let's go to the part where they did it to humanize it to prevent rejection. There are several methods to change the protein coat where it is humanized, and you don't have do it for everyone because of the fact that they produce more through cloning.
3) Maybe they needed to get antibodies from the unconscious people, so they exposed them to.... whatever. Yeah, we are already do that with things like HIV, varicella zoster, hepatitis, etc. We just need their blood. We don't need to put them into a coma.
4) Now let's throw out the scary words to try to make this sound plausible, "monoclonal gammopathy". Depending on the type, it is either there and harmless or it is a type of lymphoma cancer that is being created in the bone marrow. You don't get it because someone exposed you to an illness so you can make antibodies. This is just craptastic misdirection. Literally, this an "oh look, similar words"; let's use that in the book.

Now is where I admit I may have been in a book induced coma and missed something, but I don't think so (but really I was in heavy traffic and bored). The anesthesiology machine has been messed with, and we get all sorts of details about how it has been messed with... but how did it put them into the coma. The anesthesia would have been measured (physically), so if too much was given, they would have known.

And next, how did the battalion of gun toting police arrive to save the day... never told. Since Dumb and Dumber never informed the authorities, how did they know to show up with guns drawn?

Please wake me from this book induced coma.

Host is robin cooks newest novel and a thrilling page turner as always. Like many of the other reviewers I have read almost all of the author's books and Robin Cook is my favorite author. I agree that the book has similarities to Coma, robin cooks first novel and even Mindbend. However I do think that this book was not simply a rehash of Coma and went way beyond that book. Robin cook is always self righteous about his causes in medicine and his hatred of big pharma and hospitals run as corporations. dr. Cook is passionate about his hatred of racism and his support of feminism. many other authors are like this and throw in their opinions as part of their books. The reader must get passed this.
My one criticism is that I don't think the science and medical premise of the book were developed enough. The kind of drugs discussed in this book are being used a lot now and it would have been nice to get a clearer description of how they are manufactured biologically. I always learn a lot of science from dr. cook's books, this one included but I think there could have been more. Honestly I did not understand it that well and I have a health science background. Reviewers in his previous novels have complained about not understanding things.
Also there were possibly too many Russian characters and chase scenes where you read through it very quickly because you are just waiting to find out what happened, which is why I didn't rate the book five stars.
So with that all said the main character Lynn Peirce is a senior medical student. Her boyfriend Carl vandermeir goes to the hospital for a routine knee surgery and fails to wake up from the anesthesia. Lynne cannot believe or accept what happened to her boyfriend and investigates her boyfriends case with the help of her best friend Michael pender. What the two of them uncover is unbelievably terrifying and in many aspects entirely possible. It will make you afraid to go to a hospital especially for surgery.

Robin Cook and the late Michael Palmer are much alike. They are both MDs who were unsuccessful at being physicians but found successful careers as writers. They both resent the medical profession(in which they were not successes) and became more and more caustic in their hatred as time went on. They both are flaming libs and became more and more caustic in their political views as time went on,
Aside from the evil medical profession(who all hate patients and don't mind killing them for fun and profit) and the evil pharmaceutical industry(who also hate patients the really really love killing them for fun and profit, which appear in every last Robin Cook novel, the main characters in this novel are absolutely horrible. They are two fourth year medical students who, of course, are the brightest in their class. However, they are stupider than any medical student I ever met.
As they start their investigation, they hear a patient has laminar necrosis, and don't know what it means. Anyone who passed second year pathology and neurology classes would know what the term means. The main woman student also doesn't know about grading mental status in coma patients, again something with which anyone who completed the classroom training in medical school would be familiar, nevermind a student who supposedly completed a neurology rotation on the wards. Even the stupidest student in my class had more medical knowledge than these two nitwits. Additionally, they constantly lament how racist and sexist the medical profession is and how there are no women and minorities in medicine. I graduated from medical school almost 30 years ago and even at that point, 20% of the students were minorities and over 50% were women. Maybe Cook should put down the liberal playbook and actually look at the facts. Cook also continually stresses that the male medical student is black. He likes rap music because he is black. He gets along with Russians since both Russians and black people have been mistreated by white Americans. Nurses ignore him because he is black. Cook tells us that he is black on virtually every page, and his being black has nothing to do with the story aside from the fact that Cook wanted to put a stereotypical black man in his story. As a matter of fact, he is sooooo stereotypically black, I wonder if Cook actually knows any actual black people.
The bottom line, this is the same old story with the same old biases that Cook has put into his last couple dozen novels. It's a tired message in a bad novel and not worth your time.

Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind when I read it, but I was extremely disappointed with this Robin Cook book.. Normally I love his work and I could not wait to read this one. It was a mistake. In the past his books have been fast paced, exciting and intriguing, even if somewhat predictible. This one was agonizingly slow, mundane to the point of laziness, preachy and contrived. He tried to show some level of friendship verging on more for his main characters, but it just did not work for me. Nothing about them worked for me. The juxtaposition of their differences versus their similarities was artificial, awkward and dubious. It is another social comment he is attempting to make and it comes off strained at best, completely implausible at worst. On top of that, he has a careless disregard for the lives of so many characters this time. It was a dishearteningly sad comment on society of the twenty-first century where so many fail to value life. Unfortunately, too many of his doctor characters who had taken an oath to save lives, are haphazard with the lives of other characters in the book. It lacks sincerity, intensity and a feel for the sacredness of life which his other books had. Unfortunately, this only makes it an even more monotonous, randomly sermonizing read.

I've been a Robin Cook fan for a long time but this book was a major disappointment. I was expecting an exciting medical thriller. What I got was a formulaic repeat of Coma and a lecture about racism, sexism and social class. No thank you.

I got the audio version because the narrator is George Guidall, who in my opinion is the an extraordinary narrator. And I was right, because of his narration, I barely noticed the dull prose style and did get very involved with the characters, their inner and outer struggles, the mystery and several wham-bang endings, which were unforgettable. This is a perfect long-drive audio. I don't think I would have liked the book on the page, for all the reasons that negative reviewers gave, but for an audio book, it was great.

First, let me say that I have always enjoyed Robin Cook's books. But this one is terrible. First, the characters are extremely unlikable. And you have to deal with Cook's social commentary. It seems like every other paragraph we are told that Michael is black. Michael is poor. Everyone discriminates against Michael. And on the one hand, we are told that Michael is at the top of his class, yet he talks like a bad ghetto stereotype. Cook's pathetic attempt to use slang is laughable.

All of this I dealt with until it came to one thing. There is a rescue cat in the book that apparently only exists in the book to get shot by a Russian thug. Totally unnecessary!

I haven't read a Cook book in years, but I remembered how much they sucked me in through the characters and the suspense, as well as the intrigue of medical and pharmaceutics conspiracy. So I picked it up on 7 day loan from the library thinking, "Yes! This will be easy to power read on my vacation."

Well, no. I pushed myself through the first few chapters thinking, "These awkward, forced and shallow characters are bound to get better. It's Robin Cook."

They didn't. The ridiculous focus on Michael's race and the ignorant, pathetic attempts at dialogue for a black man got worse as the book went on, Bro.

The plot never got exciting, stayed completely predictable and linear. Toward the end, I just finally quit and skipped several chapters to take myself out of my misery. Then I came here, to see if I am just in a bad mood and if it was just me.

It was not just me. Don't bother with this book. It was mindnumbingly frustrating. Is some hack writing for him now? Is there no great editor? There were even typos in the book.

I don't write reviews often, but this book I couldn't let anyone else waste their time with. Sorry Mr. Cook. Hire a new ghost writer. Please.

This was a really good read--fast moving and exciting. One could sense the likely outcome early on, but it didn't matter because the two main characters were constantly in trouble as the book moved along. And you cannot imagine the horror of the details in that outcome (nice job on that one, Dr. Cook). I hadn't read Robin Cook for a while and this was a very nice re-visit. I'll come back again sooner. The only reason for not assigning more stars is that the characters were fundamentally pretty shallow and predictable and their predictable interactions got somewhat boring after awhile.

Don't waste your time or money. This book was not a medical thriller. It was a political statement couched in a predictable Cook "mystery". About 5 pages in I could have told you the story. In fact, very similar to many of his previous books. Most recently "Cell". But this one I didn't bother to finish. Cooks agenda; Insurance companies are corrupt, they rip off the consumers and don't care about sick people. Also, racism is alive and well in America. Also, Obamacare is wonderful. What a piece of cheap trash not worth your time. Of course. if you like Cook and are a far-left Clinton liberal, you will find this fascinating. All others should avoid.

Being a medical professional I have always enjoyed Robin Cook's books but this one had such trashy language that I found myself skipping large portions of the story. I am sorry that the author felt he had to add the F bomb to almost every sentence. The would've been great without that.

How anyone was able to give this book 5 stars is absolutely baffling! This book was obviously written by an out of touch old white man who doesn't realize he is a racist... This was my first Robin Cook book and my last. I was so irritated 60% into the story I quit reading it... I couldn't deal with it anymore.

The premise of this book was promising and I think if it was written by a different author it could have been great! I couldn't believe this book was written in 2016 and I'm surprised it was able to be published?!
If I had to read one more "black talk" or "hood" reference I was going to scream. I mean who regardless of race talks like this? Who in 2016 refers to the person they are dating as their "squeeze" did we go back to 1975? Who says juiced up? That's 2016 "black talk" so is ending every sentence with your white "best friend" with Gurrllll!!! Oh, and apparently Russians love black guys from the "hood?" The Russian guy doesn't speak good English and instead of offering to teach him English the black main character who we are reminded every chapter is a black guy from the hood offers to teach him "black talk!" What!? Are you kidding me? Did I just read that correctly? Oh and in case you were worried even though he feels really connected to his "hood" "roots" he can turn off his "black talk" when talking to professional uppity white folks... and that's just the tip of the iceberg with this nonsense...
Oh and the book is drawn out and so boring... you think it might get better a couple of times and it just fizzles out again and again... 60% through the book and I wanted to use the book for kindling.

Mindless entertainment in this one. The students are supposed to be the brightest but they seem clueless at times. The worst is when they ended up in the ER treating patients. The lack of security at this hospital is shocking.

The writing is dumbed down and movie like for most of the book.

I was disappointed in the book on many levels. The two main characters are fourth year medical students and Cook expects the reader to believe that they 1. Don't know what a Glasgow coma score is. This is a basic tool that would be taught in lectures. 2. They can correctly diagnose a tension pneumothorax and then perform medical procedures that they have never seen or performed before to save the patient's life. This whole scene in the book is implausible - after they've done the procedure an attending walks in and heaps praise on them. In reality they would have been kicked out of medical school.

I rated this as hopeful because I kept hoping it would get better. The beginning was good and sucked you right in. but the ending was predicable. It is always the same. The medical student and whoever she can get to help her/him tries to solve the mystery and "almost" losses her life.

I have read all of Robin Cook's books. This book was not well written and had too much profanity and slang that was not essential to the plot. The plot didn't flow well and the characters were shallow. I borrowed it from the library, and I'm glad I didn't waste my money buying it.

It was time to 'X-ray' and read the reviews. Since I'm a library user (not purchaser) I don't generally do this until -
a. I can't stand the writing/editing/grammar flaws/bad dialogue anymore. Or
b. Think maybe I've actually read the book before.

Yep, all of the above. Except the previous book was COMA.

With owners of drug companies raising prices of inexpensive drugs a thousand fold and members of Congress owned by their big pharmaceutical donors rather than their constituents, this book presents a problem that is catastrophically effecting our society. This is the first book I have read by Dr. Cook and I found it riveting.

The premise was interesting but I too like many of the readers likened it to Coma which I read many years ago. Some of it was a bit unbelievable. The fact the main character is a 4th year med student and had never heard of the Glasgow Coma Scale! That is pretty basic knowledge in the medical fields. Plus the ease that they got into and out of units was astonishing. Most ICU's are small and strangers would be noted. The nurses would pick up on it right away! The ending at least the last couple chapters were a bit more action packed. But the ending just left one hanging. I would hope there would be a sequel but who knows.

This is another medical thriller by Robin Cook. I have been reading his books as long as I can remember and they have always made me afraid to go to the hospital for a good while after each one. His writings are so well researched in the medical field that I can easily picture many of the scenario's he has written about actually happening.

Don't waste your money. The names have changed but not the story. This is "Coma" rewrited even down to the hero going in for an operation and being saved by our other hero. It is a shame Cook just republished " Coma" under a new name.

Host was a fast paced thriller and I enjoyed it. However, it was pretty far fetched. I wasn't happy with the ending either as it seemed to be a rush to tie up loose ends. I've read books by Robin cook that were much better than this.

I agree with most of the reviewers. I was disappointed by this book and had to force myself to finish it. The banter between the two medical students was ridiculous. I just couldn't bare another Bro and Sis exchange. The constant reference to the fact Michael Pennder was black was obnoxious. The plot seemed pretty predictable to me by the first few chapters.

Cook has gotten a lot of flack in recent years for turning out sub-par works. I can't disagree in terms of many of his more recent books (though there were exceptions). This one, however, to me marks a true return to form. Every bit as intriguing as his early stuff, and as another reviewer wrote, has a plot (and pacing) somewhat reminiscent to "Coma," though completely different. Welcome back, Dr. Cook!

Robin Cook made his bones years ago with the novel "Coma". That novel has continued to be considered Mr Cook's high watermark. So much so that he has apparently utilized a good bit of the format in writing "Host". Not that it detracts from enjoying the present book, but if you haven't read "Coma" it makes it easier to become mesmerized by "Host".
Lynn Pierce, a fourth year medical student at Mason-Dixon University has an otherwise happy life with a very bright future thrown for a loop when her boyfriend Carl enters the hospital for what appears to be very routine surgery. Due to some unforeseen complexion Carl fails to return to consciousness after the procedure, and an MRI scan confirms brain death. Lynn enlists the help of a friend of hers Michael Pender, a fellow medical student to try and find out the truth of what really happened to Carl while under anesthesia. What they discover is apparently a far reaching conspiracy going very far beyond an isolated occurrence during Carl's operation.
What is really behind Carl's unfortunate result during a routine procedure and the reasons for it form the major part of the story. Along the path to the truth Mr Cook's "distrust" of big Pharma becomes part and parcel of the plot involved. Medical procedures, cause and possible effect, are explained so that the reader who has no medical training can readily understand what has transpired. An all nighter if there is ever one and a willingness to want to read future novels by Mr Cook.

I have never read a book by Robin Cook, but if this is indicative of his usual style, I will not read another one. Although I was interested in the story and the medical background information, I had to stop reading it because I felt that the social issues and political stances of the author were being jammed down my throat. I have found more and more authors doing this in the last 10 years. Please leave that out and just write an intriguing story and let us make up our own minds on the issues of the day!!

Okay so it's not great literature and yes it is reminiscent of Coma but it's a decent read. Even better are two things: 1) you'll learn something about biologics, the hot thing in the pharmaceutical business and 2) Russians are the bad guys, which you don't often see in this sort of novel.

The usual Robin Cook formula. Someone smells something fishy, goes about investigating, gets into trouble with the villains and finally manages to escape. As always I learn new things on the medical front through his novels.

I enjoyed the description of anesthesiology. As usual, the author does a good job of capturing the intricacies of human interaction. The flaws in this book are similar to those in past books, the foremost being scenario and plot improbabilities.

Once again Robin Cook strikes a home run. Host is a frightening look inside medicine and especially pharmaceutical companies. How little human life means when it comes to money, power and greed. Robin Cook's characters are strong and very believable. In a lot of ways it reminded me of another Robin Cook book Coma.

Overall, I liked the book. Host seemed slow in the beginning, but eventually grabbed my attention with its suspense. Unscrupulous money oriented opportunists, intimidated professionals and a couple of intelligent bold medical students mix in this medical thriller. The medical detail will appeal to those in the medical field or pharmaceutical industry, but is interesting enough to be followed by most. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy thrillers, medicine, and science related topics.

As a Robin Cook fan since he wrote Coma, this book is just as good as all the rest. I found it a little predictable but there were so many twists in the prediction that it really kept me involved. I am still a Robin Cook fan.

I have read every book Robin Cook has written. After reading Cell, I couldn't wait to read his next book Host. However, I was very disappointed as I felt this book was a mimic of an older book Coma. The story line in Host was the same as in Coma. The boyfriend has surgery, doesn't wake up, in a coma, sent to an institute for comatose patients, family limited to visiting, girlfriend decides to get into the institute to find out what has happened to her boyfriend. In the end, the girlfriend is caught and ready to be drugged but someone comes to her rescue. The hospital CEO, etc. was in on what was happening to the patients and what was happening in the institutions. All a money making thing. I hope Robin Cook can write a continuation to Cell, which left us hanging! Please Robin Cook, write something different than the predictable storyline.

I've read many of Dr. Cook's books. I really liked most of them.
This one seemed to be an updated version of Coma. The technology was slightly different for the patient storage hospital, but it went over the top with the zombie-like patient behaviors. I really expected a different use for the patients; something along the lines of using them as 'hosts" to breed biological warfare agents. Ah well...not this book.
Even if you are a Robin Cook fan, spend your reading time on one of his other books. This one is a miss.

Ok book but the language was horrible. Cannot stand the use of the f word - totally unnecessary. Almost stopped listening to the book. Definitely sounds like there will be a sequel. Probably won't read it because I'm sure that the author will use the same disgusting language.

Host by Robin Cook is another one of his exciting medical thrillers. We meet our heroine, Lynn Peirce, a medical student at Mason-Dixon University, who is in her 4th year. When Lynn’s boyfriend, Carl enters the hospital for a simple surgery on his knee, she goes to see him before going to school. She finds out that her boyfriend is now comatose, and considered brain dead, with no one really sure what happened, other than a blimp on the anesthesia machine.

Michael Pender is Lynn’s friend and also a 4th year medical student at the same school. Together they try to find out what went wrong. Going against all the rules, Lynn and Michael use their being students at the hospital to read the charts, and written explanations from doctors on the case. Before long, they begin to discover that this was not the first unexplained death in the hospital, and many of the complications were very similar. Soon they begin to receive threats of expulsion, and eventually death threats.

Though Michael wants to help Lynn, he fears she is pushing too far, putting herself in danger. Michael agrees to continue to help her, and as findings begin to show a pattern, the danger escalates that will put both of their lives on the line. They discover a conspiracy between the hospital, the Shapiro Institute, where comatose patients are sent, and a drug company that is run by a Russian billionaire. What follows is an extremely exciting, nail biting adventure, with Lynn and Michael on borrowed time, as they venture where they should not have gone, but discover what The Shapiro Institute is really doing.

We hold our breath, as Lynn tries to find someone to help, someone that would believe her, and fast before either her or Michael are killed. This was a very exciting and scary story, which makes us think if being in a hospital is truly a safe place to be. Robin Cook once again gives us a top notch thriller from start to finish. Host was an edge of your seat page turner, and a great read.

Host by Robin Cook is another one of his exciting medical thrillers. We meet our heroine, Lynn Peirce, a medical student at Mason-Dixon University, who is in her 4th year. When Lynn’s boyfriend, Carl enters the hospital for a simple surgery on his knee, she goes to see him before going to school. She finds out that her boyfriend is now comatose, and considered brain dead, with no one really sure what happened, other than a blimp on the anesthesia machine.

Michael Pender is Lynn’s friend and also a 4th year medical student at the same school. Together they try to find out what went wrong. Going against all the rules, Lynn and Michael use their being students at the hospital to read the charts, and written explanations from doctors on the case. Before long, they begin to discover that this was not the first unexplained death in the hospital, and many of the complications were very similar. Soon they begin to receive threats of expulsion, and eventually death threats.

Though Michael wants to help Lynn, he fears she is pushing too far, putting herself in danger. Michael agrees to continue to help her, and as findings begin to show a pattern, the danger escalates that will put both of their lives on the line. They discover a conspiracy between the hospital, the Shapiro Institute, where comatose patients are sent, and a drug company that is run by a Russian billionaire. What follows is an extremely exciting, nail biting adventure, with Lynn and Michael on borrowed time, as they venture where they should not have gone, but discover what The Shapiro Institute is really doing.

We hold our breath, as Lynn tries to find someone to help, someone that would believe her, and fast before either her or Michael are killed. This was a very exciting and scary story, which makes us think if being in a hospital is truly a safe place to be. Robin Cook once again gives us a top notch thriller from start to finish. Host was an edge of your seat page turner, and a great read.