Critical - Hardcover

Cook, Robin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039915423X ISBN 13: 9780399154232

Publisher: Putnam Adult, 2007

Synopsis

Angela Dawson, M.D., appears to have it all: at age thirty-seven, she owns a fabulous New York City apartment and a stunning seaside house on Nantucket, and enjoys the perks of her prosperous lifestyle. But her climb to the top has been rough, marked by a troubled childhood, a failed marriage, and the devastating blow of bankruptcy as a primary-care internist. Painfully aware of the role of economics in the health-care field, Angela returns to school to earn an MBA; she is determined to erase the memories of the controlling men in her past. Armed with a shiny new degree and blessed with tenacity, intelligence, and impeccable timing, Angela founds a start-up, Angels Healthcare, then prepares to take it public. With a controlling interest in three busy specialty hospitals in New York City and plans for others in Miami and Los Angeles, the future looks very bright for her. Confident in her abilities as both doctor and businesswoman, and virtually assured of finally controlling her own destiny, Angela is on the verge of seeing her ambitions fulfilled.
But then a surge of drug-resistant staph infections in all three hospitals devastates Angela's carefully constructed world. Not only do the infections result in deaths of patients, but the fatalities cause a serious cash-flow problem, which puts her company's imminent IPO in jeopardy. And that's not all: Angela has serious doubts about her investors and the sources of their money, and the need for a sudden infusion of additional cash becomes all the more desperate. In the blink of an eye, after all her years of hard work, she may be left empty-handed. Vowing to keep her business afloat, Angela works around the clock to save what's she built - knowing all too well that the only person she can count on is herself.
New York City medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton are naturally intrigued by the uptick in staph-related postprocedure deaths at the three hospitals. Aside from their own professional curiosity, there's a personal stake as well: they are newly married, and Jack is facing surgery to repair a torn ACL at Angels Orthopedic Hospital. Despite Jack's protests, Laurie can't help investigating - thus opening a Pandora's box of corporate intrigue that threatens not just her livelihood, but her life and Jack's as well.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Robin Cook is the author of thirty previous books, most recently Nano, and is credited with popularizing the medical thriller with his wildly successful first novel, Coma. He divides his time between Boston and Florida. His most recent bestsellers include Death Benefit, Cure, and Intervention.

Reviews

Last seen in 2006's Crisis, New York City medical examiner Laurie Montgomery diligently investigates an abrupt rise in infection deaths at the start of bestseller Cook's lively new thriller. All the deaths can be traced to three Manhattan hospitals owned by Angels Healthcare. Unbeknownst to Montgomery, Angels, which specializes in high-profit surgeries of amply insured patients, is on the verge of going public and can't risk any bad publicity. She's also unaware that Angels' main financial backer is a local Mafia don, who's prepared to kill anyone standing in the way of his investment. Cook smoothly juggles several subplots—one involving Montgomery's husband and fellow coroner, Jack Stapleton, who's suffered a serious knee injury playing basketball—and ekes out maximum value from one of his regular standbys, bumbling hoods. It all adds up to an entertaining mix of suspense, action and education about medical issues. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cook tackled the potential corruption inherent in concierge medicine in Crisis (2006), and now delves into the world of specialty hospitals owned by the doctors who staff them. Angela Dawson is a brilliant doctor who lost her private practice and, with the help of her ex-husband, founded Angels Hospitals, a group of three specialty hospitals in New York City. Just weeks before the group's stock is set to go public, Angela and her colleagues are desperately trying to raise more capital and cover up the fact that a virulent infection has killed several patients hospitalized for routine operations. Medical examiner Laurie Montgomery connects the dots after examining David Jeffries, a healthy man who went to Angels for a simple knee surgery and died within hours of the operation. Laurie has a personal stake in the investigation: her husband, fellow medical examiner Jack Stapleton, is scheduled for a similar surgery on his knee at Angels in a few days. When Laurie visits one of the hospitals, Angela panics and calls her ex-husband for help, and he in turn goes to the hospitals' chief investor, a powerful mobster determined to protect his investment. If Cook's latest isn't quite as thrilling as some of his earlier works, the medical mysteries and dangers the characters face should keep readers invested. Huntley, Kristine
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 039915423X
• ISBN 13: 9780399154232
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 464