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Contagion | 
| Author: Robin Cook
Publisher: Berkley
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  66 reviews
Sales Rank: 185009
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 496
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.5
ISBN: 0425155943
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780425155943
ASIN: 0425155943
Publication Date: December 1, 1996
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Amazon.com Review
When not one but three different extremely rare diseases kill several patients at a New York hospital, forensic pathologist Jack Stapleton suspects it's more than just coincidence. He thinks there's a connection between the appearance of the mysterious microbes responsible for the deaths and the HMO that owns the hospital--the same HMO that once destroyed his flourishing medical practice. Is Americare deliberately killing off its sickest patients--those who cost the most money to treat? Or is there an even more sinister motive behind the strange goings-on at Manhattan General, not to mention the attempts on Jack's life? And what is beautiful Terese Hagen, the hard-driving creative director of a Madison Avenue ad agency, doing in the middle of this slightly muddled, but still engrossing, tale of greed, medicine, and mayhem? Like Michael Crichton, whose Andromeda Strain remains the classic in the genre, Cook is sometimes heavy-handed when it comes to character development, and his fulminations about the dangers of managed care often get in the way of the plot. Still, Contagion will make you think twice about taking your next case of flu to the ER instead of your own bed. --Jane Adams
Product Description
Robin Cook's most frightening bestseller is "exciting...a good, fast read."(Denver Post)
One of Cook's most successful-and timely-bestsellers. Contagion is a terrifying cautionary tale for the millennium as a deadly epidemic is spread not merely by microbes-but by sabotage.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 61 more reviews...
 Not Cook's Best By Far December 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was one of those books that I just could not finish. I skimmed through the last 100 pages just to get a general idea of how the story ended. I agree with many other readers here that the plot lines are just totally implausible (I live in a small midwest town and even I know gang members do NOT talk or act like that) and the dialog is extremely leaden and awkward. Robin Cook has written much better books than this!
An Interesting Medical Thriller March 8, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Personally, I quite enjoy reading Medical Thrillers and would say that Contagion was a fun read. The plot and the characters are well built and the story moves on an interesting pace. Although at times I got a little lost due to the Medical Jargons and reference to specific bacteria, I never lost track of the plot and enjoyed the book from front to back. Would definitely recommend this book.
Overly long story March 29, 2005
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
I agree that this is a good medical thriller. But the story is too long. Too many diseases, too many deaths in the same manner. And at three quarters of it you know where does the diseases came from, so that make the reading a little heavy because you know that whatever they thought about the diseases is wrong. I don't know why, but 90% of RC's books are against Medicare or another Health Organization so I think that maybe RC started writing because he had a problem with one of these Organizations.
Taking my jest apart, is a very readable book.
 Some HMOs are just Murder? November 17, 2004
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Manhatten General Hospital seems to be a dangerous place to be hospitalized in. During a ninety-six hour period nine people have succumbed to not one, not two but three extremely rare diseases, especially for New York City. Jack Stapleton is the New York city Medical Examiner who discovered these occurrences in the course of performing autopsies upon the victims and while no one has questioned the natural occurrence of these deadly, highly infectious diseases, Jack eventually comes to the conclusion that these events are too much of a coincidence to be accidental.
Contagion was written by a prolific writer named Robin Cook. If you are not familiar with Cook you should be. He is the unquestioned king of the medical mystery/suspense genre, having written well over twenty such books, dating back to the seventies. If you happen to remember the scary movie Coma, that was Robin Cook.
With not one but three different extremely rare pathogens killing patients at the New York hospital, Stapleton suspects it's more than just coincidence. But Jack can't seem to get anybody's attention, especially at the Hospital itself where the management even resents and has barred his presence. This leads Jack to suspect there may be a connection between the mysterious microbes responsible for the deaths and the HMO that owns the hospital, Americare, the same HMO that once destroyed his flourishing medical practice. However Jack is unable to convince his friends and co-workers Chet and Laurie or his bosses that these occurrences are being orchestrated, even after a deadly form of Influenza makes an appearance killing many more patients and hospital staff.
Could Americare deliberately killing off its sickest patients - those who cost the most money to treat? If not, is there an even more dastardly motive behind the mysterious happenings at Manhattan General, and what about the sudden attempts on Jack's life by members of a black gang who surprisingly rescued by members of another black gang?
CONCLUSION
Contagion is a fun read, one that, as commonly happens with an intriguing book, I kept finding reasons to to read when I should be doing other things. Though Cook is known to throw in a generous dose of medical terms I forgive him, it is after all a MEDICAL THRILLER! Other than that his writing is fluid and user friendly, though sometimes a little weak when it comes to character development, and his fulminations about the dangers of managed care tend to compete with the plot. Still, to his credit, Cook doesn't try to overwhelm you with his obvious intellect. He writes to be understood and appreciated by the masses.
Speaking of the plot, Cook manages to instill a little bi-racial tolerance by having his protagonist (Jack)living in a flat in Harlem and becoming a basketball buddy with Warren, the imposing leader of a black gang. Coincidently another black gang is hired first to scare then to kill Jack and the interplay between good and bad black guys was a nice touch. In fact there were many nice touches which overcame some weaknesses which, to me, became evident toward the end of the book. But even though I questioned the improbable rational for the murders, I was totally surprised by the identity of of the perps.
Beware, Contagion may make you think twice about going to the hospital short of anything life threatening.
Very good! July 25, 2003
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
One of Robin cook's best book, it's a medical thriller like almost of his books.
there are a lot of action and suspense.
The story is exciting, you never get bored.
It's sometimes boring because Jack Stapleton is .
The story: one day one "patient" of Jack has the pest and then three others strange disease appeared. Jack investigates in the Manhattan General hospital. There they don't like him and try to kill him.
Jack wants the truth so he continue to investigate.
If you want to know more read the book!
sometimes, the medical jargon in Robin Cook's novel does not make it difficult reading. Most of the medical terminology is explained sufficiently for the reader to understand the significance of the medical find.
This is the first time we hear of Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery. We hear of them again in Chromosome 6 and Vector. Robin tells you in more detail about Jack and Laurie then now the latter on. There is the plane crash that takes the life of Jack's family and how he leaves being a eye doctor to be a legist Doctor.
I Highly recommended it!
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