Outbreak

This was a wonderful book to listen to. It kept you glued to your cassette player.I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers.If you are thinking of making this your first Robin Cook novel, GREAT CHOICE.

It's amazing how accurate this book is, expecially since it came before "The Hot Zone" and the whole fad of killer virus books. If you read "The Hot Zone" or Ed Regis' "Virus Ground Zero", both of which tell the story of Ebola's original outbreak in Yambuku, you will see that Mr. Cook has done his homework. The first chapter is especially terrifying. This is by far Mr. Cook's best book, with "Mortal Fear", "Contagion" and "Chromosome 6" not far behind. I'm even willing to forgive him the odd goofy book like that one about the alien bacteria. (What was he thinking?) But I digress. Buy this book.

If you've ever read a Grisham novel, especially The Firm, then you know what you're in for with this Cook thrillride! Lone physician, investigates with a combination of skill, streetsmarts, and luck the deadly series of Ebola outbreaks that "plague" (Read Contagion for more plague stuff) seemingly random Prepaid clinics around the country, zeroes in on what she believes to be the truth. She's right, and ofcourse now everyone is after poor, lonesome, weary, can't-trust-anyone-anymore, misses-her-life-and-her-dog Melissa Blumenthal (Melissa also appears in some other Cook stories, and she's quite a likeable eye-catcher!). Desperate and fearful right there along with her, I fell off the edge of my seat countless times with my fingers crossed and my wits alert on this excellent protagonist's behalf! The book is a joyride through the fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping depths of your deepest paranoia, and it just goes to show, that it's the little things, the really really little things (like viruses) that are truly worth this kind of unprecedented and bone-chilling fear! Great read! Watch out, Grisham!

Robin Cook's Outbreak is spectacular. The story line really puts the reader on the edge. With it's untwisting plot, and piviting characters, it's amazing to see how a deadly virus sweeps the country. *****