Robin Cook - Vector

Pros: Plausible plot
Cons: Bad guys are portrayed as idiots

Robin Cook is the master of the medical thriller.  I wish he could have stuck to his regular fare -- unscrupulous doctors getting away with murder.  Normally he uses scientific and medical clues to figure out what is going on.  In this ...

Pros: easy read, no harsh vocabulary
Cons: the cover suggests a hospital setting

Pros: Intriguing plot, surprise ending, contemporary issue of bioweapons.
Cons: Stilted dialogue, at times unrealistic.

Needing a not-too-taxing, fun read for the car and pool, I went to the library looking for inspiration. On the rack under "Bestsellers You May Have Missed" sat Robin Cook's "Vector." Yes, this was *definitely* a bestseller I had missed! I have read...

Pros: Great story line, complex subject made readable.
Cons: Loose ends.

As usual, Robin Cook has created yet another mesmerizing book. He has taken the subject of biochemical weaponry and made it understandable and actually interesting to the average reader.

His characters were well defined, complex, and...

Pros: Frightening Vision Of A Biological Weapon Unleashed In A Major City
Cons: Too Many Coincidences

It seems that Robin Cook can write a book without the villain being one of the giant pharmaceutical companies.

VECTOR begins with Jason Papparis, a rug merchant, becoming ill with a mystery ailment. His disease catches the interest of Jack...

Pros: Important message
Cons: Poor plot and no thriller

Like the two targets in the plot one is a miss and the other is a hit. Having read most of Robin Cook's works I was really disappointed in the story yet feel that this book should be read by everyone.

It is unfortunate that the writing style...

Pros: Hard to put down
Cons: Hard to put down (husband upset)

I started reading this book almost accidentally. At work, on my lunch break, I was bored and picked up this book that someone had left for us. I read the back cover, and decided to put it back down. But the next day, I started reading, and I was late...

Pros: Very interesting topic - Bioweapons
Cons: None

Robin Cook once again lets us into Jack Stapleton's life in Vector. If you have read Robin Cook's Chromosome 6 then you will remember Jack. The fearless Medical Examiner who lives in a vicious neighbourhood and who cycles to work. In a way its good that...

Pros: A fast paced page turner written in true Robin Cook style.
Cons: none

As a long time fan of Robin Cook, I have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing Robin Cook's evolution as a writer. Each book written deals with a believable and terrifying scenario. Vector is no exception.

What can happen when you mix a bioweapons...

Pros: Quickly paced plot, and easy to understand. Biochemistry is easy to understand thanks to Cook!
Cons: A lot of offensive language. Ethnic slurs and such.

Michael Crichton & Robin Cook are in constant competition for my favorite author. After reading Vector, that award goes to Robin Cook. This book is astonishing. Not only does Cook show his dark side, but he does it in a way that would chill any...

Pros: Typical Cook style, intriguing plot line
Cons: Too much left unsaid.

I am a huge Robin Cook fan and generally snatch each book off the shelf in the little drug store in my building before the clerk finishes unpacking the shipment. This one was no exception.

As I began my read, I was drawn into the developing...

Pros: Fast-paced storyline, enjoyable characters
Cons: Tone is a bit patronizing at times

Great shades of Deja Vu! Is this or is this not a series? I kept mentally checking what I read to see if this book was a reread for me. Sure would help if authors/publishers would indicate from the get-go that a book was part of a series!

...

Pros: Well written, Classic Robin Cook
Cons: a bit on the frightening side

Anthrax and Botulism. Both virulent diseases. Both can kill.

Put those together with a brilliant and slightly crazy New York Medical Examiner, a disillusioned Russian immigrant (who just happens to be a former bioweapon technologist) and a...

Pros: Can't put it down
Cons: not long enough

This is probably his best work to date. The scary thing is how real the story line can be. Especially with the world today being as it is you could actually see this happening. As a scientist it is amazing to me after doing some research how easy it is...

Pros: intricate and useful details
Cons: not high on the action list

used to be the thing Science Fiction was made of. But today, as Robin Cook tells us, it could be happening right under our very noses.
While slow to start, Vector is a well written and deeply troubling piece of work. Cook takes his time with the...