Charlatans by Robin Cook – a Review

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Description:
Noah Rothauser is the new super chief resident at Boston Memorial Hospital. Housing state-of-the-art medical facilities, it’s always been Noah’s dream to work for such an esteemed institution. But the pressures of the role become all too clear when a seemingly routine operation results in the tragic death of an otherwise healthy man. With potential malpractice suspected it falls to the newly appointed surgical doctor to investigate what happened.

Questioning those involved uncovers bitter feuds within the hospital’s surgical staff when Dr. William Mason, the egotistical, world-class surgeon who performed the operation, is quick to blame staff anaeshtetist Dr. Ava London for the disastrous outcome. However Dr. London, along with the nursing staff, point the finger at the surgeon.

When two more anaesthesia-related deaths occur, Noah is forced to look closer at the impressively competent, charming, yet mysterious Dr. London, and he quickly realizes there’s far more to her than meets the eye. With his own job and integrity coming into jeopardy, Noah must decide which doctor is at fault and who he can believe – before any more lives are lost . . .

Review:

Charlatans by Robin Cook is another exciting book in his psychological medical thrillers. Noah Rothauser is our hero, and the new super Chief resident at Boston Memorial Hospital.   Noah is much respected in the hospital, and is also a workaholic who loves his job.   Very early on in the story, something drastically goes wrong in the operating room on a simple hernia operation.   In desperation, all the top surgeons and anesthesia specialist converge to try to save the person to no avail. 

When Noah interviews everyone, it turns out to be the patient’s fault (he ate when he said he didn’t).    But Nathan comes across the main surgeon, Dr. Mason, who is an egotiscal top surgeon, and he blames the anesthetist, Dr. London, as well as Noah.  However, all the nurses, Dr. London and those involved in early prep work blame Mason for delaying the operation an hour after all the preparation was done.

Noah knows he does not want to face Mason, who has a lot of pull and power in the hospital, which could in the end cost him his job.   What follows is an exciting story line, where Noah will find himself working with Ava London to get to the truth, and in doing so; a slow build romance will follow.   Noah in time will begin to be concerned after a few more unexplained deaths, and his worry about Ava’s other jobs/hobbies, as well as her disappearances.  But all hell breaks loose when Mason comes up with something that will put Noah’s job in jeopardy.  Within all this, there is an underlining story that has nothing to do with the hospital deaths, but little pov’s are shown the will reveal itself with a major twist as we race toward the climax.  It is very difficult to tell too much more, as anything else would be spoilers. 

Robin Cook once again has come up with an exciting thriller that I could not put the book down until I finished it.  There are a lot of surprises, and it did change the game.  I suggest you read Charlatans.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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