Shock: 08/04/07

Shock as a title has many meanings in this mystery from Robin Cook. It refers back to the hospital's history as an insane asylum, it's also the shock of white hair that serves as a clue, and it is the shock that the two protagonists feel when they figure out what is happening at the Wingate Clinic. I suppose too it could be the "shocking" ending which I had guessed but was still delighted to read.

Once again Cook returns to gynecology for his medical thriller. At leas this time his heroines don't suffer from fits of hysteria like they do in Coma. While the book is basically a modernized Coma with elements of Chromosome 6 though with slightly more plausibility and a more entertaining plot.

The story revolves around two Harvard students who want some time off from college after they graduate and see the means and opportunity with an ad for egg donations. The Wingate Clinic just north of Boston will pay their way to Italy for an extended stay if they are willing to let the clinic harvest their eggs. After 18 months of fun in Italy they decide that maybe selling their eggs to the seedy looking clinic wasn't such a good idea after all and they decide to hack into the clinic's database to see what happened to their eggs. The story then unfolds in true horror / thriller fashion as they go about doing their investigation.

Their methods and successes are silly and humorous an the villains are almost in the league of the mustache twirlers asked about in a recent Booking Through Thursday. It's the cheesy factor that makes this book a light and fun read.

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