A City Forensic pathologist Dr. Laurie Montomery has a battle to foil a plot of unimaginable evil in Manhattan.
Jack Stapleton and Laura Montgomery Series
This medical thriller series plunges readers into a world of intricate forensic mysteries and high-stakes investigations. Follow the compelling journeys of two medical professionals as they unravel complex, often deadly cases that blur the lines between science and human deception. Each installment offers a tightly plotted conspiracy, promising a gripping and intellectually stimulating experience. It's a must-read for fans of suspenseful narratives and cutting-edge medical puzzles.
Recommended Reading Order
Contagion
- 496 pages
- 18 hours of reading
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....
Chromosome 6
- 575 pages
- 21 hours of reading
A medical thriller about an African farm where genetically engineered subhumans are bred to provide organs for transplants. The racket is uncovered by two doctors investigating a bizarre murder in New York City.
Vector
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
New York cab driver Yuri Davydov is a disgruntled Russian immigrant ready to lash out at his adoptive nation, which he believes has denied him the American Dream. As a former technician in the Soviet Union's biological weapons system, Yuri knows how to wreak havoc in his new home. But before he executes his masterpiece of vengenance, he experiments first on selected targets. Dr Jack Stapleton begins to witness some unusual cases in his capacity as forensic pathologist in the City medical examiner's office. A Greek immigrant apparently succumbs to sudden overwhelming pneumonia, while an obese Afro-American woman collapses with acute respiratory distress. When an unexpected coincidence suggest to Jack that these seemingly unrelated deaths are actually connected murders, his colleagues and superiors remain sceptical. Meanwhile he is taking himself deeper into deadly danger - but can he reach the heart of the puzzle before Davydov and his associates unleash into the streets of New York the ultimate terror: a modern bio-weapon?
The bestselling “master of the medical thriller” (The New York Times) confronts one of the most compelling issues of our time: personality-altering drugs and the complex moral questions they raise. When neuroscientist Edward Armstrong begins dating Kimberly Stewart, a descendant of a woman who was hanged as a witch at the time of the Salem witch trials, he takes advantage of the opportunity to delve into a pet theory: that the “devil” in Salem in 1692 had been a hallucinogenic drug inadvertently consumed with mold-tainted grain. In an attempt to prove his theory, Edward grows the mold he believes responsible with samples from the Stewart estate. In a brilliant designer-drug transformation, the poison becomes Ultra, the next generation of antidepressants with truly startling therapeutic capabilties. But who can be sure the drug is safe for consumers? Who defines the boundaries of “normal” human behavior? And if the drug’s side effects are proven to be dangerous—even terrifying—how far will the medical community go to alter their standards of acceptable risk?
Crisis
- 350 pages
- 13 hours of reading
When Dr. Craig Bowman receives a summons for medical malpractice, he is shocked and humiliated. A dedicated physician who has worked tirelessly to build his career, he now enjoys a successful concierge medical practice, providing personalized care to a select group of patients. However, his professional life is turned upside down when his estranged wife, Alexis, pleads for help during his trial. Enter Dr. Jack Stapleton, a medical examiner and Craig's brother-in-law, who agrees to assist Craig's defense attorney with his forensic expertise. Jack's unconventional idea to exhume the corpse to challenge the malpractice claims leads to unforeseen complications. As Craig's life and career hang in the balance, Jack uncovers troubling legal and medical truths that threaten to unravel everything. With powerful forces determined to protect their secrets, Jack must navigate a perilous path to reveal the truth and save his brother-in-law from the brink of disaster.
Critical
- 413 pages
- 15 hours of reading
New York City medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton returns in the stunning new novel from the master of the medical thriller-a ripped-from-the-headlines tale of an innovative doctor's dangerous downward spiral.
In this chilling new novel from the master of the medical thriller ("The New York Times"), New York City medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton rush to India to help a UCLA student investigating medical tourism and a sinister global conspiracy. Available in a tall Premium Edition.
It's been over thirty years since New York City medical examiner Jack Stapleton graduated college and lost touch with former classmates Shawn Doherty and Kevin Murray. Once a respected ophthalmologist, Jack's life was altered by a tragic accident that shattered his family. Now remarried to fellow medical examiner Laurie Montgomery and a father, Jack's life seems stable. However, a post-mortem on a young college student treated by a chiropractor prompts him to delve into alternative medicine, questioning why some seek care outside traditional practices. Meanwhile, Shawn, now a renowned archaeologist and biblical scholar, has received permission for a final dig beneath Saint Peter's in Rome, despite his grudge against the Catholic Church. His startling discovery carries significant ecclesiastical and medical implications. When Kevin, now Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York, learns of Shawn's findings, he becomes desperate to suppress them to protect his political ambitions within the Church. Kevin reaches out to Jack for help in safeguarding this explosive secret, one that could change lives forever.
Cure
- 480 pages
- 17 hours of reading
With her young son's potentially fatal neuroblastoma in complete remission, New York City medical examiner Laurie Montgomery returns to work at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Worried that she still has what it takes, Laurie finds her first case back to be a dangerous puzzler, involving organized crime and two start-up bio-tech companies caught in a zero-sum game. Satoshi Machita, a former Kyoto University researcher, is set to own a valuable patent controlling pluripotent stem cells destined to spark a trillion-dollar industry of regenerative medicine. When he dies on a crowded New York subway platform, Laurie must decide whether his death was natural - or something fiendish. Behind the scenes, there are people who would like to see Laurie as far away from the investigation as possible. Despite threats against her, Laurie presses on, until they extend to the person she loves most in the world: her son, JJ. Suddenly Laurie must face solving the crime - and saving her son's life.
Pandemic
- 400 pages
- 14 hours of reading
When an unidentified, seemingly healthy young woman collapses suddenly on the New York City subway and dies upon reaching the hospital, her case is an eerie reminder for veteran medical examiner Jack Stapleton of the 1918 flu pandemic. Fearful of a repeat on the one hundredth anniversary of the nightmarish contagion, Jack autopsies the woman within hours of her demise and discovers some striking anomalies: first, that she has had a heart transplant, and second, that, against all odds, her DNA matches that of the transplanted heart. Although the facts don't add up to influenza, Jack must race against the clock to identify the woman and determine what kind of virus could wreak such havoc a task made more urgent when two other victims succumb to a similar rapid death. But nothing makes sense until his investigation leads him into the fascinating realm of CRISPR/CAS9, a gene editing biotechnology that's captured the imagination of the medical community. and the attention of its most unethical members. Drawn into the dark underbelly of the organ transplant market, Jack will come face-to-face with a megalomaniacal businessman willing to risk human lives in order to conquer a lucrative new frontier in medicine and if Jack's not careful, the next life lost might be his own
Godplayer
- 319 pages
- 12 hours of reading
There have always been many ways to die. But now, in an ultra-modern Hospital there was a new one. The most horrifying one of all.
Night Shift
- 352 pages
- 13 hours of reading
A doctor is found dead in the hospital car park. Uncovering the truth will take Jack and Laurie to the darkest reaches of New York medicine. This is a medical thriller from the master of the genre, Robin Cook.
