Helpful Score: 7
Let me start off by saying I never EVER read Mystery/Thriller types. After the first 75 pages or so I'm bored out of my mind and never finish them. So, when a coworker of mine heard that I love to read and gave 'Miracle Cure' to me, I thanked her and fake smiled and assumed it would go straight to the garage sale bin. But I felt bad and decided to take a chance.
And WOW. Totally impressed by it. If all mysteries were this interesting and intriguing and fun to read I might find myself switching genres.
Here's what the back cover has to say: Theyre one of the countrys most telegenic couples: beloved TV journalist Sara Lowell and New Yorks hottest basketball star, Michael Silverman. Their family and social connections tie them to the highest echelons of the political, medical, and sports worlds threads that will tangle them up in one of the most controversial and deadly issues of our time. In a clinic on Manhattans Upper West Side, a doctor has dedicated his life to eradicating a divisive and devastating disease. One by one, his patients are getting well. One by one, theyre being targeted by a serial killer. And now Michael has been diagnosed with the disease. Theres only one cure, but many ways to die.... Coben adroitly applies the fundamental rules of thrillerdom (offer a raft of potential villains; keep the action moving at breakneck speed) in this highly entertaining novel...a page-turner! Publishers Weekly
And WOW. Totally impressed by it. If all mysteries were this interesting and intriguing and fun to read I might find myself switching genres.
Here's what the back cover has to say: Theyre one of the countrys most telegenic couples: beloved TV journalist Sara Lowell and New Yorks hottest basketball star, Michael Silverman. Their family and social connections tie them to the highest echelons of the political, medical, and sports worlds threads that will tangle them up in one of the most controversial and deadly issues of our time. In a clinic on Manhattans Upper West Side, a doctor has dedicated his life to eradicating a divisive and devastating disease. One by one, his patients are getting well. One by one, theyre being targeted by a serial killer. And now Michael has been diagnosed with the disease. Theres only one cure, but many ways to die.... Coben adroitly applies the fundamental rules of thrillerdom (offer a raft of potential villains; keep the action moving at breakneck speed) in this highly entertaining novel...a page-turner! Publishers Weekly
Helpful Score: 2
Another great Coben read! I didn't know who the killer was until the very end! Really kept me guessing!
Helpful Score: 1
I LOVE Harlan Coben, but in this instance I would take his advice and pass on this one. Not only is this the most predictable book ever written, it is so unrealistic and it takes forever to read. I would "enjoy" the book while reading it, but as soon as I put it down and started processing what I was reading it was so far fetched. It is a must miss.
Helpful Score: 1
Most reviews agree with Mr. Coben when he says this isn't his best work but I found it to be entertaining. The storyline revolves around HIV/AIDS, a controversial search for a cure, and gay rights. It may seem dated now but in '91, it wasn't debated as a main stream issue. Congrats to Mr. Coben for taking a risk and having the courage to write about it.
Helpful Score: 1
The book was outstanding. It was better than I thought it would be, and dealt with a subject that is so current, even though the book was written a few years ago. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fact-based fiction. The cure for AIDS is not here yet, but the issues present in this book are frighteningly possible.
Doctors Harvey Riker and Bruce Grey run a research clinic in New York City. Together they've discovered a cure for AIDS. A handful of patients who had the disease are now HIV negative. Federal funding for the clinic is getting scarce. The doctors are scrambling to find grants that will let them stay open while they continue their research.
TV journalist Sara Lowell and her husband, pro-basketball player Michael Silverman, pray their friend, Dr. Riker, gets the funding he needs. After a brief illness, Michael has been diagnosed as HIV positive and the only way he will survive is with the cure that the clinic has developed. But in a matter of weeks, two of the clinic's success stories have been murdered. When a third patient is found dead, police believe that someone doesn't want the doctors to find a cure.
This is one of Harlan Coben's first book. The story felt very dated. It was published in 1991 but it seems to take place before there were any drugs that would treat HIV infection. The politicians and doctors talk about the fact that HIV was a "gay disease" and would not impact the heterosexual community. Of course, we know that is not true.
This book was a page-turner, but it had a few characters that do some crazy things for no apparent reason. It also had an improbable ending which made my eyes roll. This is not Harlan Coben's best, but it is still an entertaining story. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
TV journalist Sara Lowell and her husband, pro-basketball player Michael Silverman, pray their friend, Dr. Riker, gets the funding he needs. After a brief illness, Michael has been diagnosed as HIV positive and the only way he will survive is with the cure that the clinic has developed. But in a matter of weeks, two of the clinic's success stories have been murdered. When a third patient is found dead, police believe that someone doesn't want the doctors to find a cure.
This is one of Harlan Coben's first book. The story felt very dated. It was published in 1991 but it seems to take place before there were any drugs that would treat HIV infection. The politicians and doctors talk about the fact that HIV was a "gay disease" and would not impact the heterosexual community. Of course, we know that is not true.
This book was a page-turner, but it had a few characters that do some crazy things for no apparent reason. It also had an improbable ending which made my eyes roll. This is not Harlan Coben's best, but it is still an entertaining story. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
Great story, good cliffhangers, and twists that will keep you guessing.
All I can say about this book is GOOD GOOD GOOD! I love Harlan Coben! This book definitely has some twists and you won't believe what has happened by the time you are done reading it!
First published in 1991, thereby making it his first novel. He slowly caught on, so now they are re-releasing it.
Harlan Coben wrote that this book, his second, originally published in 1991 and reprinted in 2011, was not his best effort. Luckily for me, this was not the first novel of his I've ever read, because it would have been the last! The plot centers around scientists developing a cure for AIDS, operating out of a clinic in New York City. Someone is murdering patients from the clinic, patients who have been cured of the dreaded death sentence that was AIDS in the early 1990s. The book is preachy and pedantic, in between descriptions of heinous crimes, torture, and murder. There is lots of suspense, even more red herrings, as everyone and even "Big Brother" government is suspected of the grisly murders of former patients. The book is long and fast-paced, but I ended up skimming the last 200+ pages to find out the denouement. Not my cup of tea.
Complex story with good ending!
Very exciting
