I was a Robin Cook fan. His recent books have gone downhill. I read about only 10%. I have not finished his last several books.
My notes next to Genesis, Cure, Charletons, and Night Shift, reflect the following annotations, DNF, DNC, did not finish, did not care. ( )

I enjoyed this medical thriller that got best right at the end. I felt the first half was a little slow but the second half was wonderful. I liked all the twists and turns. ( )

Night Shift is a first-rate story. With the story taking place within a two day period of time, the book has a supersonic pace that keeps you reading until it has been finished in one sitting. Cook's writing has not suffered with this long-standing series, while other authors seem to lose interest in their series and characters. What most likely keeps the series fresh for Cook is that the story always revolves around an issue or problem in medicine today. Cook does give the reader plenty of development with his characters but the main thrust of all of his novels is modern medicine. In Night Shift, the focus is on medical serial killers.

I enjoyed revisiting the usual characters: Laurie, Jack, Vinnie who is Jack's assistant, and officer Lou Saldano. Vinnie and Lou are not central to this particular story. There are new characters such as the deceased Dr. Passero and her closest colleagues and they were interesting. Laurie and Jack's relationship has suffered since Laurie became his boss and, finally, he has asked her to step down. Laurie does not respond to the request in this installment of the series but perhaps she will think about it in the next novel. Jack has always been a little rough around the edges but it seems to me that he has become rougher since his wife became his boss.

The main problem for the story to resolve is to determine what killed Dr. Passero. Her autopsy showed that there was nothing wrong with her so Jack has to rely on information from those closest to her to come up with the reason that she was killed. He hears from a colleague that Dr. Passero was involved in hospital politics. Jack speaks with quite a few hospital staff before figuring it all out.

Night Shift is a superb entry for this series. ( )

A fast paced medical thriller with a set of favorite characters.

Dr. Jack Stapleton and Dr. Laurie Montgomery are married with a couple of special needs kids. In addition, both are medical examiners for the state of New York, with Laurie being the chief. This long running series features the pair of doctors examining cases that are atypical and confusing. In this thirteenth installment, Jack is tasked with an autopsy that should be routine but that turns into so much more than he anticipated. It seems there is a medical serial killer loose in the hospital and Jack is determined to find out who it is and stop them.

I’ve read Robin Cook forever and that is saying something as I am well past middle age. I absolutely love a good medical thriller and this author usually comes through with a good case scenario that I can dissect and enjoy. Can I help it if at times I don’t want Jack and Laurie to be rescued by a last minute miracle — but sorry — they do always manage to figure out what is going on, identify the dastardly criminal, and save the day. I always love the forensic details and the medical stuff, the interesting characters, and the plots.

Even if you haven’t kept up with the series, you can pick this one up and read as a standalone for the mystery and the intrigue alone. I do look forward to the next one by one of my favorite authors in this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. ( )

Night Shift by Robin Cook is a recommended medical thriller and the thirteenth installment of novels featuring Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton.

Dr. Sue Passero, a good friend of Laurie's, dies mysteriously in the Manhattan Memorial Hospital parking garage. It is suspected that she had a heart attack, but an autopsy is required. Laurie asks Jack to do it because she knows he is more than competent and will be thorough. We know from the opening scene that Sue was injected with something, so once Jack discovers this, he begins looking for someone who would have a motive to kill her.

Laurie and Jack are established characters for fans. This can be read as a stand-alone if you are just looking for a medical thriller to reliably pass the time. It should be noted that Jack complains way-too-much, especially at the beginning, which made his character less appealing this time around.

Cook is master of the medical thriller genre and can turn out a basically okay surefire page turner every time. The plot is too predictable but it does provide escape and suspense. (I did keep wondering if this plot hasn't already been done in the series, or a variation of it?) It is still an enjoyable medical thriller. No real twists or heart stopping reveals happen here. I personally did some eye rolling over the inclusion of covid and pandemic opinions inserted in the novel. This is an airplane book. It'll pass the time but you won't cry if you misplace it on your trip.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/11/night-shift.html ( )