Once again, Robin Cook, the mastermind of medical suspense, presents the reader with a spine-tingling read ... a complex, highly entertaining novel filled with metaphors and similes that add graphic details, giving insight into the medical field of pathology, leaving the reader with knowledge a layperson might not have. With the added components of mystery and suspense, this in-depth thriller is sure to keep one gasping.
Although [Cook's] writing style is often stilted, he has penned a good story here, with plenty of mystery, intrigue and subplots to complement the main plot, as well as numerous fleshed-out characters to carry out the action in this timely medical thriller.
Cook...has been churning out best-selling medical thrillers for more than 40 years, but his recent work has been mired in formula. Here he again builds a story around ideas harvested from the real world, typically involving cutting-edge medical technology ... Unfortunately, Cook’s prose is at best workmanlike and too often barely serviceable. Dialogue is stilted, plotting is thin, and there is no real suspense because Cook telegraphs every plot twist, every character revelation. Devoted fans will probably find the medical aspects of the tale satisfying, but the novel won’t win the author any new fans.
The familiar protagonists of Cook’s OCME series appear in Genesis, but they are mired in family problems, so they do little to make the novel suspenseful. Scaring his readers silly isn’t what Cook is aiming at. With his thrillers, he clearly hopes to educate the public about a major scientific topic of the day. With Genesis, he successfully sheds light on genetic genealogy and some privacy concerns involving its ever-expanding DNA databases.
...nobody is reading these books for the character development ... or for the writing ... On the other hand, the plot is gangbusters ... Cook’s spot in the pantheon of page-turning, bestselling thriller authors who write like Siri is secure.
The sleuthing overshadows the mystery in bestseller Cook’s routine 11th medical thriller ... By opening with a depiction of a married man drugging Jacobsen, Cook eliminates any doubt of foul play, and fans will regret Montgomery’s taking a back seat to Nichols for much of the book. Innovative forensic science isn’t enough to sustain interest.
