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Robin Cook is an American author who writes a lot about Public Health. That isn’t surprising seeing as Robin Cook is a medical professional. Born in 1940 in Queens, New York, Cook was a student of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Besides his time at Wesleyan University, the author also graduated from Harvard University, initiating his journey into the medical field with a bang.
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Order of Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Blindsight | 1991 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Contagion | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Chromosome 6 | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Vector | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Marker | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Crisis | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Critical | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Foreign Body | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
9 | Intervention | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
10 | Cure | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
11 | Pandemic | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Genesis | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Night Shift | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
14 | Manner of Death | 2023 | Description / Buy |
Order of Dr. Marissa Blumenthal Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Outbreak | 1987 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Vital Signs | 1991 | Description / Buy |
Order of Pia Grazdani Series
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Death Benefit | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Nano | 2012 | Description / Buy |
Order of Robin Cook Standalone Novels
# | Read | Title | Published | Details |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Year of the Intern | 1972 | Description / Buy | |
2 | Coma | 1977 | Description / Buy | |
3 | Sphinx | 1979 | Description / Buy | |
4 | Brain | 1979 | Description / Buy | |
5 | Fever | 1982 | Description / Buy | |
6 | Godplayer | 1983 | Description / Buy | |
7 | Mindbend | 1984 | Description / Buy | |
8 | Mortal Fear | 1988 | Description / Buy | |
9 | Mutation | 1989 | Description / Buy | |
10 | Harmful Intent | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
11 | Terminal | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
12 | Fatal Cure | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
13 | Acceptable Risk | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
14 | Invasion | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
15 | Toxin | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
16 | Shock | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
17 | Abduction | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
18 | Seizure | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
19 | Cell | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
20 | Host | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
21 | Charlatans | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
22 | Viral | 2021 | Description / Buy | |
23 | Bellevue | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Interestingly enough, Cook initially had his eyes set on becoming an archeologist. However, as he grew up and his interest in the sciences ignited, it soon became clear where his passions lay. Life after medical school found Robin Cook heading to the Navy, where he attended submarine and Navy diving school.
Cook’s first book was conceived in 1972 while he was in the Kamehameha. Not that he began writing immediately after he was discharged from the army. Cook found a place in the Ophthalmology department in Harvard once his army days were finally behind him. But he didn’t give up on The Year of the Intern, and his first book was finally published in 1973.
The book was an unmitigated disaster, failing to garner interest and forcing the author to go back to the drawing board. Cook decided that if he wanted to succeed, he would have to study bestsellers and try to understand how they were so effective at manipulating readers.
Cook made effective use of everything he learned, with his next few books garnering all manner of interest from critics and readers alike.
Robin Cook writes a lot about medicine, though he uses fantastical elements to draw the interest of readers. Cook’s goal in writing medical thrillers is to show readers just what modern medicine and technology can achieve under the right conditions. The author also makes an effort to tackle the social-ethical complications that surround medical practices.
What has surprised Robin Cook over the years isn’t the success he has achieved. Rather, the author cannot believe that he has written so many books over the years. When he first started contemplating the prospect of writing novels back in 1970, Robin Cook never believed that he would have so many unique ideas; ideas that readers would gravitate to.
Robin Cook Awards
Robin Cook’s collection of accolades includes the 2002 Author of Vision Award, the Literary Legend Award and the Robin B. Parker Mystery Writer’s Award.
Robin Cook Books into Movies/TV
Robin Cook has had the pleasure of seeing many of his books receive feature film adaptations, this including Coma in 1978, Sphinx in 1979, Outbreak in 1987 and Foreign Body in 2008.
Harmful intent, Mortal Fear, and Terminals were also turned into Television movies, this while Invasion and Coma became miniseries.
Best Robin Cook Books
Robin Cook has essentially cornered the market for medical thrillers, with some of the best books from the author’s bibliography including the following:
Outbreak: Doctor Marissa Blumenthal is an employee of the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control. When she discovers a medical secret, she is forced to undertake the responsibility of protecting the world from its deadly implications.
Outbreak has been recommended for people who enjoyed Coma, and Godplayer. Melissa Blumenthal takes center stage as a naïve doctor who has been tasked with getting to the bottom of a killer virus threatening the country.
With the virus seemingly killing people in every state, Melissa soon realizes that there might be a nefarious force behind the epidemic. She also realizes that the more she knows, the more danger she’s in.
When a colleague betrays her, Melissa must go above and beyond the call of duty to save herself and those around her.
Toxin: When his daughter contracts E-coli, a doctor must traverse the medical landscape in his attempts to identify the source and, hopefully, nip a deadly bacteria contamination in the bud.
America’s meat supply isn’t anywhere nearly as safe as people hope.
Toxin is another medically-inspired thriller from the mind of Robin Cook, and this one puts the American meat industry in the spotlight. Cook explores the E-coli bacteria and the destructive impact it can have on the fragile human body.
The book manifests Cook’s experience in the medical arena and the research he must have done to produce this story because it is not only thrilling but very informational; filled to the brim with information about the health care system.
Kim Regis is the protagonist of the story, an egotistical surgeon that is humbled when a toxin kills his daughter.
When Does The Next Robin Cook book come out?
Robin Cook doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Bellevue and was released on December, 3rd 2024.
This article about Robin Cook is great; I had no idea of his past careers before he became an author. It makes a lot of sense though, since his books have so much medical information, and it’s presented in an easily digestible format. I’ve only had one career path my whole life; I can’t imagine changing fields and finally settling on writing, and developing into such a great author! Love it!