Crisis is another in Robin Cook’s Jack Stapleton Laurie Montgomery series. Like the others I have read, I enjoyed Crisis. But there are a couple of things about the series starting to bother me.
Craig Bowman is a wealthy Boston doctor who has been operating a concierge medical practice for a couple of years. When one of his more difficult patients calls as Craig and his assistant/lover are getting ready for a night on the town, Craig has an issue. When the patient winds up dying, Craig’s problems get much worse.
Jacke Stapleton is a medical examiner in New York City. When his sister, Alexis, calls asking him to help in her husband Craig’s medical malpractice lawsuit, Jack agrees. Jack’s belief that the body of the deceased should be exhumed winds up causing a ton of problems. By the end, though, the exhumation leads to a surprising result.
I really was surprised by what wound up happening. Since the ending was good and the plot had the usual suspense and medical intrigue I like in Robin Cook’s books, I’m glad I read Crisis. But I’m getting a bit tired of how things always work out for Jack. The bad guys are always bad shots. The gang members always show up at the right time. I know Jack can’t die for the story to be what people want, but the scenarios from which he escapes are getting too hard to believe.
I will continue with the series, but I hope the twists and turns return to what for me would be an acceptable level of drama and escape. The stories are good enough on their own. The fanciful escapes are, for me, a distraction from what I like about the series.