Book Review-Newer Books 25

Review—Foreign Body by Robin Cook

Robin Cook wrote Foreign Body. Putnam and Sons published the book in August 2008; the novel has 448 pages.

            From Los Angeles, to India and with a little help from the Big Apples the world of Indian Medical tourism is introduced. The business is booming for those around the world to come to India for surgeries that can cost much less than in other parts of the world. This new means of getting either elective or necessary operations done for less money potentially poses a decrease in the needs for hospital corporations around the world. What lengths might some industries go to in order to protect their finances?

            Jennifer Hernandez, a fourth year medical student, hears a CNN report of the death of a surgical patient in India. Sometime later, she is called with the news of the death of her grandmother and is requested to decide on her arrangements. This prompts a trip to India and from the first contact with the case manager; Jennifer has uneasy feelings along with the sorrow and disbelief that comes from unexpectedly losing a loved one. She is barraged and persistently prompted to decide on how to deal with her grandmother’s body. Due to grief and uncertainty, Jennifer decides to make the trip; once there she learns more to make her feel that something is wrong in this system. When more suspicious patient deaths occur, Jennifer calls in the help of a friend who her grandmother was a nanny to in the past. Laurie Montgomery is a forensic pathologist and so is her husband, they also make the trip to India, and that is how discoveries are made.

            Robin Cook is well known as a writer of medical mysteries, and Foreign Body introduces new ideas and new characters. Laurie Montgomery and her husband Jack Stapleton have survived various past mysteries with Robin Cook at the helm. This story centers on Jennifer, her relationships and tenacity that is comparable to Jack’s behavior in past troubles. The book moves slow at first though the concept of medical tourism is an interesting idea, as well as the diabolical plan to disrupt a seemingly successful venture. In addition, the stories of those behind the deaths and destruction are tepid at best, though; the picture of India’s vastly different cultures from the wealthy to the impoverished is painted in vivid detail. The new characters lead me to believe they will be seen in future books, though maybe in a more interesting venue.