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Fever
Charles Martel is a brilliant cancer researcher who discovers that his own daughter is the victim of leukemia. The cause: a chemical plant conspiracy that not only promises to kill her, but will destroy him as a doctor and a man if he tries to fight it...
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
153 people are currently reading
3099 people want to read
About the author
Robin Cook
190 books5,057 followersLibrarian Note: Not to be confused with British novelist Robin Cook a pseudonym of Robert William Arthur Cook.
Dr. Robin Cook (born May 4, 1940 in New York City, New York) is an American doctor / novelist who writes about medicine, biotechnology, and topics affecting public health.
He is best known for being the author who created the medical-thriller genre by combining medical writing with the thriller genre of writing. His books have been bestsellers on the "New York Times" Bestseller List with several at #1. A number of his books have also been featured in Reader's Digest. Many were also featured in the Literary Guild. Many have been made into motion pictures.
Cook is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia University School of Medicine. He finished his postgraduate medical training at Harvard that included general surgery and ophthalmology. He divides his time between homes in Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts where he lives with his wife Jean. He is currently on leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He has successfully combined medical fact with fiction to produce a succession of bestselling books. Cook's medical thrillers are designed, in part, to make the public aware of both the technological possibilities of modern medicine and the ensuing ethical conundrums.
Cook got a taste of the larger world when the Cousteau Society recruited him to run its blood - gas lab in the South of France while he was in medical school. Intrigued by diving, he later called on a connection he made through Jacques Cousteau to become an aquanaut with the US Navy Sealab when he was drafted in the 60's. During his navy career he served on a nuclear submarine for a seventy-five day stay underwater where he wrote his first book! [1]
Cook was a private member of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Board of Trustees, appointed to a six-year term by the President George W. Bush.[2]
[edit] Doctor / Novelist
Dr. Cook's profession as a doctor has provided him with ideas and background for many of his novels. In each of his novels, he strives to write about the issues at the forefront of current medical practice.
To date, he has explored issues such as organ donation, genetic engineering,fertility treatment, medical research funding, managed care, medical malpractice, drug research, drug pricing, specialty hospitals, stem cells, and organ transplantation.[3]
Dr. Cook has been remarked to have an uncanny ability to anticipate national controversy. In an interview with Dr.Cook, Stephen McDonald talked to him about his novel Shock; Cook admits the timing of Shock was fortuitous. "I suppose that you could say that it's the most like Coma in that it deals with an issue that everybody seems to be concerned about," he says, "I wrote this book to address the stem cell issue, which the public really doesn't know much about. Besides entertaining readers, my main goal is to get people interested in some of these issues, because it's the public that ultimately really should decide which way we ought to go in something as that has enormous potential for treating disease and disability but touches up against the ethically problematic abortion issue."[4]
Keeping his lab coat handy helps him turn our fear of doctors into bestsellers. "I joke that if my books stop selling, I can always fall back on brain surgery," he says. "But I am still very interested in being a doctor. If I had to do it over again, I would still study medicine. I think of myself more as a doctor who writes, rather than a writer who happens to be a doctor." After 35 books,he has come up with a diagnosis to explain why his medical thrillers remain so popular. "The main reason is, we all realize we are at risk. We're all going to be patients sometime," he says. "You can write about great white sharks or haunted houses, and you can say I'm not going into the ocean or I'm not going in haunted houses, but you can't say you're n
Dr. Robin Cook (born May 4, 1940 in New York City, New York) is an American doctor / novelist who writes about medicine, biotechnology, and topics affecting public health.
He is best known for being the author who created the medical-thriller genre by combining medical writing with the thriller genre of writing. His books have been bestsellers on the "New York Times" Bestseller List with several at #1. A number of his books have also been featured in Reader's Digest. Many were also featured in the Literary Guild. Many have been made into motion pictures.
Cook is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia University School of Medicine. He finished his postgraduate medical training at Harvard that included general surgery and ophthalmology. He divides his time between homes in Florida, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts where he lives with his wife Jean. He is currently on leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He has successfully combined medical fact with fiction to produce a succession of bestselling books. Cook's medical thrillers are designed, in part, to make the public aware of both the technological possibilities of modern medicine and the ensuing ethical conundrums.
Cook got a taste of the larger world when the Cousteau Society recruited him to run its blood - gas lab in the South of France while he was in medical school. Intrigued by diving, he later called on a connection he made through Jacques Cousteau to become an aquanaut with the US Navy Sealab when he was drafted in the 60's. During his navy career he served on a nuclear submarine for a seventy-five day stay underwater where he wrote his first book! [1]
Cook was a private member of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Board of Trustees, appointed to a six-year term by the President George W. Bush.[2]
[edit] Doctor / Novelist
Dr. Cook's profession as a doctor has provided him with ideas and background for many of his novels. In each of his novels, he strives to write about the issues at the forefront of current medical practice.
To date, he has explored issues such as organ donation, genetic engineering,fertility treatment, medical research funding, managed care, medical malpractice, drug research, drug pricing, specialty hospitals, stem cells, and organ transplantation.[3]
Dr. Cook has been remarked to have an uncanny ability to anticipate national controversy. In an interview with Dr.Cook, Stephen McDonald talked to him about his novel Shock; Cook admits the timing of Shock was fortuitous. "I suppose that you could say that it's the most like Coma in that it deals with an issue that everybody seems to be concerned about," he says, "I wrote this book to address the stem cell issue, which the public really doesn't know much about. Besides entertaining readers, my main goal is to get people interested in some of these issues, because it's the public that ultimately really should decide which way we ought to go in something as that has enormous potential for treating disease and disability but touches up against the ethically problematic abortion issue."[4]
Keeping his lab coat handy helps him turn our fear of doctors into bestsellers. "I joke that if my books stop selling, I can always fall back on brain surgery," he says. "But I am still very interested in being a doctor. If I had to do it over again, I would still study medicine. I think of myself more as a doctor who writes, rather than a writer who happens to be a doctor." After 35 books,he has come up with a diagnosis to explain why his medical thrillers remain so popular. "The main reason is, we all realize we are at risk. We're all going to be patients sometime," he says. "You can write about great white sharks or haunted houses, and you can say I'm not going into the ocean or I'm not going in haunted houses, but you can't say you're n
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
February 26, 2019
Not so memorable for me. Either the storyline or the characters couldn’t engage me.
March 5, 2019
Recuerdo haber tenido siempre algunas novelas de Robin Cook en casa de mis padres, cuando era adolescente. Pero no recuerdo haber leído ninguna hasta la fecha. “Fever” fue publicada en 1982, y es por la que me he decidido a comenzar con este autor. Reconozco que el thriller médico siempre me ha llamado la atención, aunque son pocas las novelas del género que recuerdo haber abordado.
Que tiene más de 30 años de antigüedad se nota, y que ello hace que su lectura se resienta, también. A pesar de ello, o quizás debido a ello, se lee con cierta soltura y desenvolvimiento, pues el tiempo no la ha convertido en un peñazo. Se puede leer más como un divertimento, y la verdad es que la trama no está tan desfasada como parece, pues el tema de los vertidos tóxicos sigue tan vigente ahora como cuando se publicó. También el de las grandes estafas farmacéuticas. En ocasiones se le va un poco de las manos al autor; el alzamiento de cejas durante su lectura es frecuente. Pero, aun así, he de reconocer que me he divertido bastante con ella.
Que tiene más de 30 años de antigüedad se nota, y que ello hace que su lectura se resienta, también. A pesar de ello, o quizás debido a ello, se lee con cierta soltura y desenvolvimiento, pues el tiempo no la ha convertido en un peñazo. Se puede leer más como un divertimento, y la verdad es que la trama no está tan desfasada como parece, pues el tema de los vertidos tóxicos sigue tan vigente ahora como cuando se publicó. También el de las grandes estafas farmacéuticas. En ocasiones se le va un poco de las manos al autor; el alzamiento de cejas durante su lectura es frecuente. Pero, aun así, he de reconocer que me he divertido bastante con ella.
April 12, 2013
FEVER was my first Robin Cook.
Needless to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Cancer is the bane of human society today, and even at this moment innumerable scientists are breaking their heads over it, trying to find a cure for the millions that suffer. FEVER is the story of a determined scientist, racing towards a cure for leukemia for his daughter, before it's too late.
The emotional turmoil and confusion that Dr. Charles Martel goes through is so well-described that I literally felt his exasperation, anger and sorrow. I was hooked into this book from start to finish.
The only qualm I had with FEVER was the apparent lack of character development of the supporting characters. This book kind of played out like a movie, rather than a novel, where we see everything from Charles' point of view. I would be fine with that if the author hadn't randomly jumped in with the support characters' POVs, especially Chuck's or Jean Paul's. This lead me to believe that there was more to their stories, and that they had a significant role to play in the plot.
However, their narratives came only once or twice in the beginning, and then were promptly forgotten. I think it would've been better if the author hadn't narrated from their views at all, and had just taken the MC's POVs.
That said, FEVER was hugely entertaining. My final rating would be 3.5.
Needless to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Cancer is the bane of human society today, and even at this moment innumerable scientists are breaking their heads over it, trying to find a cure for the millions that suffer. FEVER is the story of a determined scientist, racing towards a cure for leukemia for his daughter, before it's too late.
The emotional turmoil and confusion that Dr. Charles Martel goes through is so well-described that I literally felt his exasperation, anger and sorrow. I was hooked into this book from start to finish.
The only qualm I had with FEVER was the apparent lack of character development of the supporting characters. This book kind of played out like a movie, rather than a novel, where we see everything from Charles' point of view. I would be fine with that if the author hadn't randomly jumped in with the support characters' POVs, especially Chuck's or Jean Paul's. This lead me to believe that there was more to their stories, and that they had a significant role to play in the plot.
However, their narratives came only once or twice in the beginning, and then were promptly forgotten. I think it would've been better if the author hadn't narrated from their views at all, and had just taken the MC's POVs.
That said, FEVER was hugely entertaining. My final rating would be 3.5.
did-not-finish
January 13, 2017DNF on page 41. The more I read of this author's work, the more I realize I severely dislike his writing.
October 27, 2025
4 stars for the fun, 2.5 for the level of reality
Robin Cook is kind of the James Patterson before we had James Patterson. His books are quick-paced thrillers with short chapters. They are easy reads. Guilty pleasures. With Cook, who was a physician, the setting is often a hospital, or there is a theme in the realm of public health.
In Fever, a cancer researcher winds up taking his own daughter hostage from the world so that he might attempt to cure her with experimental treatment. The book is very hokey - venturing into MacGyver territory even - but I admit that it was thrilling to read.
Robin Cook is kind of the James Patterson before we had James Patterson. His books are quick-paced thrillers with short chapters. They are easy reads. Guilty pleasures. With Cook, who was a physician, the setting is often a hospital, or there is a theme in the realm of public health.
In Fever, a cancer researcher winds up taking his own daughter hostage from the world so that he might attempt to cure her with experimental treatment. The book is very hokey - venturing into MacGyver territory even - but I admit that it was thrilling to read.
March 6, 2013
Someone suggested me to read Robin Cook's books.So I got two books Fever and Outbreak.I choose to read Fever first.To be honest,medical stories are not my type.So I was skeptical to read as I heard that it was a very good book.
So I started reading Fever slowly and quickly I became so involved in this story and I felt so touched to see Dr Charles Martel's struggles to save his daughter's life .
It was a thrilling and emotional ride to know what happens now and then.It was hard for me to put the book down for a while as I was so eager to know the end.
Fever really gave me a lot of insight about Leukemia and the medical world too.
So yeah,now looking forward to reading OUTBREAK too.
So I started reading Fever slowly and quickly I became so involved in this story and I felt so touched to see Dr Charles Martel's struggles to save his daughter's life .
It was a thrilling and emotional ride to know what happens now and then.It was hard for me to put the book down for a while as I was so eager to know the end.
Fever really gave me a lot of insight about Leukemia and the medical world too.
So yeah,now looking forward to reading OUTBREAK too.
April 27, 2020
Lo peor que tiene la enfermedad es la incertidumbre. Los seres humanos son capaces de adaptarse a cualquier cosa, siempre que haya alguna certeza, pero se enloquecen cuando dan tumbos sin saber nada.
Este fue mi primer libro del autor
Nuestro protagonista, Charles Martel, es un investigador muy prestigioso en el área del cáncer. Es médico pero abandonó la consulta hace años, para dedicarse a lleno a la investigación de esta terrible enfermedad, luego de la muerte de su primera esposa. En medio de su investigación, la cual sus superiores no están tan de acuerdo debido a que les parece obsoleta, es designado a la investigación y promoción del Cancerán, un nuevo producto que, como Martel descubre, resulta ser algo totalmente distinto, incluso tóxico, a como el instituto en el que trabaja y los medios lo pintan. En medio de esa conspiración, se le suma la enfermedad de su hija. Con tan solo doce años, le diagnostican leucemica. El mundo del Dr. Martel se va desmoronando poco a poco cuando a la cospiración del Cancerán se le suman otras más; sus directivos del instituto de medicación, una fábica que contamina el ambiente, incluso hasta los médicos de su hija.
"- (...) La cuestión es que, si bien hay mucho dinero para la investigación quimioterapéutica, hay muy poco para estudios inmunológicos...
- Eso es porque los agentes quimioterapéuticos, como Cancerán, pueden ser patentados, mientras que los procesos inmunológicos, en general, no."
Desde los primeros capítulos, la tensión aparece en el libro. Y ya llegando al final, la acción es tremenda que no podés soltar el libro hasta terminarlo. Pero lo que más me gustó de mi primera experiencia con Robin Cook, fue que toca al tema del cáncer como algo comercial en la medicina, cosa que estoy completamente de acuerdo y fue algo muy grato de leer en un libro por primera vez.
"Que el producto curara a la gente, no era lo importante. Se trataba de un negocio, un negocio a gran escala."
Si bien Robin Cook es super detallista y los capítulos eran eternos (tiene casi 400 páginas y solo 17 capítulos), la lectura se disfruta muchísimo porque atrapa desde un comienzo. Además, dentro de un mismo capítulo, se tienen distintos puntos de vista y eso siempre es bienvenido cuando hay varios personajes involucrados y a todos los afecta una misma problemática, además de hacer más dinámica la lectura.
Tanto la situación que se presenta en esta obra de Cook, como los personajes y su reacción a la misma, me resultaron de lo más realista. Charles Martel es impulsivo, no puede quedarse quieto, no puede no hacer nada ni sentir que no puede hacer nada. Y es por este motivo que su vida empieza a desmoronarse cuando su hija Michelle se enferma y él siente que no puede hacer nada por ella, como tampoco quiere dejar que lo comercial que tiene el cáncer termine por matarla finalmente.
Por otro lado está la familia de Charles, su esposa Cathryn y sus otros hijos, hermanos de Michelle, Chuck y Jean Paul. Todos ellos, y sobre todo Cathryn, reaccionan a la enfermedad de la niña como es de esperarse; con miedo, desesperación y tristeza. Más si no entienden mucho sobre medicina y no saben qué hacer por ella más que acompañarla en ese tratamiento que le hace peor que la enfermedad en sí.
Si bien de momentos me molestaba un poco el hecho de que Charles no se comunicara con su familia, especialmente con su esposa, y se mostrara simplemente paranoico e impulsivo, lo que el resto veía como estar al borde de un colapso nervioso, luego comprendí que esa era la manera de actuar del personaje y en algún punto de la novela todo cobra sentido.
📌 Puntuación: 4,5/5⭐
En resumen, fue una lectura que disfruté muchísimo, de principio a fin. Engancha mucho y entretiene mucho, gracias a toda la tensión que se presenta desde las primeras páginas. Super recomendado para quien disfrute de leer novelas de suspenso y sobre todos aquellos que saben o disfrutan de leer algo de medicina, microbiología o biología celular.
--- Reseña en mi bookstagram: Libros con(té)
April 28, 2014
The characters in Fever ruined this book. Fever had an interesting premise that tied in medical and environmental issues, but all the characters were selfish and impulsive (maybe Cook was going for “realistic”? I don’t even know), and I felt like a helpless bystander who couldn’t do anything to rectify the many things that went wrong. It also didn’t help that Cook exposed the characters’ every single thought, since that just made me hate them even more. And even though the ending made me like the characters a teeny weeny bit more, it also felt rushed and unrealistic.
Introduction
Forty-five-year-old Charles Martel changed careers from a doctor to a cancer researcher at the Weinburger Research Institute after his first wife died of lymphoma. Now his twelve-year-old daughter, Michelle, is suddenly down with a fever; when she gets diagnosed with leukemia, Charles fears that the same tragedy will happen again. By chance, he discovers that large amounts of benzene from Recycle, Ltd. has been leaking into the pond near his house, and he suspects that this was the main cause of Michelle’s leukemia. As Charles tries to bring charges against the company and hasten his research in hopes of finding a cure for Michelle, his increasing aloofness and random bouts of rage cause his relationship with his new wife, Cathryn, and his two other children to fall apart. Worse yet, he’s forced to take over running research trials for a new cancer drug, Cancerian, due to the previous head researcher fabricating research data. Time’s running out for Michelle – how far is Charles willing to go to save his daughter?
Discussion
There’s a problem when none of the characters in a book are likeable. First, Charles is the worst protagonist ever. He doesn’t understand why his eldest son isn’t doing well in college and why he doesn’t want to become a researcher just like him; he’s rude to his lab staff and to his supervisors, and basically to everyone he meets; he doesn’t properly communicate with Cathryn during this whole mess; and his personality and his actions are just really, really awful. Cathryn is a weak character who seems helpless and easily manipulated, and I had moments when I even hated Michelle because she keeps incorrectly assuming that Charles is mad at her. And everyone outside of the family is evil, conniving, mean, or just plain unlikeable. It’s like someone gathered all the antagonists from every single book and stuck them in this one! Ugh.
Part of what makes the characters unlikeable is due to Cook’s writing style, which feels apathetic and dry most of the time. Even when a character is outraged or emotional, the scene feels lifeless and forced because there’s no subtlety to it. For example, Cathryn, at one point, feels a “stabbing pain of guilt” that is nowhere near as stabbingly painful as it could’ve been if it were shown using actions or gestures.
In addition, everyone’s thoughts and feelings are broadcasted, so we are unfortunately subjected to hearing about how Cathryn’s stepson is infatuated with her, how Charles’ lab assistant lusts after him, and how Michelle’s doctors think Charles is crazy. No one thinks nice thoughts, and it feels like everyone’s being self-destructive.
The plot itself is also extremely bleak and unrealistic; although Cook combines some interesting issues such as environmental toxicants, disease risk, and a lot of other sciencey things, some situations felt exaggerated and melodramatic. Throughout the story and even up to the ending, I kept thinking, “Do you really expect me to believe that?”
Conclusion
So my first Robin Cook book didn’t go as well as I expected. Fever is a deadly combination of bad characters and bad plot. Even though the premise was interesting and the issues raised in this book are very real, this story completely self-destructed.
Paper Breathers (Book Reviews & Discussions)
Introduction
Forty-five-year-old Charles Martel changed careers from a doctor to a cancer researcher at the Weinburger Research Institute after his first wife died of lymphoma. Now his twelve-year-old daughter, Michelle, is suddenly down with a fever; when she gets diagnosed with leukemia, Charles fears that the same tragedy will happen again. By chance, he discovers that large amounts of benzene from Recycle, Ltd. has been leaking into the pond near his house, and he suspects that this was the main cause of Michelle’s leukemia. As Charles tries to bring charges against the company and hasten his research in hopes of finding a cure for Michelle, his increasing aloofness and random bouts of rage cause his relationship with his new wife, Cathryn, and his two other children to fall apart. Worse yet, he’s forced to take over running research trials for a new cancer drug, Cancerian, due to the previous head researcher fabricating research data. Time’s running out for Michelle – how far is Charles willing to go to save his daughter?
Discussion
There’s a problem when none of the characters in a book are likeable. First, Charles is the worst protagonist ever. He doesn’t understand why his eldest son isn’t doing well in college and why he doesn’t want to become a researcher just like him; he’s rude to his lab staff and to his supervisors, and basically to everyone he meets; he doesn’t properly communicate with Cathryn during this whole mess; and his personality and his actions are just really, really awful. Cathryn is a weak character who seems helpless and easily manipulated, and I had moments when I even hated Michelle because she keeps incorrectly assuming that Charles is mad at her. And everyone outside of the family is evil, conniving, mean, or just plain unlikeable. It’s like someone gathered all the antagonists from every single book and stuck them in this one! Ugh.
Part of what makes the characters unlikeable is due to Cook’s writing style, which feels apathetic and dry most of the time. Even when a character is outraged or emotional, the scene feels lifeless and forced because there’s no subtlety to it. For example, Cathryn, at one point, feels a “stabbing pain of guilt” that is nowhere near as stabbingly painful as it could’ve been if it were shown using actions or gestures.
In addition, everyone’s thoughts and feelings are broadcasted, so we are unfortunately subjected to hearing about how Cathryn’s stepson is infatuated with her, how Charles’ lab assistant lusts after him, and how Michelle’s doctors think Charles is crazy. No one thinks nice thoughts, and it feels like everyone’s being self-destructive.
The plot itself is also extremely bleak and unrealistic; although Cook combines some interesting issues such as environmental toxicants, disease risk, and a lot of other sciencey things, some situations felt exaggerated and melodramatic. Throughout the story and even up to the ending, I kept thinking, “Do you really expect me to believe that?”
Conclusion
So my first Robin Cook book didn’t go as well as I expected. Fever is a deadly combination of bad characters and bad plot. Even though the premise was interesting and the issues raised in this book are very real, this story completely self-destructed.
Paper Breathers (Book Reviews & Discussions)
July 23, 2025
Can't get enough of medical thrillers. Although, why do they all have to be written by men in 1980 and all contain subtle hints of raging misogyny? (subtle but somehow still raging...) if I read another man calling his wife "crazy". I can get past it for the plot and anti-big Pharma/health insurance narratives but damn.
January 5, 2017
Typical Robin Cook novel c. 1982, an easy read. Dr. Charles Martel is a cancer researcher interested in the potential for immunotherapy as a treatment. His first wife died of cancer. He is a focused but high maintenance employee of the Weinburger Institute. Married with 3 children living in a small town in New Hampshire. Everything begins to go awry for Charles when almost simultaneously he is told to stop his research to work on a project that has been derailed by shoddy research, a project he doesn't believe in, and his youngest child, Michelle is diagnosed with an aggressive & difficult to treat leukemia. He is at odds with her physicians about appropriate treatment. He subsequently discovers benzene in the water near his home, a toxic chemical that can cause blood disorders and tracks it down to a Recycling plant. A recycling plant that is the biggest employer for his small town, and it's own by a parent company that also owns the Weinberger Institute. Soon he appears to be spinning out of control. Fighting to save Michelle, his job & reputation, his marriage, his home, shut down the recycling plant, and literally his life.
Some of the storyline is predictable, but not enough to keep me from wanting to know how it all turns out. There are many irons in the fire! The "standoff" at his house had the most tension written in, and the best literary visuals were the prologue & the epilogue.
Some of the storyline is predictable, but not enough to keep me from wanting to know how it all turns out. There are many irons in the fire! The "standoff" at his house had the most tension written in, and the best literary visuals were the prologue & the epilogue.
December 7, 2008
This was a very frustrating read for me. Initially, the story was stale, old, been there - read that, but I kept reminding myself that this book was written in the early 80s. Maybe, the premise was somewhat newish, at the time. (Child comes down with leukemia presumably due to a factory dumping toxic waste into the local river.)
Another frustrating aspect was Charles' ever growing anger. Maybe not being a parent, I can't fully grasp the extent of his emotions. It just got to be annoying. I wanted to tell him to 'let it go, move on.' That said, I don't think the ending would've played out the same way without him having taken that angry emotional journey.
I'd say the last 1/4 to 1/5 of the book veered slightly off the expected story line, finally offering a bit of a refreshing and enticing read.
Another frustrating aspect was Charles' ever growing anger. Maybe not being a parent, I can't fully grasp the extent of his emotions. It just got to be annoying. I wanted to tell him to 'let it go, move on.' That said, I don't think the ending would've played out the same way without him having taken that angry emotional journey.
I'd say the last 1/4 to 1/5 of the book veered slightly off the expected story line, finally offering a bit of a refreshing and enticing read.
June 13, 2014
Once again, a single man against the world.
A little girl is sick with leukemia. The father, a doctor, disagree with the hospital protocol. He has the skills and the means to know what's good for his daughter, but his temper carries him away. So he fights back the establishment and, obviously, wins. Because the average Americans is able to hold back a whole army.
The medical part of the story is quite interesting and I wish to know how much of this cure is science and how much is sci-fi. The enviromental part of the story and the relationshio with the not-from-the-high-street lawyer could have been longer, it looks to me like a missed opportunity.
A little girl is sick with leukemia. The father, a doctor, disagree with the hospital protocol. He has the skills and the means to know what's good for his daughter, but his temper carries him away. So he fights back the establishment and, obviously, wins. Because the average Americans is able to hold back a whole army.
The medical part of the story is quite interesting and I wish to know how much of this cure is science and how much is sci-fi. The enviromental part of the story and the relationshio with the not-from-the-high-street lawyer could have been longer, it looks to me like a missed opportunity.
June 22, 2021
(⭑⭑⭑⭑⭒ 4,5 estrellas)
Me gustó haber regresado al género thriller después de tantos años, y que haya sido una recomendación de mi amorcito ❤️
Es un thriller médico que va a un ritmo trepidante y en dónde nada puede salir bien desde el principio: el protagonista (Charles) pareciera que no toma ni una sola decisión correcta (además del lo irritante que resulta ser!) en pos de salvar a su hija de una terrible enfermedad.
La historia hacia el final cobra un poco de calma y, si bien el final es predecible, no deja de ser un libro impactante y lleno de tensión.
Me gustó haber regresado al género thriller después de tantos años, y que haya sido una recomendación de mi amorcito ❤️
Es un thriller médico que va a un ritmo trepidante y en dónde nada puede salir bien desde el principio: el protagonista (Charles) pareciera que no toma ni una sola decisión correcta (además del lo irritante que resulta ser!) en pos de salvar a su hija de una terrible enfermedad.
La historia hacia el final cobra un poco de calma y, si bien el final es predecible, no deja de ser un libro impactante y lleno de tensión.
July 23, 2022
So happy it’s over. This dragged so bad. It was also lowkey racist. Decent plot idea but bad execution.
June 16, 2025
⭐⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: Fever by Robin Cook
“What if your child’s leukemia wasn’t random—but revenge?”
The Plot (Spoilers Ahead):
Charles Martel, a widowed cancer researcher, is finally reconnecting with his 12-year-old daughter, Michelle, when she develops bruises and fatigue. It’s leukemia, the doctors say. Acute. Aggressive. And already spreading.
Charles is devastated—but not convinced this is just bad luck. He begins digging for environmental causes and discovers something terrifying: Michelle may have been exposed to benzene, a known carcinogen, dumped into the local river by a chemical plant affiliated with the powerful AmeriCare Hospital, where Charles also happens to work.
When he publicly challenges the diagnosis and questions conventional treatment (like radiation), Charles is stonewalled. His bosses demand silence. The hospital wants control of Michelle’s care. The chemical company wants him to shut up. But Charles goes rogue, removing Michelle from the hospital and seeking alternative treatments, all while unraveling the industrial cover-up and taking on corporate giants.
The stakes: one sick child. A corrupt hospital system. And a very angry pharmaceutical executive with everything to lose.
The Medical Issue Examined:
Cook blends personal tragedy with political commentary here, diving into:
Leukemia and cancer treatments in children
Environmental carcinogens and toxic waste exposure
The ethical quagmire of radiation vs. experimental therapy
Corporate medical conflicts of interest—what happens when hospitals and polluters are the same entity?
It’s Erin Brockovich meets House M.D., with a heavy dose of righteous fatherly fury.
Characters:
Dr. Charles Martel – Brilliant, grieving, and absolutely unwilling to lose another loved one. He’s flawed (prone to rage, emotionally detached), but completely committed to Michelle. Cook’s most paternal and personally motivated lead.
Michelle Martel – Not just a patient, but a person. She’s curious, scared, and a heartbreaking window into the human cost of negligence.
Breur Chemical Executives – Your standard-issue blend of greed, denial, and casual child endangerment. Special mention to the CEO who basically wants to gaslight an entire river.
Writing Style:
This one’s emotionally charged, more so than Cook’s usual procedural tone. There’s rage in the prose—personal, environmental, medical. Dialogue moves quickly, and exposition comes in layered bursts as Charles uncovers how deeply the corruption runs.
It’s both a medical thriller and an eco-thriller, with a fast pace but surprisingly tender moments between Charles and Michelle.
Final Word:
Fever is one of Cook’s most personal-feeling novels, showing the vulnerability of patients in a profit-driven system, especially when that patient is a child. It asks: What would you do to save your kid—and what if fighting back means losing your job, your freedom, and your reputation?
Brutal in premise, but grounded in love and principle, this one lingers. It’s not just about beating cancer—it’s about beating the system that let it happen.
Read if you like:
Grieving-dad-turns-detective stories
Eco-medical thrillers
Hospital corruption with a child’s life at stake
“What if your child’s leukemia wasn’t random—but revenge?”
The Plot (Spoilers Ahead):
Charles Martel, a widowed cancer researcher, is finally reconnecting with his 12-year-old daughter, Michelle, when she develops bruises and fatigue. It’s leukemia, the doctors say. Acute. Aggressive. And already spreading.
Charles is devastated—but not convinced this is just bad luck. He begins digging for environmental causes and discovers something terrifying: Michelle may have been exposed to benzene, a known carcinogen, dumped into the local river by a chemical plant affiliated with the powerful AmeriCare Hospital, where Charles also happens to work.
When he publicly challenges the diagnosis and questions conventional treatment (like radiation), Charles is stonewalled. His bosses demand silence. The hospital wants control of Michelle’s care. The chemical company wants him to shut up. But Charles goes rogue, removing Michelle from the hospital and seeking alternative treatments, all while unraveling the industrial cover-up and taking on corporate giants.
The stakes: one sick child. A corrupt hospital system. And a very angry pharmaceutical executive with everything to lose.
The Medical Issue Examined:
Cook blends personal tragedy with political commentary here, diving into:
Leukemia and cancer treatments in children
Environmental carcinogens and toxic waste exposure
The ethical quagmire of radiation vs. experimental therapy
Corporate medical conflicts of interest—what happens when hospitals and polluters are the same entity?
It’s Erin Brockovich meets House M.D., with a heavy dose of righteous fatherly fury.
Characters:
Dr. Charles Martel – Brilliant, grieving, and absolutely unwilling to lose another loved one. He’s flawed (prone to rage, emotionally detached), but completely committed to Michelle. Cook’s most paternal and personally motivated lead.
Michelle Martel – Not just a patient, but a person. She’s curious, scared, and a heartbreaking window into the human cost of negligence.
Breur Chemical Executives – Your standard-issue blend of greed, denial, and casual child endangerment. Special mention to the CEO who basically wants to gaslight an entire river.
Writing Style:
This one’s emotionally charged, more so than Cook’s usual procedural tone. There’s rage in the prose—personal, environmental, medical. Dialogue moves quickly, and exposition comes in layered bursts as Charles uncovers how deeply the corruption runs.
It’s both a medical thriller and an eco-thriller, with a fast pace but surprisingly tender moments between Charles and Michelle.
Final Word:
Fever is one of Cook’s most personal-feeling novels, showing the vulnerability of patients in a profit-driven system, especially when that patient is a child. It asks: What would you do to save your kid—and what if fighting back means losing your job, your freedom, and your reputation?
Brutal in premise, but grounded in love and principle, this one lingers. It’s not just about beating cancer—it’s about beating the system that let it happen.
Read if you like:
Grieving-dad-turns-detective stories
Eco-medical thrillers
Hospital corruption with a child’s life at stake
October 16, 2014
Robin Cook's Fever is a dramatic thriller version of Heinz's Dilemma of the moral grey area. Add to it cancer cure and Environmental dumping and you have a heady concoction that has you hooked.
Charles Mantel is a father trying to save his daughter. He is also a researcher who values ethics. The book builds up tension over 4 days and at the end of every chapter (up to 80% of the book) things seem to deteriorate. The characters are real and one can feel the emotional turmoil of the characters through superhuman efforts. And yet, there are some warm moments snuck in effortlessly that makes them human.
Robin Cook is no Crichton when it comes to research and if you know a bit of basic chemistry, one can guess. But definitely an engaging story teller1
Charles Mantel is a father trying to save his daughter. He is also a researcher who values ethics. The book builds up tension over 4 days and at the end of every chapter (up to 80% of the book) things seem to deteriorate. The characters are real and one can feel the emotional turmoil of the characters through superhuman efforts. And yet, there are some warm moments snuck in effortlessly that makes them human.
Robin Cook is no Crichton when it comes to research and if you know a bit of basic chemistry, one can guess. But definitely an engaging story teller1
September 14, 2013
Fever is the story of a determined scientist, racing towards a cure for leukemia for his daughter, before it's too late. So I started reading Fever slowly. I became so involved in this story and I felt so touched to see Dr Charles Martel's struggles to save his daughter's life. This book is so real that you completely become involved with the characters and don't doubt for a moment that it has all really happened.
November 23, 2014
While i was reading it, i was in 2nd year of undergraduate of medical science mbbs, and i had this pathology as a subject, so what mundane things i read in book was given more vividly in the novel. Must read if you are a medico and so relatable. The ending is kinda too far fetched but yeah still it is good. I could write my anwsers in pathology which i had not revised. Don't be intimated that you ate just going to read another text book, it is so no that. I'll give it a 3.5
October 3, 2011
It got really thrilling towards the end of the book, I couldn't put it down. I really liked the story line. I wasn't too fond of the wife's character and the doctors from the hospital really angered me, but I suppose that's what made the book come to life. I definately want to read another on of Cook's novels.
December 22, 2013
The premise of the book is not bad. Charles acts more like a schoolboy throwing a temper tantrum than a professional research scientist. Cathryn, Charles ignorant wife, is a character that doesn't deserve to have been born on paper. The daughter, Michelle, is written better. She has the normal fears of a small child and they are incorporated well into the story.
March 31, 2010
The story was written in the early 1980s and is a bit far-fetched, but a good medical thriller. I found the non-communication between the main character and his wife and family very annoying, but a quick read, nonetheless.
July 29, 2014
In Robin Cook's first novels, he was a different kind of writer with a new scary kind of story. Now, after all these years, the subject matter is still scary, but has grown a bit tiresome. This is well written, as always, but I believe it will be my last Robin Cook novel.
January 16, 2008
Robin Cook was the author who kept me sane during my troublesome primary school days.
August 16, 2009
An absolutely amazing book. It was slow at the beginning, but after that, it was intense all the way until the end. I couldn't put down. Can't wait to read more of Robin Cook's books. ;]
August 1, 2023
El drama es bueno. Los personajes no.
Tenemos a una niña con un cáncer muy agresivo que pasa la mayor parte de la novela sola, asustada y llamando a sus padres que están muy ocupados haciendo líos burocráticos por toda la ciudad.
El padre es demasiado egocéntrico pero obviamente al final sale triunfante héroe de todo.
Se la pasan GRITANDOSE todo el libro 🤦🏼♀️
Lagrimómetro: 0/5
Dramómetro: 2/5
Tenemos a una niña con un cáncer muy agresivo que pasa la mayor parte de la novela sola, asustada y llamando a sus padres que están muy ocupados haciendo líos burocráticos por toda la ciudad.
El padre es demasiado egocéntrico pero obviamente al final sale triunfante héroe de todo.
Se la pasan GRITANDOSE todo el libro 🤦🏼♀️
Lagrimómetro: 0/5
Dramómetro: 2/5
January 10, 2025
Exposes how the noble profession of medicine is more of a business and numerous government agencies are hand in glove with the big corporations - the money-making machines.
A lone man fighting against the system, trying his best to save his daughter's life and protect his family. The development of the story and the characters could have been much better. There is tension and suspense, but not as much as you generally expect. This works positively as well as negatively. Certainly makes the story believable.
Looking forward to what more Robin Cook has to offer.
A lone man fighting against the system, trying his best to save his daughter's life and protect his family. The development of the story and the characters could have been much better. There is tension and suspense, but not as much as you generally expect. This works positively as well as negatively. Certainly makes the story believable.
Looking forward to what more Robin Cook has to offer.
September 20, 2021
What a book!
This was so emotional, farfetched and believable at the same time.
This was so emotional, farfetched and believable at the same time.
October 16, 2023
An interesting but frustrating book. The plot felt glacial for the first half, but it finally got going at the end.
The biggest frustration with the book is that the protagonist, a brilliant scientist, is a complete moron.
The second biggest frustration is that pretty much every secondary character is dumb, horrible, or a combination of both. The only exceptions are 2/3 of Charles' children.
The ending is bizarre.
The biggest frustration with the book is that the protagonist, a brilliant scientist, is a complete moron.
The second biggest frustration is that pretty much every secondary character is dumb, horrible, or a combination of both. The only exceptions are 2/3 of Charles' children.
The ending is bizarre.
February 1, 2025
A este libro lo leí por primera vez a los 12 años, mi mamá es médica y todas las novelas de chica tienen médicos o medicina en la trama. Es un libro bastante genial porque EL TEMA es súper interesante y está tan bien escrito que un mini Elu puede entenderlo perfectamente. Hay un intento de denuncia social bastante aceptable.
Si te gusta la ciencia o la medicina, recomiendo.
Si te gusta la ciencia o la medicina, recomiendo.
September 18, 2014
4 scientific, relatable, thrilling stars!
Fever by Robin Cook is a masterpiece. There's not an element of doubt about that. He is a superb writer and I am immensely awed by his work.
I would give special points to that prologue. That was so vivid and classic in description. It created sort of an animated visual in my mind about how Benzene silently but cruelly caused all that genetic mutation, the root cause of leukaemia.
The story centres around a cancer researcher, Charles Martel whose own child, Michelle develops leukaemia and his attempts to cure his child as well as demolish the cause of her cancer, Benzene, which was being dumped into the river by a reputed recycling factory. Charles is a temperamental man, and though many would term his rage as unreasonable, I don't blame him one tiny bit. He had to witness the miserable way his first wife succumbed to the clutches of this thing called Cancer, following which his interest in the subject piped up. And when he again had to face the same situation with Michelle, he was jolted from his position. The helplessness of watching her suffer just like his wife did was severely traumatic to someone like Charles who liked being "a man in action", as Dr. Wiley said.
With Chuck though, I felt he was unfair. That's a common scenario in households with one or both of the parents as doctors. They are so overwhelmed by Medical Science that they easily undermine all other interests that the children might have a heart for.
However my only fuss with this book was that I felt it got a bit repetitive at places. Charles's frequent mood swings made it sound monotonous at one stage. At first you are interested in knowing where his anger might lead him to, but subsequently it loses its charm and you get bored.
The end was a justified, appreciable one. The administration bows down to Charles, and that made me real happy because unjust and immoral people must be shown where they belong. Take that, "Dr."Ibanez and "Dr." Morrison. Unethical bastards!
I also loved Chuck and even Jean Paul in the last part when they decided to side with their family, no matter how bitter their relations were with their father.
Overall, a satisfying and thrilling read. The writer was remarkable with the plot and the pace of the story. The character development was a bit uneven. He predominantly focussed on Charles's frustration and resentment all the way throughout the story, except for the penultimate part, where his helplessness and uncertainty surface out, while trying to cure Michelle of her cancer.
Also being a medico, this book was highly enthralling as it presented a practical example of stuff that we learn in our academic books, and so the terminologies didn't bother me that much. Leukaemia is something I came across quite recently, so I could well relate to it; this book helped me in getting the symptoms imprinted onto my skull for ever.
4 stars for me. Recommended to all who love thrillers as well as sci-fi.
Fever by Robin Cook is a masterpiece. There's not an element of doubt about that. He is a superb writer and I am immensely awed by his work.
I would give special points to that prologue. That was so vivid and classic in description. It created sort of an animated visual in my mind about how Benzene silently but cruelly caused all that genetic mutation, the root cause of leukaemia.
The story centres around a cancer researcher, Charles Martel whose own child, Michelle develops leukaemia and his attempts to cure his child as well as demolish the cause of her cancer, Benzene, which was being dumped into the river by a reputed recycling factory. Charles is a temperamental man, and though many would term his rage as unreasonable, I don't blame him one tiny bit. He had to witness the miserable way his first wife succumbed to the clutches of this thing called Cancer, following which his interest in the subject piped up. And when he again had to face the same situation with Michelle, he was jolted from his position. The helplessness of watching her suffer just like his wife did was severely traumatic to someone like Charles who liked being "a man in action", as Dr. Wiley said.
With Chuck though, I felt he was unfair. That's a common scenario in households with one or both of the parents as doctors. They are so overwhelmed by Medical Science that they easily undermine all other interests that the children might have a heart for.
However my only fuss with this book was that I felt it got a bit repetitive at places. Charles's frequent mood swings made it sound monotonous at one stage. At first you are interested in knowing where his anger might lead him to, but subsequently it loses its charm and you get bored.
The end was a justified, appreciable one. The administration bows down to Charles, and that made me real happy because unjust and immoral people must be shown where they belong. Take that, "Dr."Ibanez and "Dr." Morrison. Unethical bastards!
I also loved Chuck and even Jean Paul in the last part when they decided to side with their family, no matter how bitter their relations were with their father.
Overall, a satisfying and thrilling read. The writer was remarkable with the plot and the pace of the story. The character development was a bit uneven. He predominantly focussed on Charles's frustration and resentment all the way throughout the story, except for the penultimate part, where his helplessness and uncertainty surface out, while trying to cure Michelle of her cancer.
Also being a medico, this book was highly enthralling as it presented a practical example of stuff that we learn in our academic books, and so the terminologies didn't bother me that much. Leukaemia is something I came across quite recently, so I could well relate to it; this book helped me in getting the symptoms imprinted onto my skull for ever.
4 stars for me. Recommended to all who love thrillers as well as sci-fi.
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