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Miracle Cure
Written by Harlan Coben
Narrated by Scott Brick
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They're one of the country's most telegenic couples: beloved TV journalist Sara Lowell and New York's hottest basketball star, Michael Silverman. Their family and social connections tie them to the highest echelons of the political, medical, and sports worlds-threads that will tangle them up in one of the most controversial and deadly issues of our time.
In a clinic on Manhattan's Upper West Side, a doctor has dedicated his life to eradicating a divisive and devastating disease. One by one, his patients are getting well. One by one, they're being targeted by a serial killer. And now Michael has been diagnosed with the disease. There's only one cure, but many ways to die.…
"Coben adroitly applies the fundamental rules of thrillerdom (offer a raft of potential villains; keep the action moving at breakneck speed) in this highly entertaining novel…a page-turner!" -Publishers Weekly
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
Miracle Cure
Written by Harlan Coben
Narrated by Scott Brick
Description
They're one of the country's most telegenic couples: beloved TV journalist Sara Lowell and New York's hottest basketball star, Michael Silverman. Their family and social connections tie them to the highest echelons of the political, medical, and sports worlds-threads that will tangle them up in one of the most controversial and deadly issues of our time.
In a clinic on Manhattan's Upper West Side, a doctor has dedicated his life to eradicating a divisive and devastating disease. One by one, his patients are getting well. One by one, they're being targeted by a serial killer. And now Michael has been diagnosed with the disease. There's only one cure, but many ways to die.…
"Coben adroitly applies the fundamental rules of thrillerdom (offer a raft of potential villains; keep the action moving at breakneck speed) in this highly entertaining novel…a page-turner!" -Publishers Weekly
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Reviews
I opened this book to the foreword from the author, warning the reader that this is an early book of his, not re-written and packaged as a new novel (“I hate when authors do that” he states). It sounded familiar - right down to the final paragraph conceding that there is a “risk taking” about this novel that he isn’t sure he still has the capacity for. I had read it all before. Unbelievable! I had gone and bought a book I had already read!! Except that I hadn’t. None of the story was familiar. Turns out there are several ancient books his publisher has put out with the exact same foreword, with the title of the book cut-and-pasted in in the appropriate place.I hate when authors do that.But over to the story. This is the sort of fast-moving twisting-turning fiction we have come to expect from Harlan Coben, and considering it’s the work of a “naive lad” in his twenties it’s not half bad. Harking back to the early days of the AIDS crisis, it surrounds an apparent cure for the disease and a murderer apparently targeting those who have been successfully treated. The trademark jocularity is sparse but used effectively (the character Michael is asked whether anything unusual has appeared in his urine, and reports that “there was a Datsun Hatchback in there this morning”. Bravo). As with this type of mystery novel it’s probably a case of picking the least likely person to have “dunnit” and you may well get it right (though I didn’t). Guessing the “why” is more tricky, and the explanation section that every such book has to go through tied my brain in knots, but I understood enough. More of the same please, but would it kill you to write a new foreword?
Rating: 4I unashamedly admit I am a Harlan Coben fan - though only recently introduced to his works. I've read a number of his books in quick succession, so I knew it was only a matter a time that I would run into one that would just not do it for me.
Miracle Cure was that one.
This is Coben's second novel and in the edition I have he goes as far as to add a disclaimer at the beginning that states this is far from the standard that existing fans would expect and that perhaps not the place to start for new readers either. He does however acknowledge that these were his beginnings as a writer.
We all start our journeys somewhere and this novel is part of the journey that makes Coben the writer he is today. For that reason I made the effort to follow it to the end. Its hard to know whether my opinion would have been different had I not had later books to compare it to.
In general this took me longer to read than a HC book would, the writing style a bit more clumsy and not as well edited as his later works so it just didn't read as well.
The story follows a doctor on his quest to find a cure for the AIDS virus, the people trying to stop him and the normal murder, mayhem and twists that are Coben's trademark style. It is important to place yourself back in the early 90's when a lot less was known about the AIDS virus and fear of contracting it was rampant. Looking at the story with modern eyes will almost certainly impacts the way the story is viewed.
You can definitely see the beginnings of what would become a great career in the 'Thriller and Suspense' genre
Rating: 2Miracle Cure was that one.
This is Coben's second novel and in the edition I have he goes as far as to add a disclaimer at the beginning that states this is far from the standard that existing fans would expect and that perhaps not the place to start for new readers either. He does however acknowledge that these were his beginnings as a writer.
We all start our journeys somewhere and this novel is part of the journey that makes Coben the writer he is today. For that reason I made the effort to follow it to the end. Its hard to know whether my opinion would have been different had I not had later books to compare it to.
In general this took me longer to read than a HC book would, the writing style a bit more clumsy and not as well edited as his later works so it just didn't read as well.
The story follows a doctor on his quest to find a cure for the AIDS virus, the people trying to stop him and the normal murder, mayhem and twists that are Coben's trademark style. It is important to place yourself back in the early 90's when a lot less was known about the AIDS virus and fear of contracting it was rampant. Looking at the story with modern eyes will almost certainly impacts the way the story is viewed.
You can definitely see the beginnings of what would become a great career in the 'Thriller and Suspense' genre
Michael is a pro basketball player, whose life changes drastically when he collapses on the court. He's rushed to the hospital. Sara rushes to her husband. They are stunned to find out that he has hepatitis, and devastated to find out that he has been diagnosed as HIV positive.
Michael is moved to the HIV clinic to be treated. Three patients from the clinic have been brutally murdered, and one of the doctor's has died from an apparent suicide.
Doctors are vying for more funding, an overzealous evangelist is calling the AIDs virus a sign from God that end of times are near, and all is not what it seems. Family members can't be trusted. Friends aren't really friends.
Rating: 5Michael is moved to the HIV clinic to be treated. Three patients from the clinic have been brutally murdered, and one of the doctor's has died from an apparent suicide.
Doctors are vying for more funding, an overzealous evangelist is calling the AIDs virus a sign from God that end of times are near, and all is not what it seems. Family members can't be trusted. Friends aren't really friends.
Very nice! Drew me in like a cyclone, and placed me down gently at the end. I can always count on Harlan Coben to be a rollercoaster ride of a book, and this was no exception. Centering around two doctors with a possible cure for the AIDS virus, a famous reporter married to a star professional basketball player, a conservative senator and a crooked televisional evangelist, this has all the makings of a great story. A mystery that kept me guessing until the end.
Recommended.
Rating: 4Recommended.
Harlan Coben is one of my favourite authors. He released this book in 2011, after writing it 20 years prior, at a time when he could not get anyone to publish his work. It might not be the show stopping standard of say Tell No One, or Gone For Good, but you can see the tell tale signs of a talented writer behind this piece of work. I enjoyed reading this book.
Rating: 4This was written quite a few years back, but it was still pretty interesting.
Rating: 4Not a bad book. It was better than I expected and had a few nice twists.
Rating: 4If this was the first ever book of Harlan Coben that I came to read I would never even touch any of his books again. Yes, It's one of his earliest books and one should have patience. But the thing is: I have loads of patience for Harlan Coben. Since reading "the Stranger" I have worked myself through almost all his standalone stories and I love them (guilty pleasure, of course) but this piece just screams for en editor. At least someone to point out the basic difference between aids and HIV.
Rating: 13.5 starsSara is a reporter. She is married to pro-basketball player Michael. Her father is a doctor, researching cancer. Friends of Sara and Michael’s are researching AIDS and, though this has been kept a secret, they think they’ve found a cure. But, some of the cured patients are turning up tortured and murdered! One of the head doctors has committed suicide (though the reader knows at the start that he was also murdered), and there are financial and political concerns for the AIDS clinic. This was good. This is one of Coben’s earlier novels and my edition has a brief introduction by the author that he realizes it is dated, but he still likes the book. It is dated. It’s early in the fight against AIDS and gay men are more openly mocked. But, it’s still a good story. Not as good as his later books, but still good. At the start, I had a bit of a hard time figuring out some of the characters and where each fit in. But, I think I had who was who figured out by the end. I was surprised at the ending, which almost brought it up to 4 stars, but not quite.
Rating: 4What would you do if you found a cure to one of our most deadly diseases? That is the question Dr. Harvey Riker must deal with. Remarkably, there are people that do not want some diseases cured.When Michael Silverman, NBA star, is diagnosed HIV positive, things change dramatically. Someone has been killing patients at Riker's AIDS clinic, patients presumably cured of the deadly disease thus destroying the proof. Michael is betting his life that Harvey can cure him. But will Michael live long enough to receive the entire treatment?A very good medical mystery in the vein of Robin Cook, I did not see the explosive ending coming.
Rating: 4This was a powerful introduction to Coben's work: as a suspense novel, it moves quickly and believably, and keeps you guessing throughout the work even though, in the end, everything makes sense. True, Coben misleads readers along the way, but he doesn't trick them or leave out small bits of information that, realistically, should be included--in other words, it's written the way a good mystery should be. Character-wise, Coben's characters are believable and well-drawn. Subject-wise, Coben also tackles more aspects of the complexity of society's reactions to AIDS than most novels, and does so subtly.It is true that this is one of Coben's earlier works, republished, and there are a few spots where that shows through in awkward-ish dialogue and scenes moving a bit too quickly or slowly, but in general, this is a smart and well-developed suspense novel. And, early or not, it's enough to ensure that I'll be picking up quite a bit more work from Coben.Absolutely recommended.
Rating: 5MIRACLE CURE by Harlan Coben is his second novel. It is prefaced with a warning that it’s not up to his present-day standards. But his first novel, PLAY DEAD, contained the same preface, and I enjoyed it, anyhow. So I thought this second would be at least as good as the first. Nope.MIRACLE CURE lacks that grab-me-from-the-start that is characteristic of Coben’s other books. But, because it was there in PLAY DEAD almost immediately, I thought it would be in MIRACLE CURE, too. So I was disappointed in spite of his warning. But MIRACLE CURE did end, as all Coben’s books do, with a surprise.
Rating: 3I love Harlan Coben novels, and I'm OCD enough that I have to have everything checked off on my lists. Accordingly, I tracked this novel from a library in a neighboring state, which is Coben's 2nd and now out of print. Published in 1991 it's a thriller that centers around the AIDS epidemic, but I would not consider it to be a medical thriller. AIDS back in the early '90's was a headline issue and it was very interesting to go back in time a bit with the fears and sterotypes associated with AIDS. Also intersesting was one of his main characters, Michael Silverman - where you could see hints of who was to become Myron Bolitar. Very entertaining and well-written. Now to hunt down Coben's first novel Play Dead - also out of print.
Rating: 3