Marker by Robbin Cook

This is the first Robin Cook book i read in years.

The insurance company identifies the new subscribers that will cost them a lot of money in the future and has them "eliminated". By identifying if a person is postive for certain "markers" with the use of Genomic research, the insurance company sets out to cut its future losses by placing hit-men/women to work in hospitals and carry out a very amoral thing.

Medical examiners Dr. Laurie Montgomery and Dr. Jack Stapleton confront a series of puzzling hospital deaths of young, healthy people after successful routine surgery. Despite resistance from her superiors, as well as from those at Manhattan General, Laurie pursues the investigation. Though it seems impossible to determine why and how the patients are dying, she comes to suspect that not only are the deaths related-they're intentional, suggesting the work of a remarkably clever serial killer with a very unusual motive, involving frightening ties to both developing genomic medicine and the economics of modern-day health care.

The novel has a well developed plot with a remarkable and truly well written ending! The author shares his thoughts about the medical system in the States, the nursing shortage and faults about the health care through this novel. The novel is written with intermingling of suspense and science, and the author delivers a stimulating page-turner.

A chain of deaths at Manhattan General Hospital keeps Laurie indulged in her work even more than before while she tackles her troubling relationship with Dr. Jack Stapelton. She then finds the case of a twenty-eight year old boy who only had a minor foot injury but died due to no particular reason. Next in line was a woman who also died with a naive knee surgery giving no apparent evidence of her death. Laurie finds these cases very puzzling and thinks that they are related. Suddenly she discovers the bizarre truth…..There is a serial killer operating in Manhattan General!

As more cases keep arriving, Laurie detects that there are only three things common between all the deceased. They are young, healthy and new subscribers of the AmriCare. Laurie toils day and night to find the reason and the person behind these cold blooded murders. As the mystery keeps unraveling, Laurie tangles between her personal life and the strange job at hand.

Very good book.