OK. So I've always been a big fan of Robin Cook, thanks to my sister. So when I went to Timesquare Borders 2 weeks ago, I was drawn to buy this book after reading the short synopsis printed on the back cover. No kidding, the synopsis was brilliantly written to intrigue and catch the eyes of even the ones who were casually selecting random books off the shelf to pass time. Can't say it attracts book-haters cuz if they hated books so much they wouldn't be in the bookstores in the first place.
Accused of medical malpractice, Dr Craig Bowman feels shocked, angry and humiliated. He has spent gruelling years in the service of others before eventually becoming partner in an exclusive medical practice which allows him to lavish personal attention on just a small number of clients. But this idyllic situation grinds to a halt one sunny afternoon... and this are about to get much worse.
Medical examiner Dr Jack Stapleton agrees to travel to Boston to offer his forensic expertise to Bowman's beleaguered defence attorney, but his casual suggestion of exhuming the corpse merely opens up a snake pit of further troubles. While the doctor's reputation and career are put on the line, Jack is on the verge of making a most unwelcome discovery - one of tremendous medical and legal significance.
However, there are some who will do anything to keep him from learning the truth.
Sounds interesting right?
BUT...
The revelation at the end was so anticlimatic that it totally killed the book. Killed the story, I mean. The entire mystery was unraveled right at twenty pages from the end of the book and it probably took only under five pages to present evidence of no malpractice. Could be more, but I wouldn't be bothered to look through again. The point is the story plot was very, VERY well built up only to greatly disappoint at the very end. The ending pissed me off so much that I had to control myself from ripping off the last few chapters of the book and burning them, then rewriting them myself. Eesh.
Along the way, there were great many conspiracies thrown in the plot. Maybe it was the young husband who murdered the rich old lady for her money. Maybe it was the lawyers trying to make money out of the lawsuit and protect their investment. Maybe it was the local hospital doctors who are determined to put Craig Bowman to blame to cover their mistakes and to end the, to put it in their words, outrageously stupid idea of concierge medicine. But as it turns out, it was neither. It was a case of ego and narcissism of the protagonist-turn-antagonist. Sigh. SIGH. S-I-G-H.
The ending came too late and went too fast. There was no explanation for anything or the attacks that happened. Like why was the assistant of the district attorney for Bowman's lawsuit attacking Jack Stapleton every so often? He couldn't have been working for Craig Bowman since they're on the opposite sites in the court. So what was the story there? And who hired the two guys to break into the Bowman's house, tied the children up and threatened them to warn their parents? Was it Bowman? How could he have done that sort of thing to his own children is just appalling. I may sound naive but I'm gonna say it anyway. I never once believed that there is anyone who was born a bad fruit. It's always some turn-of-events, peers and upbringing.
Me not happy girl. Not happy at all. Nasihat saya? Jangan beli buku ini. I remember Suzan once showed me this Indonesian website that reviews international and Indonesian movies, and rates them using two kinds of rating. For good movies, they're rated with stars (I think). Naturally the more stars it get, the better the movie is. And for the really bad movies, they rate them with underpants. The more underpants they get, the more sucky the movie is. If I were to use this rating system to rate this book, this one layak dianugerahi lapan setengah pasang underpants out of ten.
Ironically, this book is entitled "Crisis". Big crisis - can't come up with better ending.
I need good books to make me happy now.
No comments:
Post a Comment