|
|
| Plot Summary of Marker |
|---|
"
Putnam, May 2005, 25.95, 544 pp.
ISBN 0399152938
Dr. Laurie Montgomery and Dr. Jack Stapleton both work for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and off duty they are lovers living together although each has kept their own apartment. She wants marriage and children while Jack who lost his family is afraid of a commitment. One morning Laurie wakes up and realizes that at forty three she has very few child bearing years left and breaks it off with Jack.
She throws herself into her work and she finds the case of a twenty-eight year old man very puzzling. He had a foot injury and died but there is no evidence what caused his death. When a woman who has had knee surgery dies for no apparent reason, Laurie begins to think that the two cases are related. When two more exact cases come in, Laurie begins to believe there is a serial killer operating in Manhattan General. As more cases pile up, the only thing the victims have in common is they were young, healthy and new subscribers to AmeriCare Health Insurance. Laurie investigates off the radar because the powers that be don't want to believe her and order her to keep her findings in house.
Robin Cook has written another exciting trademark medical thriller that includes his opinion on the state of medical care in this country, the nursing shortage and the faults of the health care system.
Harriet Klausner
"
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
|
"Marker is a concise story, which focuses upon the relationship (physical and emotional) between two medical examiners, Julie and Jack.
Jack and Julie have been dating and working together for nearly a decade and their relationship has not yet developed into an offer of marraige from Jack and an acceptance of Julie's desire to have a family. Both Jack and Julie are main characters who handle autopsies of a variety of natures.
Julie picks up on a significant number of deaths which cannot be explained through autopsy, pathology and/or chemical analysis. She is deeply troubled by the expanding number of unexplainable deaths and becomes obsessed with uncovering the reason for the deaths. Initially the deaths appear to be coming from one main hospitial, but through research, Julie discovers there have been a number of additional unexplainable deaths of young, healthy, post operative patients from a variety of other hospitals.
The individual responsible for all of the unexplained deaths is identified early in the story as a frustrated psychopath who has moved from an unsuccessful military career to nursing. "Jaz" is obsessesed with physical fitness and is extremely dedicated to maintaining her edge of physical strength. "Jaz" is paranoid to the extant and has been contacted by two mysterious and unknown individuals to do "contract" terminations of select patients in the hospital where she is employed. She is highly successful with her terminations and is building her savings to advance her lifestyle.
The novel is clear, easy to read, concise, well explained with numerous references to medical situations. The story culmulnates in a near death experience for Julie as she gets close to identifying the killer and uncovering the main motive for the terminations.
The over all story is believable yet not up to the standards of a Robin Cook best seller. Having read every book this author has written, this work falls short of the standards Robin Cook has set in the past."
Bruce L. Spars, Resident Scholar
|
|
|
| Review Analysis of Marker |
|---|
|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
|
|
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 15%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 35%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Medical Thriller
Yes
Medical Plotlets:
- wild experiments on people
- poisoning
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Is Romance a MAJOR (25%+) part of story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- doctor
Age:
- 40's-50's
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- is very quick
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
- an organization
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- killer
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- is very quick
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
- an above average amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
The antagonists are:
- big business leader(s)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- Mid-Atlantic states
City?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 8 or more
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
A lot of techno jargon?
Yes
Kind of jargon?
- biology/medical
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
Is this an e-book?
Yes
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
|
|
|
Click here for more information about this book
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
Use our site!
Feedback
About us
Bribe your congressman!
Rudy Giuliani
Most recent discussions:
General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Online Dating Advice
Charlaine Harris
7:40:55 PM
Rennie Airth
7:37:56 PM
Erin Hunters
7:19:16 PM
Kate Brian
6:08:28 PM
Iris Johanson
5:03:11 PM
George W. Bush
3:45:32 PM
Lynne Ewing
3:39:10 PM
Richard Scrimger
1:26:53 PM
Cynthia Voigt
1:26:16 PM
Judith McNaught
11:12:43 AM
Anna Fynn
10:50:06 AM
Kathryn Lynn Davis
4:25:23 AM
David Gerrold
1:45:54 AM
Sue Grafton
1:13:36 AM
Ellen Hopkins
10:18:36 PM
Suzanne Collins
10:10:48 PM
Lurlene McDaniel
6:02:47 PM
Slavomir Rawicz
4:50:43 PM
Aline Countess of Romanones
3:55:44 PM
Mildred D. Taylor
2:26:43 PM
More message boards
|
