Foreign Body

By: Robin Cook

Narrated by: George Guidall

In this chilling novel from the bestselling “master of the medical thriller” (The New York Times), NYC medical examiners Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton rush to India to help a UCLA student investigating medical tourism—and a sinister global conspiracy.

Devastated by the news that her beloved granmother has died after hip surgery in New Delhi, UCLA medical student Jennifer Hernandez flies to India, desperate for answers. Jennifer’s grandmother appears to be a victim of medical tourism—uninsured first-world citizens traveling to third-world countries for more affordable surgery. With revelations of other unexplained deaths and pressure from Indian hospital officials for a hasty cremation, Jennifer reaches out to her mentor, New York City medical examiner Dr. Laurie Montgomery.

Laurie, along with her husband, Dr. Jack Stapleton, rush to Jennifer’s side, only to discover a sophisticated medical facility with little margin for error. But as the death count grows, so do the questions, leading Laurie and Jennifer to unveil a multilayered conspiracy of global proportions.©2008 Robin Cook; (P)2008 Penguin

Critic reviews

Praise for Foreign Body:

“Does for hypochondriacs what Ludlum does for paranoiacs... Cook is a master of pacing.”—Raleigh News & Observer

“Interesting characters, plenty of medical background, a fast pace, and increasingly unbelievable events.”—Library Journal

“Cook well knows that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. After all, he’s been coating very serious medical ethics debates in fast, fun, escapist thrillers for more than three decades.”—The News-Press

As if I walked the streets of Calcutta

Robin Cook's books are always entertaining. This one is especially educational. There is no chance that I will ever travel to India, but I felt the roughness of the roads, I smelled the cities and towns in which a billion people live. I learned about medical tourism and much more. This book is recommended for those who want to travel in their reading chairs.

Absolutely Addictive! Pulsating!

Although it seemed to take a minute to get off the ground and get into the book, knowing it was a Robin Cook book sets the tone that soon you will be immersed into the narrative in no time. And before I knew it I was almost done when I took my first break! By then the main characters were well grounded in my core like family. By the time I hit chapter 31 I was worried sick about Jennifer, wondering when they were going to get anyone to help them with her Grandmother's case, and how Nurses International was going to play out. I couldn't move the last 5 chapters because the pace is so fast you don't realize it's over. I actually cried out and then cried like a baby at the end.
Truly worthy of listening to, I can't wait to start my next book! Robin Cook just keeps me glued to my chair! Bravo! 😂 Bravo!😂

Not the best, but passing

This is one of the slowest, if not THE slowest Robin Cook story, at least in the series with Jack and Laurie. For one thing, less than 3 hours remain in the book before Jack and Laurie really make an appearance. The feeling I got is that instead of the story being set up in the beginning and then the rest of the book following the "heroes" as they work to solve the mystery, this one spends the first 85% of the book setting up the story, with the main characters coming in only at the end. I hate to say anything negative, but none of the characters grab you, and the story takes way too long to get moving. I felt the previous book "Critical" moved a bit slow, but it moves a LOT faster than this one.

As far as the narration, I didn't think it was all that bad. Maybe his Indian accent isn't that great, but it didn't bother me. I find it more distracting when the narrator goes over the top with accents. George gives enough of an accent to get the point across, but he keeps the focus on the story and keeps it moving. I got all the way through it, but it was certainly not one of Robin Cooks greatest hits. I am really hoping the next books go back to the way they were in the beginning of the "series".

Great book, great narrator

What made the experience of listening to Foreign Body the most enjoyable?

Really enjoy the narrator. He gives all the characters personality.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jack Stapleton is always my favorite. His character and personality are down to earth and real.

Have you listened to any of George Guidall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. Crisis and Critical. I enjoyed both of them as well. Crisis is my favorite then Foreign Body. I was disappointed that Jack was not more involved in this story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. Just a great listen.

Any additional comments?

I agree with one of the other ratings that stated it's nice to listen to a book that isn't filled with profanity.

Great book

Love the series. Ready for the next one. Jack and Lori have great adventures together,