Cell

By: Robin Cook

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times best-selling author and master of the medical thriller returns with a top-notch fusion of groundbreaking medical science and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

George Wilson, M.D., a radiology resident in Los Angeles, is about to enter a profession on the brink of an enormous paradigm shift, foreshadowing a vastly different role for doctors everywhere. The smartphone is poised to take on a new role in medicine, no longer as a mere medical app but rather as a fully customizable personal physician capable of diagnosing and treating even better than the real thing. It is called iDoc.

George's initial collision with this incredible innovation is devastating. He awakens one morning to find his fiancée dead in bed alongside him, not long after she participated in an iDoc beta test. Then several of his patients die after undergoing imaging procedures. All of them had been part of the same beta test.

Is it possible that iDoc is being subverted by hackers - and that the U.S. government is involved in a cover-up? Despite threats to both his career and his freedom, George relentlessly seeks the truth, knowing that if he's right, the consequences could be lethal.

©2014 Robin Cook (P)2014 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Rare is the writer who can take us into the fast-paced, miraculous, often bewildering world of modern medicine the way Robin Cook can. Cell is a superbly crafted, full-steam thriller, to be sure, but also a vivid lesson in just how momentous are the advances being made in medicine almost by the day—and how highly unsettling are some of the possible consequences." (New York Times best-selling author David McCullough)

"With Cell Robin Cook demonstrates why he is the undisputed king of medical thrillers. Can a smartphone app kill you? You'll believe it can after you read this story, which blasts along faster than a truckload of quad core processors. Equal measures a substantive social commentary that we will all soon have to deal with and a terrifying blood-and-guts tale of what lies right around the technology corner, Cook has delivered a home run worthy of the writer who has consistently thrilled millions ever since his blockbuster Coma." (Number one New York Times best-selling author David Baldacci)

"Robin Cook has been entertaining medical thriller fans for decades, but he does much more with his latest novel, Cell...a thought-provoking story." (Associated Press)

iPod, iPad, iPhone iNext!

Many Thanks to Apple Team. Earth’s people are better off. Here’s hoping iDoc becomes more than a virtual reality. Bye for now Glen ;-)

challenging premise - thought provoking

Enjoyed the story and the underlying ethical concept. Story well written and presented. Narration was clear and professional.

Good story, but...

I found it very difficult to lose myself in it because of the narrator's constant untimely pauses in his sentences.

engaging book with an ok ending.

I found the book very engaging. I did feel that the ending was a little subdramatic but it was still good.

Good story. Great narrator.

Enjoyed the story and loved the narrator. Its an enjoyable read, nothing too unpredictable but nice for a leisurely read to pass the time. I really liked the narrator though. He narrator did a great job with amale amd female characters in the story.

Yes, this can be a true story.....

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This story resonates so much with what is happening with today's health care system, it is very likely a true story, with a touch of a creative imagination. It will definitely make the readers think they are reading a documentary rather than a novel. This is truly an art form of reality.
As soon as I finished reading a few chapters in this book, I stopped at my doctor's office...I just had to give him the book! I was mesmerized! It was difficult to believe it was a novel. At the very least, it is prophetic. I then purchased the audible version and listened to it at every spare moment. Then I asked my husband to listen to it as well. He thought it was excellent! Writing like this is the reason why Robin Cook has been one of my favorite authors for decades.

Which scene was your favorite?

Two scenes stand out in my mind because I could feel all the characters' emotions and found my self holding my breath each time! One was when George's neighbor (Angelo?) was "digging" out the medical device from his body. The other was when George's neighbor/friend was hacking Angelo's cell phone and soon realized he was discovering more information than was safe for him to know. Spine-tingling!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Although Cell is definitely a page-turner, I took my time savoring it, I didn't want to rush right through it.

Any additional comments?

This could easily be a motion picture, but perhaps not with the current political administration in office. It would be nice if Cook wrote a sequel to give it continuity, but, so far, he is too up-to-the-minute, and futuristic to use the same story line.

Down right creepy

iDoc is a mobile app that acts as a PCP, effectively erasing the shortage of primary care physicians. The app was George's idea, but his med school friend, Paula, capitalized on it and made it a reality. A digital doc fit the digital age.

There's a catch. People are dying and it seems to George that the app might be behind the deaths. He expressed his concerns to Paula and the next thing they know goons are after them.

The narrator isn't the best, but not a deal breaker. The idea is almost too close to reality.

Disappointing ending

The bad guys won is a disappointing ending. At least not a definitive conclusive ending

Ambiguous

It was good but not great and without disclosing the ending I can only say I was somewhat disappointed. Once you read it you'll know why, I enjoyed the story though even though as a medical mystery thriller it was fairly predictable. Still, it is about an intriguing concept and it's very believable. I am glad I purchased it and I guess that is the bottom line anyway. I recommend it if your a fan of the genre.

Interesting topic, pedantic & oversimplified story

The summary pretty much covers it. It had been a while since I read a Robin Cook novel but I did not remember them being so simple. Sometimes it felt like a (bad) young adult novel with it's un-subtle explanations and obvious plot.