Coma

By: Robin Cook

Narrated by: January LaVoy

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

The blockbuster best seller that kickstarted a new genre: the medical thriller.

They called it "minor surgery", but Nancy Greenly, Sean Berman, and a dozen others - all admitted to Boston Memorial Hospital for routine procedures - were victims of the same inexplicable, hideous tragedy on the operating table. They never woke up.

Susan Wheeler is a third-year medical student working as a trainee at Boston Memorial Hospital. Two patients during her residency mysteriously go into comas immediately after their operations due to complications from anesthesia. Susan begins to investigate the causes behind both of these alarming comas and discovers the oxygen line in Operating Room 8 has been tampered with to induce carbon monoxide poisoning.

Then Susan discovers the evil nature of the Jefferson Institute, an intensive-care facility where patients are suspended from the ceiling and kept alive until they can be harvested for healthy organs. Is she a participant in - or a victim of - a large-scale black market dealing in human organs?

©2002 Robin Cook (P)2014 Hachette Audio

Critic Reviews

"Strikes a deafening chord of terror." ( The Washington Post)
"Gripping, terrifying, fast-paced suspense." ( The New York Times)
"Unputdownable.... A chilling, fast-moving suspense thriller" ( The Boston Globe)

love Robin's books

I hadn't read this one, but I liked it. The narrator was good too.

Not like the other

I read other reviews which said this book is too much like Cooke’s other book. You will see once you read this book that the differences are so beautifully done. I am falling for his style of writing all over again !!!! Hope you enjoy this book for what it is and appreciated the twists. Have fun 🤯🤓

Finally, Robin Cook is here!

I have waited a long time for Robin's books to be on audible, they do not dissapoint.

A slow start... but worth the wait!

As a Boston native, I PRAY that people don't actually think that is a Boston accent on some of the characters! Yikes! But other than that, the narration was decent - however I do find it distracting when a woman tries to talk in a manly voice... which is a lot of this book.

I feel the author was definitely targeting a reader with a medical background. The first 1/3 of the book could have been condensed to a couple of hours instead of several! If you are l able to get past a lot of the medical jargon I the beginning, you won't be disappointed with the suspense - the last few hours are worth the wait!

More for medical insiders

This (COMA) is the first published Robin Cook book (thankfully read by somebody other than George Guidall!) and though I had just read two other of Cook's books that I loved, this book is way too medically technical and has way fewer interesting characters and plot. I am aware of the outstanding reviews for this book, but for me, it just wasn't as good. I am currently reading CRISIS and it is fantastic. Guess it's fortunate that I read others before COMA, or I probably would never have picked up another by this author.

I am sorry to say that the next several, all I think, actually, of Cook's books are narrated by the famous George Guidall, who is a great one-voice actor. His avuncular sounding voice fits for some parts (not more than one in the same book), and his female voices leave you wondering who the heck is talking. 4/6/18.

Slow Start But Once Gets Going Cannot Put it Down

I could have done without most of the first hour of the book with the needless details, but once I got past that, I could NOT stop listening!! I literally almost finished this long book in one night! I had to force myself to stop at 5:30 am, and then was so wound up from the excitement I could not sleep! This is a great medical thriller. Even if it’s from an earlier time, it’s still so relevant and plausible. The narrator is one of my favorites. I mean when I hate a character, January makes me want to reach through my phone and slap them. My only wish is that there would have been an epilogue to the book. I would have loved even a brief 5 minutes for full closure. Maybe Robin Cook can add one? Great read, and if you get stuck in the beginning, keep listening, and you will be fighting sleep to see this to the end!

Robin Cook rocks!

Would you consider the audio edition of Coma to be better than the print version?

Good narration but LOVE George Guidall or C.J. Critt!

Which character – as performed by January LaVoy – was your favorite?

All ok but not my favorite

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

It kept my attention

Great

Great book kept you on the edge of your seat always wanting more. highly recommend

Letdown At The End

I would have liked to know the outcome of the protagonist. Reader is left hanging.

GREAT BOOK BUT TOO MUCH TECHNICAL STUFF.

Would you listen to Coma again? Why?

YES I WILL. I READ IT SEVERAL TIMES. I ENJOY THE STORY AS WELL AS THE MOVIE.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

YES, HOW? THE TENSION.

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

I DON'T KNOW. I HAVE READ OVER 200 BOOKS ON AUDIBLE.

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

NO BUT IT IS ONE I WOULD LISTEN TO IN A FEW SITTINGS.

Any additional comments?

THE TECHNICAL STUFF ONLY APPEALS TO DOCTORS AND NURSES. I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT AND DID NOT CARE FOR IT. BUT OVERALL, THE STORY WAS THE BEST ONE ROBIN COOK HAS WRITTEN. I AM GLAD AUDIBLE GOT THIS BOOK FINALLY!