Miracle Cure

By: Harlan Coben

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

They’re one of the country’s most telegenic couples: beloved TV journalist Sara Lowell and New York’s hottest basketball star, Michael Silverman. Their family and social connections tie them to the highest echelons of the political, medical, and sports worlds - threads that will tangle them up in one of the most controversial and deadly issues of our time. In a clinic on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a doctor has dedicated his life to eradicating a divisive and devastating disease. One by one, his patients are getting well. One by one, they’re being targeted by a serial killer. And now Michael has been diagnosed with the disease. There’s only one cure, but many ways to die....

©2011 Harlan Coben (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Coben adroitly applies the fundamental rules of thrillerdom (offer a raft of potential villains; keep the action moving at breakneck speed) in this highly entertaining novel...a page-turner!” ( Publishers Weekly)

This is an old book

Though the publication date of this book is 2011, it was actually written 20 years ago. I am a big Harlan Coben fan, of his books, now. I am frustrated that I dumped a book credit on an old, not very good book. Caveat emptor on Audible. This has happened to me before. I need to get in the habit of checking other sources for the truth about these books.

Harlan has honed his skills greatly over the years and I would recommend any of his Bolitar books.

There is a reason this book was not published

I like Coben but by releasing previously unpublished books he is eroding the quality that his fans have come to expect in his books. The blurb about this book does not mention that the deadly disease is AIDS. His arguments regarding AIDS research are old and trite and very much dated. The release date given by Audible is misleading. I was disappointed.

Should have stayed in the drawer

I really like Harlan Coben, but he should have let this early work stay in the drawer. The story was slow-paced and frankly, just not interesting. The forward tells the listener that some of the references in the story are dated, but the whole story is dated. Someone advised him incorrectly that this early work was worth publishing. It is just not up to current Harlan Coben standards.

No...not good

I talked myself into downloading this one after reading some other reviews...and it was BAD. First, the story is BAD....then - the writing/transitions/characters are BAD and finally, it had a BAD ending. Just not a good listen...disappointed.

Like a teenager's first attempt

Melodramatic, in both story and narration. Coban even apologizes for the book in his forward, and asks the reader to "be gentle." If he knew it was bad, why did he stoop to publishing something he wrote 20 years ago? Let me guess---he needs the money?

Excellent story with flawed writing style

With more than a dozen Harlan Coben books in my Audible library and others on my bookshelf I suppose I'm a fan of Coben's novels. Miracle Cure was released in 1991 and it is Coben's second book. I seldom down rate and excellent story due to poor sentence construction or non-credible dialog and have not done so here, but those flaws do exist in Coben's earlier books. Miracle Cure is a an excellent story but is not polished like his later books.

The topic of this novel is research for a drug to cure HIV-AIDS. Several of the research subjects are brutally murdered after the researchers have declared them cured.

Scott Brick does his normal great job of narration, but he is limited mostly by the implausibility of much of the dialog.

I'm fascinated how some authors like John Grisham, Vince Flynn, Lee Child and Michael Koryta present polished novels beginning from their very first while most authors get better at it with time. The fact that many authors maintain great writing throughout long careers while others (like John Grisham and Lee Child) allow the quality of their work to decline over time also fascinates me.

Melodramatic

I have generally liked Coben's books, especially for their twists. This one is no exception in that department. However, I found it melodramatic and somewhat unsatisfying, unmitigated by Coben's own apology in the forward. As he notes, it is now dated. I'd say downright anachronistic. Too bad. Overall, I liked the plot.

Without giving away any details, there wasn't satisfying resolution of some of the story lines - a little too much like real life, I suppose. I would have preferred a little less hand-wringing internal dialogue from his characters. Sometimes he just went overboard.
If I was reading this review, as a Coben fan I wouldn't be dissuaded by it. So I know you are going to read (well, listen to) the book anyway, likely with the same eyebrow raises, silent groans and head-shakes I did, then you will look for another one of his books to listen to, also just like I did.

Brick did a good job with his narration. I don't know how he kept all the voices straight!

I don't think Coben needs to revisit this book, but I liked the detective characters.

Coben's prologue apology not necessary--great book

Although a bit too reminiscent of his "Play Dead" book, Coben proves that even his older books can hold up,against the best of the new thriller offerings. It also provides some Interesting historical perspective as to how we used to deal with and think about AIDS, and makes you wonder if we have come far enough. The story is ingenious, disturbingly plausible, and so full of twists and turns that I found it impossible to guess the villainous mastermind. As often is present in Coben's books, there is a sports star who destroys every thick necked stereotype we ever had about jocks. And, a smart female in an "opposites attract" relationship. The intrigue involves virtually every friend and relative they both have, and creates a dynamic story. As always, Scott Brick could read the phone book, and I would be rapt.

I sometimes avoid earlier attempts from now famous authors, and generally feel cheated out of my credit. Not so in this case; Coben always had it. And this is extremely professional and masterful. You won't be disappointed.

A cure for HIV?

What would you do if you found a cure to one of our most deadly diseases? That is the question Dr. Harvey Riker must deal with. Remarkably, there are people that do not want some diseases cured.
When Michael Silverman, NBA star, is diagnosed HIV positive, things change dramatically. Someone has been killing patients at Riker's AIDS clinic, patients presumably cured of the deadly disease thus destroying the proof. Michael is betting his life that Harvey can cure him. But will Michael live long enough to receive the entire treatment?
A very good medical mystery in the vein of Robin Cook, I did not see the explosive ending coming.

It was ok

Harlan warned us in the intro it was his second book and not as good as later books. He was right.