Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
G.P. Putnam's Sons (1996), Edition: Reprint, 400 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Mystery. Thriller. HTML:Robin Cook has always been on the cutting edge of the latest medical controversies. In Acceptable Risk, he confronts one of the most provocative issues of our time: personality-altering drugs and the complex moral questions they raise. Neuroscientist Edward Armstrong has managed to isolate a psychotropic drug with a strange and dark history�??one that may account for the public hysteria during the Salem witch trials. In a brilliant designer-drug transformation, it is developed into an antidepressant with truly startling therapeutic capabilities. But who can be sure the drug is safe for consumers? Who defines the boundaries of "normal" human behavior? And if the drug's side effects are proven to be dangerous�??even terrifying�??how far will the medical community go to alter their standards of...Acceptable… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lame
Very interesting take on the Salem witch trials. A real page turner.
LibraryThing member The_Hibernator
“Acceptable Risk” is part historical mystery and part medical thriller. It is about Kim, a woman who explores her own identity by researching the mystery of her ancestor Elizabeth’s alleged execution as a witch. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Edward succumbs to the financial allure of high-profile
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drug development. His research proceeds with supernatural velocity, propelling him and his research team into unethical, and tragic, methods. As a fellow medical scientist, I found the description of drug development a little unsettling and unreal. His eerie successes and failures parallel the dark supernaturalness of the Salem witchcraft trials. In this book, Cook questions the ethics behind development of million-dollar drugs and the safety of casual use of psychoactive drugs. Although the plot was not as fast-paced or eerily believable as some of Cook’s other books, the historical mystery was a refreshing change from main-stream medical thrillers. Show Less
LibraryThing member miyurose
This book surprised me. I wasn't feeling very optimistic about it as I neared the climax, but I was pleasantly surprised by how it ended. This book wasn't 100% medical -- there was a nice side-story about the Salem witch trials. I only give it 3 stars because I've decided I don't like how Robin
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Cook writes women. They always seem to be indecisive and overly-emotional and rather irrational. Show Less
LibraryThing member marysneedle
This is the first Robin Cook's books that I have ever read.
Usually I'm not into Medical thrillers, however, this one was recommended to me because of my interest in the Salem Witch trials.
I really enjoyed the book. It was a quick read and kept me guessing what was going to happen next.
Usually I'm not into Medical thrillers, however, this one was recommended to me because of my interest in the Salem Witch trials.
I really enjoyed the book. It was a quick read and kept me guessing what was going to happen next.
LibraryThing member Barb_H
Not really what I think of for a medical thriller. More like an historical mystery with a dash of romance and some medical jargon. It was interesting and there was some suspenseful parts. I am glad this wasn't my first Robin Cook novel, as its definitely not my favorite or what I expected. Not a
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bad story though. Show Less
LibraryThing member HenriMoreaux
Acceptable Risk was quite a good book; it blends the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s together with events in the present where a scientist discovers a new drug produced by a fungus found in the basement of someone who was executed for witchcraft.
The scientist then has dreams of becoming rich
I found the mixture of past and present enthralling and thought it really stimulated the imagination.
The scientist then has dreams of becoming rich
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by bringing a new miracle drug to market and in the rush to get it ready begins testing it on himself and his team, being a Robin Cook book it doesn't take much pondering to work out things don't go as planned.I found the mixture of past and present enthralling and thought it really stimulated the imagination.
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LibraryThing member rondoctor
Robin Cook is a good writer. His books are always interesting. However although this book is no exception, it is basically an expanded short story, more a novella than a novel. It could have been much shorter if Cook had not drawn out the narrative to the point of excessive repetition. This is not
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one of his better works.The underlying theme is interesting, but seriously overdone. The character's anguish is overdrawn. Acceptable Risk is a good time filler if you just want something to read. Otherwise I would not recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member nyiper
So strange to read this now when there are so many potential and yes, horrible, changes for women coming with the banning of abortion decision coming down soon. When this book was written, 1994, the main character....Kim....was comparing her freedoms as a woman to those of her ancestor's back in
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the late1600s. Really incredible to read this right NOW. I have read and loved all of the books that I've read by Robin Cook. I hope he is writing a book about the current situation facing women as we seem to be going backwards in time! I found this story fascinating--he is so good at making his characters live, moving with enough detail so that you can picture what jeu are doing in your mind. Show Less
LibraryThing member JoniMFisher
Oh, what horrors evolve from applying pure commercial profit to medical care. Beware the money men in lab coats. A story ahead of its time.
Awards
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Nominee — 1998)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1994
Physical description
6.71 inches
ISBN
0425151867 / 9780425151860