New York City cab driver Yuri Davydov is a disgruntled Russian émigré poised to lash out at the adoptive nation he believes has denied him the American Dream. A former technician in the Soviet biological weapons system, Biopreparat, Yuri possesses the knowledge to wreak havoc in his new home. But before he executes his planned pièce de résistance of vengeance, he experiments first on his suspicious live-in girlfriend, then on a few poor-tipping fares....
Dr. Jack Stapleton and Dr. Laurie Montgomery (both last seen in Chromosome 6) begin to witness some unusual cases in their capacity as forensic pathologists in the city's medical examiner's office: a young, healthy black woman dies of respiratory failure, a Greek immigrant succumbs to a sudden, overwhelming pneumonia. At the same time, the pair are pressured from above to focus on a high-profile string of suspicious deaths of prisoners in police custody. When an unexpected breakthrough persuades Jack that these seemingly unrelated deaths are really connected murders, his colleagues and superiors are skeptical. Only Laurie is somewhat convinced. But the question soon becomes whether the pair will solve the puzzle before Yuri unleashes into the streets of New York the ultimate terror: a modern bioweapon.
With signature skill, Robin Cook has crafted a page-turning thriller rooted in up-to-the-minute biotechnology. Vector is all-too-plausible fiction at its terrifying best.
Publishers Weekly
Cook's biotechnology research is rewarding, the pace is as pleasingly hectic as you'd expect from the author of Toxin, etc., and some of the characters are well drawn. But in the end, this potentially spine-tingling premise is undermined by a disappointing plot manifesting authorial machination rather than authentic, character-driven events.
Library Journal
Although some of the plot developments are implausible and some of the characters stereotypical, the chillingly realistic premise combined with Jason Culp's accurate portrayals of a large cast of characters makes this a compelling tale that will be popular in all fiction collections.
Kirkus Reviews
Doctor Cook, King of the Mind-bending Medical Thriller (from Coma to Invasion to Toxin), returns with a swoon-worthy killer-poison more dangerous than any before it.. A vector, as in the title, is a carrier that transmits an infectious agent from one host to another. Back from Chromosome 6 (1997) are Drs. Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery, forensic pathologists in the New York Chief Medical Examiner's office....Cook himself believes that a bioterrorist event is, without question, locked into our future. Not really a thought to minimize, as his cautionary tale observes.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Tina Marie Scare to a Dare I just picked this book up in a bookshop and like all of Robin Cook's books, it is thoroughly researched and quite an edge of your seat read. What bothered me about the book the most was the timing. The book was copyrighted in 1999 and the Anthrax... Read More
Rated of 5
by Jimbo
Another good book in the series for suspense lovers. The coicidences are getting very stretched at this point in the series though. My basketball buddies's friend's sister is married to an immigrant taxi driver who is the one making the anthrax.... Read More
Rated of 5
by Debby
I have been a Robin Cook fan for many years. I enjoyed Vector because, as with all Robin Cook's books, the story line is quite believable. As I was reading it I kept thinking how is he going to end this so that it seemed to be a real situation?... Read More
Rated of 5
by rrg
Vector of Rocin Cook was a fascinating story with developed characters that challenges doctors of genetic engineering to pursue on researching. From start to finish, I was reluctant to put the book down!
Rated of 5
by Devanshu
A very good book.
Rated of 5
by Prashenjit
this is pure Robin Cook...thrilling and informative and with a complete twist in the end...complete page turner just like 'Abduction'
Dr Temperance Brennan finds herself in a dangerous web that stretches far beyond Guatemala's borders in a powerful, page-turning book that combines riveting authenticity with witty, elegant prose.
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of 5
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