Night Shift by Robin Cook
12/6/22; 352 pages
G.P. Putnam's Sons
Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery #13
Night Shift by Robin Cook is a recommended medical thriller and the thirteenth installment of novels featuring Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton.
Dr. Sue Passero, a good friend of Laurie's, dies mysteriously in the Manhattan Memorial Hospital
parking garage. It is suspected that she had a heart attack, but an autopsy is required.
Laurie asks Jack to do it because she knows he is more than competent
and will be thorough. We know from the opening scene that Sue was
injected with something, so once Jack discovers this, he begins looking
for someone who would have a motive to kill her.
Laurie and Jack are established characters for fans. This can be read as a stand-alone if you are just looking for a medical thriller to reliably pass the time. It should be noted that Jack complains way-too-much, especially at the beginning, which made his character less appealing this time around.
Cook is master of the medical thriller genre and can turn out a basically okay surefire page turner every time. The plot is too predictable but it does provide escape and suspense. (I did keep wondering if this plot hasn't already been done in the series, or a variation of it?) It is still an enjoyable medical thriller. No real twists or heart stopping reveals happen here. I personally did some eye rolling over the inclusion of covid and pandemic opinions inserted in the novel. This is an airplane book. It'll pass the time but you won't cry if you misplace it on your trip.