In his latest page-turner Cook turns his attention to the ethical and legal challenges surrounding legal patents and intellectual property in medical research, and the cutting edge topic of pluripotent stem cells. Furthermore, he returns with two of his most popular characters, husband-and-wife forensic pathology experts Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery.

With her infant son's neuroblastoma in complete remission, famed medical examiner Laurie Montgomery struggles to regain her confidence as she returns to work after nearly two years of maternity leave. She takes on a seemingly routine case to ease herself back into the job: an unidentified Japanese male who died of what appears to be natural causes. But after hours of intense investigation, Laurie begins to suspect that her case was a victim of something more devious. Little does she know that perhaps the answers she's searching for can be found on the other side of town...

When Dr. Ben Corey, the CEO of a promising startup company called iPS USA LLC, discovers he can make billions from the commercialization of human induced pluripotent stem cells being researched in Japan, he arranges to outsmart the competition by breaking into Kyoto University's research facility and steals the lab books that will help secure his company's patent on the breakthrough process. To further solidify his hold on the patent, Ben woos the study's primary researcher, Satoshi Machita, to join iPS USA by promising Satoshi's family refuge and stability in America. However, Ben turns to two of the most notorious and dangerous organized crime factions in the world in order to finance his business endeavors - the American Mafia and its Japanese gangster counterpart, the Yakusa. To complicate matters, two factions of the Yakusa are vying for possession of the same iPS patent documents that Ben stole to propel his company's success. When Satoshi suddenly goes missing and is found dead, the Mafia and Yakusa will stop at nothing to ensure Laurie does not discover the truth.

Robin Cook chooses to write thrillers as his "way to use entertainment as a method of exposing the public to policy conundrums," striving to expound on the ethics of new medical discoveries while imagining what could happen when the criminal element gets involved in funding for those life-saving cures. Like his previous works, CURE is rich in detail, masterfully blending intrigue and medical fact while forcing us to examine the issues facing modern healthcare. The strength of maternal instincts, intrepid forensic pathologists, solid detective work, ruthless gangsters, and the latest in biotechnology combine to create another pulse-pounding medical thriller from the man who invented the genre.

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Rafferty Powell has resolved to destroy his hated arch-nemesis, Magnus Montmorency. The pair have exchanged challenge coins, and their next battle will be their last. But Rafferty never expected to meet a woman whose desire for Magnus's end matches his own-and whose soul sparks the firestorm within him...