Blindsight

Blindsight is a medical thriller by physician-author Robin Cook. While his novels are all thrillers, and not exactly in a sequential series, a few of the characters and locations of Blindsight do come up in some of his other works (Chromosome 6 and Contagion).

The main character is Dr. Laurie Montgomery, a young forensic pathologist working in the NYC Medical Examiner's Office. She ends up investigating two seemingly completely unrelated series of deaths: random execution style shootings, and drug overdoses in upwardly mobile "yuppies" with no history of drug abuse. Along the way she interacts with Lou, an experienced police detective, and Jordan, an ophthalmologist specializing in cornea diseases. Her boss, Dr. Bingham, also figures into the plot as the Chief Medical Examiner who is on her case for most of the novel.

I've read Cook's novels before, and I've found them a little flat in terms of characters, although Blindsight is one of his better efforts. His intricate plot did have me guessing- until about 2/3rd's of the way in, although I wasn't completely sure I had it right until the very end.

Blindsight is a fast read, at only just over 300 pages, and it keeps moving the entire way like an unmarked police cruiser barreling down the Grand Central Parkway at 3 AM. It also shows how forensic pathology, which examines the dead, in fact relates to the living. If you're looking for a decent thriller in a fast read, check out Blindsight. It may be just perfect to bring to the beach with you this summer, and a great place to start if you haven't enjoyed Cook's novels before.

Overall Grade: A-