Customer Reviews

Final Diagnosis

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When Claire is admitted to a state-of-the-art medical institute in Miami, she has every reason to trust its brilliant staff-until the inquiries of her friend, a medical reporter, spring an inescapable trap of corporate greed and deadly corruption.
For a first time author, this guy has a great start. After reading all of Robin Cook & Michael Palmer's books I wanted someone new. I happened to come across Final Diagnosis. This book was a thrill ride right to the very end. The plot was well thought out and developed. Birken does a great job of setting the plot and keeping you in suspense until the end. Can't wait to read the next book.

It is evident that this is the first book from a man with another profession. He seems to follow some obvious and tiresome formulas. Every character, upon each new meeting, has his clothing described in detail.

Also, though this book is from the "perspective" of Erin, the female protagonist, it is clearly written by a man with a titillating fascination for how a woman behaves alone in her own hotel room, or how a sexually aggressive woman would seduce a hesitant man.

I do admit, though, that the story flowed well enough, and I was curious enough to keep reading. I'm not sorry I read it, but it's clearly not any great literature. There is clearly better medical fiction out there.

This is undoubtedly the most thrilling book I have ever read. The plot of the book is electrifying and original. The details provided by Dr. Birken about the characters allows the reader to feel as though he/she has known the characters for years. I was unable to put down the book until its conclusion. The last book that I have read of such excellence as this book was Catcher in the Rye. I am looking forward to reading his second book and am greatly anticipating the release of his third. There is no doubt in my mind that you will love reading this book

Birken had a great plot, but it was difficult getting through it.

This medical thriller captured my interest on page one and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. The author does a great job of setting the plot and keeping the reader in suspense until the end. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an enjoyable fast-paced read!

I enjoyed Birken's book Final Diagnosis. I recently have moved from South Florida and enjoyed reading a book in my hometown setting. The thorough description of the area brought back memories. The story line was also extremely addicting. I enjoyed seeing the characters develop through the stressful, medical situations. I would definitely recommend this book to readers interested in medicine, mystery, or suspense. Good Job! I look forward and anticipate more books!

This is the best medical thriller I've read since COMA. There were none of the usual plot and character weaknesses, and the ending was totally unexpected. Don't miss this one.

excellent mystery. fascinating plot.very well written

Fast paced, a great read with a lot of clever twists.

...to write from a woman's perspective. Erin's character is written in the third person, but she is the central figure, and the reader views most events through her eyes. Her behavior, clothing choices, career, relationship with the studly young surgeon, and most of all her conversations with her best friend all resound with the dull clunk of inauthenticity. (sample: Erin to her hospitalized best friend Claire "you're a good person. Bad things don't happen to good people." um,HUH?!) Aside from that howler, most of their conversation is clearly intended to do nothing but deliver as much background information to the reader as possible in three pages. This "high-powered" (already, at the age of 30, after spending years as a nurse) tube-top&sparkly-bustier-wearing RN/reporter is fortunate enough to apparently have an unlimited expense account and ludicrously long story deadlines. As I read, I found myself thinking that the author's notion of how a woman in her situation might behave could be described as the "medical suspense" version of how women behave in porn videos; i.e., as a woman, I just laugh, knowing that it is nothing but an adolescent male fantasy. This might be forgivable if the book were indeed suspenseful, but alas, it is not. I'm still not even sure what the whole medical cover-up was about. And rather than making our spines tingle with real tension, the author informs us that Erin's spine is tingling, which I guess is our clue to be nervous too. Note to the publisher, Berkley: GET A PROOFREADER. At first the typos and errors were just unintentionally humorous ("oh, I don't think I could bare it without him" sic) but after the fourth or fifth incorrect use of an apostrophe, my patience wore thin. Speaking of patience, I think from now on Dr. Birken should stick with his day job working with "patients."