You have to take this book with a grain of salt since it was written about a quarter-century ago. Dr. Cook spends a good deal of time on the protagonist, a female medical student, trying to fit into the male-dominated medical world. I'm not saying that what he says has no relevance to today's society, but since what he was talking about was groundbreaking in the 70's it makes sense why he spends so much time on it. I don't mean to imply this is a bad part of the book, in fact it is pretty interesting. The story is quite good; a medical conspiracy where a famous Boston hospital is selling human organs on the black market. It is well written & keeps you on your toes. I think Dr. Cook's novels get more refined as time goes on, but "Coma" is an essential beginning novel.