A taut and compelling medical thriller from the master of the genre, Robin Cook.

In New York City, a young, seemingly healthy woman is struck down by a respiratory attack as she heads home on the subway. By the time she arrives in Manhattan, she's dead. She ends up on forensic pathologist Jack Stapleton's autopsy table, which reveals curious findings about the cause of death.

Fearing the woman's case could be the first in a severe outbreak of a deadly airborne disease, Jack works in overdrive for a diagnosis. As the inconclusive tests come back, Jack sounds the alarm at the mayor's office, concerned that more cases may follow.

When further cases do occur around the city, and then further afield in Los Angeles, London and Rome, Jack enters a race against time to discover the link that connects all the victims before it's too late . . .

PRAISE FOR ROBIN COOK

'Forensic pathologists and doctors-turned-detectives do battle against epidemics, lethal illness and drug-related deaths, the causes of which are far from natural . . . You'll find yourself completely hooked' Daily Mail

'A clever blend of science and fiction . . . Frighteningly feasible' The Times

Gripping . . . Terrifying