The Magic Bullet by Harry Stein

From the Publisher

At thirty-one, Dr. Daniel Logan has gotten the biggest break of his career - a research fellowship at the prestigious American Cancer Foundation near Washington, D.C. The patients who come here know it is their last hope for survival. No matter how great the risk, or how slim the chance for success, they willingly take drugs that are shrouded in secrecy...even when things begin to go very, very wrong. Dan soon learns that he has no influence on the arrogant, world-famous researchers who give the orders, and no hope that anyone will listen when he stumbles upon a "magic bullet" - a possible miracle cure...for breast cancer. Only one other new recruit, Sabrina Como, a beautiful Italian doctor, sees the merit in Dan's theory. Together they begin to test the new drug on a group of patients until suddenly, inexplicably, the women start dying. The desperate hunt for answers leads Dan and Sabrina from a chemist in prewar Germany to a missing trunk shipped to America fifty years earlier. But Dan's hopes soon dim. The reason: a conspiracy so deadly and unconscionable he cannot believe it's real until his life becomes a nightmare - and time begins to run out for one very special patient: the most prominent woman in American political life.

Publishers Weekly

Set in the high-stakes world of cancer research, Stein's medical thriller follows a young doctor whose discovery of a potential cure makes him powerful enemies in the medical establishment. (Apr.)

Library Journal

The highly political world of medical research is the background for this sus-penseful novel by the author of Hoopla (St. Martin's, 1987). Young, bright, and compassionate, Dan Logan is honored to join a prestigious cancer research institute, even though the faculty and senior staff appear to care more about personal gain and prestige than finding a cure. Logan and his partner, the lovely Sabrina Como, believe that they have found a miracle medicine, but when their trials with human patients begin to go terribly wrong, they are dishonored by their colleagues. Has someone sabotaged their research? Stein's picture of the politics and all-too-human messiness of medical research is entertaining. Unfortunately, the reader will become distracted by other characters and issues that are sketched but not resolved; this dilutes the suspense and blunts the climax of the novel. Nevertheless, fans of medical drama will make this a popular choice for most public libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/94.]-Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Computer Support Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.

BookList

Stein, who has written a number of articles on ethical issues, turns his attention to the ethics--or lack thereof--in breast-cancer research. His story is set in the fictionalized American Cancer Institute, where Dr. Daniel Logan, a brilliant young biochemist and M.D., suffers through a year from hell as a research fellow with the Institute. Not only are his bosses officious, obnoxious prima donnas with terminal cases of one-upmanship, but the intense competition for funding, fame, and a viable cure for the big C leads adult physicians to behave like ill-tempered five-year-olds. Fortunately for Dan, two classmates, John Reston and Sabrina Como, turn out to be good pals, and in addition to working 95-hour weeks, the three decide to launch their own research protocol with a drug called Compound Q. Disaster befalls the trio and their dream drug, but despite the drama, there's a happy ending. A serious and timely topic--curing breast cancer--can't keep this book from occasionally falling into the written equivalent of a bad soap opera, but it's an undeniable page-turner, full of medical crises, attractive hospital personnel, juicy politics, and slam-bang suspense. A possible best-seller, especially given it's "expose" slant on cancer research.

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