Pia Grazdini, a fourth year medical student at the Columbia University's Medical Center, works under molecular geneticist Dr. Rothman who wants her working in his lab focusing on the stem cell, specializing on the tissue culture fluid and after she graduates, wants her as a research colleague. Russel, Max, and Edmund, Wall Street Wiz kids who want to control actuarial data, dislike Dr. Rothman who remains at the top in organogenesis, the branch of medicine that grows human organs, and decide that killing him using Polonium 210 is their only option to eliminate him. Dr. Rothman and his colleague Dr. Yamamento suddenly become very ill to everyone's surprise, contracting typhoid fever, getting sicker every day, until they pass away. Heartbroken, Pia focuses on figuring out what killed Rothman and has to face the Dean when security catches her in Rothman's lab, shut down while getting decontaminated. Dr. Springer, Pia's new superior takes an instant dislike to her as she tries to run the lab. As Pia and classmate George Wilson dig deeper into the events at the lab one question remains unanswered: is someone attempting to manipulate private insurance information to allow investors to benefit from the deaths of others? I found Robin Cook's Death Benefit a slow read. The book starts with a bang, but then slows down for many pages. Around the middle of the book, things speed up again only to fall flat at the end.I enjoyed the character's. They were strong and fit right into the storyline. I think I would have enjoyed Death Benefit more if it were split into two books, had a different ending, or a sequel.Overall, it is worth the read.
