A Cure to Die for: A Medical Thriller by Stephen G. Mitchell

Jul 15, 2011 Iona Tamsin Stewart rated it 5 of 5 stars

I received this book free in return for a review.

This "medical thriller" (I've never heard that phrase before) is enjoyable, captivating, exciting, entertaining and funny. The author has a knack for describing his characters succinctly by means of memorable and often amusing turns of phrase, so the reader easily remembers who's who.

The story begins with the murder of one of Alex's old friends, Maury. It turns out Maury has secretly been working for years on a potentially controversial cure-all p...more I received this book free in return for a review.

This "medical thriller" (I've never heard that phrase before) is enjoyable, captivating, exciting, entertaining and funny. The author has a knack for describing his characters succinctly by means of memorable and often amusing turns of phrase, so the reader easily remembers who's who.

The story begins with the murder of one of Alex's old friends, Maury. It turns out Maury has secretly been working for years on a potentially controversial cure-all product, a hybrid between the cannabis plant and a poisonous plant called the Death Star. It can cure both Aids and cancer, as well as everything else, apparently. An unscrupulous, evil pharmaceutical company, or rather its boss, turns out to have been responsible for the murder, since the new product, Cannastar, would eradicate the need for all medicine. Alec, a likeable doctor with health problems of his own, gets together with Maury's friend, Cyd, and the mortician Otis and together they fight to save the live-saving Cannastar seeds that Maury had sacrificed his life in developing.

The action is extremely fast-paced, the heroes continually getting themselves into arduous, apparently inextricable, situations, only to escape at the last moment.

The book is an amusing, though on one level serious, parody of modern American society, the book's theme being based on the actual sorry state of affairs in present-day USA, in that it addresses the ruthlessness of the medicinal companies who have no interest in curing anybody but are focused only on earning billions of dollars at the expense of public health. Perhaps the author is at the same time making a statement about the actual curative properties of the illegal cannabis plant. He also gets a few digs in at the legal profession and the media.

It is the story of a battle between good and evil. The "baddies" are portrayed in such a way that you're left in no doubt as to how diabolical they are, so you're not offended if they come to a bad end. Alex & Co. are aided in their quest to save Cannastar by a wealthy Native American and a notorious drug baron with a soft heart also plays a leading role. In fact drug dealers all over the country do their bit.

The story has also a romantic side, and we follow the love lives of the main characters, all of whom find loving partners, eventually.

The book is extremely well-written, except for a very few grammatical mistakes, including the use of semi-colons where it would have been more correct to use colons. There are also many places where the author suddenly changes from describing things from the perspective of one character to that of another or to the omniscient author's viewpoint in a somewhat disconcerting or jarring manner.

But, all in all, I found this to be a delightful, highly amusing page-turner of a book. I got the feeling the author really enjoyed writing it. I would recommend that you read the book - it's one of the most entertaining books I've read for a long while.
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Jul 30, 2011 Flash Beagle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, 2011-reviews

A crime novel - but not a thriller.
Alex Farmer is a physician who was on the skids. A childhood friend has been murdered and Alex finds himself uncovering what amounts to medical espionage; a miracle cure is eventually unleashed, "Cannastar" (a hybrid of cannabis and a plant called Death Star), and society is in an upheaval.

The premise is good but it's more of a comfy, chatty, western-to-city-and-back-again romp instead of a thriller. There is none of the tension/intensity/threatening sinister-s...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Aliya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, fiction

In summary, this story is about a transgenic weed that can cure anything and is apparently indestructible. In order to be cured, you dry the leaves then boil them in water (like tea), and in order to remain cured, you have to keep drinking the tea forever. This amazing plant was created by a scientist, Maury, who is killed for it by a drug company that doesn't want people to be cured since they would stop profiting off of sick people. Maury's childhood friend, Alex, gets dragged into it and it b...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Amandaj rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This is one that I got for free through goodreads giveaways.
Originally, I was interested in the book because the premise seemed realistic. Someone finds a miracle cure and the results of the discovery are complicated-it is a tremendous ethical dilemma. A cure like that has the potential to make health care almost completely obsolete. I felt like the ethical issues were really played down.
While initially interested in the story, I didn't find the writing enjoyable. There was an unnaturally abru...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Viviane Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars

The premise of this novel is quite simple, but don't underestimate it at all! Alex Farmer, Maury Bernstein and Joe Angolia grew up and cherished a deep friendship that only sharing childhood in New Jersey could bond and deepen. Maury was the scientific nerd, Alex a wanderer until he turned to medicine, and Joe was the less intelligent one who found shady ways of making a fortune in a hedge fund career. Parting ways to a certain degree as they grew older, Alex receives a mysterious message warnin...more The premise of this novel is quite simple, but don't underestimate it at all! Alex Farmer, Maury Bernstein and Joe Angolia grew up and cherished a deep friendship that only sharing childhood in New Jersey could bond and deepen. Maury was the scientific nerd, Alex a wanderer until he turned to medicine, and Joe was the less intelligent one who found shady ways of making a fortune in a hedge fund career. Parting ways to a certain degree as they grew older, Alex receives a mysterious message warning him to stay away but implying he should come to help Maury in every possible way. Alex responds but too late, as Maury has just been shot in the back at the top of a wintry Montana mountain!

After talking to Cyd, Betty, and Otis, friends of Maury, Alex learns that Maury had found two plants, marijuana and a plant called Death Star, that when combined held the key to a cure for cancer, pain, leukemia, and numerous other death-dealing diseases! The problem is that Sam Seeley, the owner of a major drug company, Rxon, knows about the discovery and is determined to destroy every vestige of the drug and its parts. He won't stop at anything, including murder!

The story seems pat, but now the author shows his creativity in how, after facing numerous threats and attacks that keep the reader reeling with tension, they manage to share the drug and eventually indirectly bypass their enemies. The story seems unreal but is all too plausible about how such a discovery would threaten the business of drugs and medicine. There have been comments over the years that such a discovery has actually been made but has been squelched.

A Cure to Die For is an amazing, adventurous, conflict-driven, and miraculous tale that will appeal to anyone with a compassionate heart and trouble those who thrive on a monopoly of care that accepts disease and death for the sake of great wealth! Stephen G. Mitchell's novel leaves the reader thinking and watching the news regarding the state of health care with a wider perspective than one had before the reading! Wonderful - may its outcome become reality! Well-done, Stephen G. Mitchell!(less)

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May 20, 2011 Chuck Driscoll rated it 5 of 5 stars

I highly recommend reading “A Cure to Die For” by Stephen G. Mitchell. It is based on a premise that is so enticing and hopeful, that you just wish it wasn’t fictional. The intrigue is addictive, this is a real page-turner, and the characters are so three dimensional and accessible, you feel you know each of them in real life, even the bad guys. There are a number of interesting and satisfying elements that make this story rise above the norm. First of all, I really love the use of the spiritua...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Advanced Read!

I very much enjoyed this story and wish it was not ficticious! Just when I was about to lose faith in the Advanced Read authors I stumbled across this gem and made reading monotonous story after monotonous story and writing poor review after poor review come to an end! It's a dream come true! It was a thrilling read in that it keeps you on the edge of your seat, I didn't want to put it down and it's been a while since I've been able to say that about any book, be it a goo...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Jennifer (JC-S) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books

‘With the good came the bad and with the bad came the beautiful.’

In this novel, a genetically modified plant not only cures the common cold, it provides a cure for at least some forms of cancer. The new plant was named Cannastar by its developer Maury Bernstein, a botanist working for a pharmaceutical company called Rxon. Alas, the pharmaceutical company sees nothing but trouble – a negative impact on the bottom line - as a consequence of this miracle drug, and they set out to destroy it before...more

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Aug 19, 2011 Lyssa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: x2011

Note: I received a copy of this book free for review from GoodReads.

Overall, I thought this book was a mildly entertaining piece of brain candy. The overall premise was interesting, but the execution left a little to be desired.

The characters felt very cartoony - all of them had very over-the-top responses to every situation and it never felt like they developed at all over the course of the story. Even what I thought was supposed to be the defining emotional-development moment for the main char...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-readers-copy

**This book was received as a free Advanced Reader's Copy**

This was a very interesting book with an interesting premise. It's something that could conceivably happen in real life although the part of me who wants to believe in the good in people hopes that it stays fiction. Self described as a medical thriller, it definitely has an exciting plot, but not so medical that a regular person can't understand it.

A new plant has been developed and can be the cure for cancer and many other illnesses. Bu...more **This book was received as a free Advanced Reader's Copy**

This was a very interesting book with an interesting premise. It's something that could conceivably happen in real life although the part of me who wants to believe in the good in people hopes that it stays fiction. Self described as a medical thriller, it definitely has an exciting plot, but not so medical that a regular person can't understand it.

A new plant has been developed and can be the cure for cancer and many other illnesses. But before it can be released, its creator Maury, is murdered and the evidence destroyed. Luckily, the creator had many good friends who don't want to see this cure get swept under the rug by profit loving drug companies and medical communities. One of his friends, Alex, comes all the way to Montana from California just to be surprised by information on this drug by a research assistant Cyd and a few other of Maury's friends, but decides to rush in and help them the best he can. But they are in danger themselves. Those who murdered before know there is evidence still out there hiding, and they'll stop at nothing to get it. Cyd, Alex, and the others have to run while at the same time try to find a way to get the drug released on the market and accessible to the average person. It's just going to take everything they have.

The characters as a whole were very believable in this book. Unfortunately there are just too many evil people out there and I think that Mitchell captured the tones of them very well as the antagonists in this book. His main characters I was a little less than enthused with as some of their aspects were a little less than believable (motivations for some things), but for the most part, they were intriguing and fit into the story well. I have to say my favorite character was probably Otis. He didn't have a huge role, but he had an important one and his personality through the book was kind and in general he was a good person. I also enjoyed another minor character, Abraham, even though he too played a very small role. As a farmer he provided a nice sense of normalcy to the craziness of the rest of the book.

For a plot, this was exciting as stated before. It has a very fast pace and I think that that's where this book has some faults. It tends to jump around a lot and skip time spans and as a whole makes the reading very choppy. I think the book would have benefited from slowing down and adding more detail while making the time line a little more structured. As it is the book felt hard to keep up with and it lost something in the telling. The first part of the book is more guilty of this as the time line started flowing better in the second part. The whole premise of the book is of urgency though and it still was a very interesting read. I do have to comment on the locations mentioned in the book. Having recently moved from Montana to Ohio, the first part of this book made me miss Montana as it did a great job of describing the area and reminding me of my time spent there. Probably not what the author was going for but still a nice bonus nonetheless. For those worried about the murder and somewhat more adult themes of this book, nothing is completely graphic and this applies both to the violence and the mentions of sex.

Definitely a good read. For those who like excitement and mystery, this is probably a good book to settle down with.

A Cure To Die For
Copyright 2011
345 pages

Review by M. Reynard 2011 (less)

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Jul 27, 2011 Patty Marion rated it 2 of 5 stars

I appreciated receiving a copy of A CURE TO DIE FOR - A Medical Thriller as a first reads giveaway and dove in with great anticipation because I love thrillers and am fascinated by the science of medicine.

Webster defines “thriller” as “a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure or suspense,“ with synonyms: cliff-hanger, hair-raiser, nail-biter.

I’ve read lots of thrillers but this is not one of them. I’ve read great medical thrille...more I appreciated receiving a copy of A CURE TO DIE FOR - A Medical Thriller as a first reads giveaway and dove in with great anticipation because I love thrillers and am fascinated by the science of medicine.

Webster defines “thriller” as “a work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure or suspense,“ with synonyms: cliff-hanger, hair-raiser, nail-biter.

I’ve read lots of thrillers but this is not one of them. I’ve read great medical thrillers (for example: Robin Cook’s “Coma”) but this is not one of them. I was disappointed in the lack of any real medical science and/or intrigue in this story. The premise was promising - the discovery of a cure for cancer. It turns out this miracle cure – a hybrid herb – cures a host of other serious and minor illnesses, including, what turns out to be psychosomatic back pain?

How could anyone in the world be against a cure for cancer? Enter the evil pharmaceutical companies and medical profession, aided and abetted by the evil government – Republicans, would you believe. This apparent “axis of evil” do their darnedest to suppress and discredit the new discovery because the pharmaceutical and medical profession will go out of business without millions of desperate, sick and dying people. That defies logic, it seems to me, since a billions would be made from the new drug that must be taken indefinitely in order to “stay cured.”

The evil talk radio and TV news shows, in particular, “SUX News” network, get behind them using scare tactics and telling America that thousands will die from use of this illegal drug…even though that is totally contrary to what is happening. Where is all the real investigative reporting that would be immediate if thousands of people take this drug and are suddenly cured of death-sentence illnesses??

Ok, I understand this is a fictional work. But subtle the author is not. Authors should write about things they feel strongly about, but in a work of fiction, show some finesse. When the author’s views are so transparent, it simply detracts from what might have been a pretty good story and becomes a rant.

The non-stop action was engaging and kept my attention. But the characters were shallow and too many of the situations in the story were just not believable. Such as that low life traffickers of illegal drugs, responsible for gross corruption, brutal murders within their profession and destruction of untold thousands because of greed and a hunger for power, really have soft hearts deep down … who knew?

Sorry, this was just not a satisfying read.
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Aug 15, 2012 Juliet rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ok-at-the-time, reviewed

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It takes a turn somewhere in the second half that turns it from developing thriller into more of a life adventure. It’s hard to put your finger on quite where it loses the thriller edge. It may be with the ever increasing cast of characters.

There’s no climatic as you tend to be waiting for from a title billed as a thriller. There is some violence but no great detail so you don’t quite feel the impact. Yes, I’m bloodthirsty, but I don’t think it’s just me!...more This wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It takes a turn somewhere in the second half that turns it from developing thriller into more of a life adventure. It’s hard to put your finger on quite where it loses the thriller edge. It may be with the ever increasing cast of characters.

There’s no climatic as you tend to be waiting for from a title billed as a thriller. There is some violence but no great detail so you don’t quite feel the impact. Yes, I’m bloodthirsty, but I don’t think it’s just me! I think if the movie rights were bought, it would end up as a made-for-tv title. But you see, that means I can still see a reasonable movie coming from the story.

I have real mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, my red pen was desperate to make some standard proofing and copy editing comments. On the other it made me think just how the world is held to ransom by drug companies and health organisations. I have some first-hand experience of this, so I know the theory is sound.

The wonder drug at the centre of the story is controversial in itself and has a catchy cliché name to make it ready for the selling. Did we need to hear the name quite so many times? Probably not. Did we need “he said, she said” peppering every conversation? Again, probably not.

There are some ‘conveniences’ thrown in and I’m not talking about bathroom facilities. Sometimes the plot is a little too facile. Granted, the protagonists can’t fall at the first hurdle, but we want them to be resourceful, not to simply put in a call to a billionaire friend. Ok, so once, maybe but you want that friend to protest or take some cajoling. You don’t want them to roll over after a brief conversation. But then when it happens a second time, you’re hoping it’s at least going to result in some serious fighting back against the machine. Too much passivity.

I would have liked a more detailed and direct conclusion. A Cure to Die For sort of fades out like a track on an old cassette.

I like the premise, I liked the opening, I stuck with it even when it began to drift. The underlying message is an important one. It’s a book I would pass on to someone but not necessarily recommend they rush out to buy. So what do you rate a book that has lots of promise and could perhaps become a gem with a bit of polish, but does need that polish first? I’ll have to go straight down the line on this one. I didn’t love it but I definitely didn’t hate it either.

If I were the teacher, I’d say 3 out of 5 and “see me after class”.(less)

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Jul 16, 2011 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book for free from the Goodreads first reads program.

I was looking forward to reading this book because I love medical thrillers. The premise of this book, that the big pharmaceutical companies and doctors would try to stop a cure for cancer because it would lose them money, is completely believable. My daughter has leukemia, and the $5,000 per month that we have to pay for drugs is criminal.

So this was a fast paced story. The characters were believable and interesting. There wer...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Randy Cashner rated it 1 of 5 stars

I have read many of the other reviews posted at Goodreads for this book and I am sure that I must have read a different book. A Cure to Die For is aptly named; I thought I could die before finishing it. While the premise of the book holds possibilities, the character development, the writing style and the general plot development all detract from the author's message. The characters are predictable almost as if they were one dimensional TV characters. At times, the plot was well constructed but...more

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Jul 25, 2011 John Kromer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Really not a well-written book. I won this book in one of the Goodreads giveaways, and it sounded like a good story, on top of the obligation I felt to read it because of the giveaway. While I was right that the story sounded good (well, moderate), the writing style was just awful. The sentences were short and choppy, and the segments of the story were even shorter and choppier. Mitchell went into detail on some minute parts of the story, but whenever it came time to give details about some of t...more Really not a well-written book. I won this book in one of the Goodreads giveaways, and it sounded like a good story, on top of the obligation I felt to read it because of the giveaway. While I was right that the story sounded good (well, moderate), the writing style was just awful. The sentences were short and choppy, and the segments of the story were even shorter and choppier. Mitchell went into detail on some minute parts of the story, but whenever it came time to give details about some of the more interesting/important parts of the story, the details were minimal/nonexistent. One of the reviewers quoted on the cover mentioned the rich characters, but I could not disagree more with this description of the book: Mitchell was consistent in the fact that he hardly spent any time at all with these characters, instead choosing to introduce characters who only existed for a single paragraph and had no real bearing on the story. The most annoying was perhaps the chapter when he talked about the news coverage of Cannastar: he created a few fictitious reporters (all of whom existed no more than two paragraphs), but he also indirectly mentioned several real reporters and media faces: the talk show host with the big chin who loves cars is quite apparent, as well as several of the Comedy Central unmentionables (or at least they seemed unmentionable from Mitchell's writing). All-in-all the pace and characterization in this book were very poor, only serving to get you through the book VERY quickly without actually giving you a good sense of anyone in the book.

On top of the bad writing style, the story itself was rather contrived. I like the idea that there is a cure-all out there; I even like the idea that it's a marijuana hybrid. But the politically-charged messaging in this book were over the top, even for a liberal like me. The reporters, the references to political parties, and the general sense of the book were excessively critical to the Republican party. I give this book two stars because the idea behind the book was good, but the execution was simply terrible.(less)

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May 21, 2011 Carol Nichols rated it 5 of 5 stars

Where’s the sequel? I want to know how all the characters I met through Stephen G. Mitchell’s captivating book are doing now—the folks I got to know intimately and found myself rooting for. The writing made it fun and easy to get to know them. They became my friends. They grew dear to my heart because they were strong and bold enough to prioritize human decency over corporate ruthlessness and greed. In rooting for them I was rooting for all of human kind who suffer at the hands of integrity-chal...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Haley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, action-adventure

I won this book for free by way of goodreads' first reads giveaway.

This is a pretty good adventure story. A cure for cancer is found. The medical and drug companies, and the government don’t want it to surface because it would devastate the flow of income into the medical field. The corporate big boys don’t want to see their money go bye-bye. So the big corporations try to bring this new miracle drug and anyone trying to grow and sell it down. This causes a lot of crazy stuff to happen. The syno...more I won this book for free by way of goodreads' first reads giveaway.

This is a pretty good adventure story. A cure for cancer is found. The medical and drug companies, and the government don’t want it to surface because it would devastate the flow of income into the medical field. The corporate big boys don’t want to see their money go bye-bye. So the big corporations try to bring this new miracle drug and anyone trying to grow and sell it down. This causes a lot of crazy stuff to happen. The synopsis on the back of the book it a whole lot better! :)

I would prefer to give this book 2.5 stars if I could because of certain attributes that really bugged me. I didn’t enjoy the first 80 or so pages of this book. I wasn’t feeling a connection with the characters. I initially thought that the two main characters were sort of irritating. Though, around 100 pages in, the book really started to improve. The new characters that were added were very agreeable and realistic. I especially liked the relationship between Otis and Eloise. Actually, come to think of it, I liked most of the side characters more than the two protagonists.

Pros – this book has a pretty cool cover. :) The synopsis hooks you immediately. The author has put a lot of imagination into this book. It is well drawn out, and the plot isn’t entirely obvious. It was action-packed – definitely what you could call a page turner! I can honestly say that after the initial 80 pages, I wasn’t bored once. The writing style is definitely not artwork like John Steinbeck, but Mr. Mitchell does do quite a nice job of describing his state of Montana with quite a bit of heart.

Cons – there are a lot of typos, which was extremely distracting – this is coming from someone who usually doesn’t notice these sorts of things unless they’re glaringly obvious. Flashbacks, flashbacks, flashbacks! There are so many misplaced and unnecessary flashbacks in this book! It is absolutely ridiculous! At one point, I was starting to get a headache because there were so many pointless flashbacks all at once. Another minor annoyance was that the author would quite often tell the reader what was about to happen before it even happened. These definitely weren’t subtle, foreshadowing hints. If you read the book, you’ll no doubt realize what I mean by this. It totally took out the element of surprise in what would have been awesome plot twists had they actually popped up out of nowhere. Lastly, the characters were pretty much all black and white. There was either good or bad. The good characters were wholly good with the exclusion of minor flaws that get tossed to the wayside. The bad characters are pure eviiiiil to the core – with perhaps the exclusion of Don Juan. I don’t know how to categorize him. I think that he was an evil guy trying to do some good to make up of for his evil. Anyway, there was practically no gray area. There was one moment in the book that I really had to force myself to keep reading. This is why: it was painfully obvious that Mr. Mitchell is trying to demonize republicans. This is coming from someone who isn’t in to politics and who hasn’t even chosen her political preference yet. The republicans are the bad guys. He doesn’t show this until about ¾ into the book. Here’s an excerpt (don’t worry it won’t give anything away):

“Across the land growing hordes of hicks, fattened on the madness of the negative propaganda, crowded the parade route as America’s right wing radio and television hosts paraded their sound bites up and down Main Street on floats of fear, pitching their shit over the side to a sea of hungry hands that reached out for the lies and gobbled them down like poison candy.” (page 274)

If that isn’t a rant, I don’t know what is.

I could easily put up with everything else that I didn’t like about in the story, but that last bit just left me reeling as I finished the sentence. It wasn’t the first instance of it, but I just couldn’t understand why he would even want to put garbage like that in his book. I read this book because it was supposed to be an intense medical thriller. Yes, I knew that the government and media would be involved which would bring in some politics, but this just… I don’t know… it dumbfounded me. I can understand partiality, but this was over the top. There should be a warning in bold letters on the first page… ha-ha!

Other than that, the story itself was quite good. The prices of drugs nowadays are way too high. The idea for this story was unique and awesome. He did a good job of capturing it! I tried to be fair in my review, but I’m afraid my list of cons outweigh the pros. I would still like to point out that I did enjoy it to an extent, which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2.

P.S. (Only to those who have read the story *minor spoilers*) Can anyone explain how both Annie and Sam Seeley managed to get away with the fact that tons of Cannastar was found growing in two greenhouses in their backyard? Yes, I understand that the blame was placed on “others”, but there is still no possible way the both of them could have gotten away scot-free – especially since there wasn’t any evidence pointing the blame on the “others”. In fact, I don’t think Mr. Mitchell ever explains how this went over. Surely the press would have questioned these findings. Maybe this is a plot hole? I don’t know…
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Jul 21, 2011 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Note: This book was received through a giveaway.

I liked the beginning of the book (first 75 pages or so) but then logic went out the window. The first problem I have with the book is the fact that this genetically engineered plant can cure all types of cancer, aids, back pain, addiction, and a host of other random things. I think the only possible way something could do that is if it had nanobots or specially engineered virus's and even then it seems impossible and even if it was possible I'd im...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Purpleholic rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: goodreads-first-reads-won

WOW!! This book is so cool. I started reading it last night when I got home and I finished it this morning around 4 am. I could NOT put it down - believe me I did try. I couldn't fall asleep so after laying in bed for about an hour I got back up and finished the story sitting at the kitchen table.

The story is so well written that I could almost believe I was reading real news updates and newspaper headlines. The drug companies do tend to have bad reputations and that makes this story so believab...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Robyn26 loid rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the conspiracy theory angle. It was a good read. I recently finished a book that I enjoyed even more. It is called, "The Rx Factor" by author J. Thomas Shaw. This is a fiction medical thriller, which is about a failed cancer researcher who meets a female scientist who reignites his passion and interest in medical researcher when she decides to open a low cost clinic in Mexico for terminally ill patients. She plans to offer them an experimental medication. An...more

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May 26, 2011 Leroy Christopher Crawley rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Cure to Die For by Stephen G. Mitchell is a book that you will be hard-pressed to put down. Prepare yourself for a wild ride via planes, trains and automobiles; join riveting adventures trekking the expanse of forests, jungles, and mountainsides; and experience the glorious vistas of tropical islands, bays, and continental divides. The author packs so many sensory treats into one book that your eyes will water, your mouth will salivate and your spirits will soar.

Be prepared to be joyful, demol...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Chas rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 26, 2011 Howard Green rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reading A Cure to Die: A Medical Thriller won’t disappoint you. Mitchell addresses several key issues of our time:
Drug company conspiracies, corrupt politicians, and the media all working hand in hand, manipulating the world to their own ends, and perhaps most importantly how powerful groups like these, can stifle incredible breakthroughs that serve mankind.
What he accomplishes is to show what the individual can do to triumph over, when faced with this reality.
It was one of those books I simply...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Katherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Being a pre-med student and a retired biology teacher the premise of this book really caught my interest. It was enjoyable because the characters were somewhat interesting and the locales, especially the Navajo Nation were familiar to me. There was a lot of action what with the kidnappings and police and/or DEA raids and the various forays into the snowy Montana mountains or across the Midwest at night. There are three main characters who acquire others as the story moves along--some stay for th...more Being a pre-med student and a retired biology teacher the premise of this book really caught my interest. It was enjoyable because the characters were somewhat interesting and the locales, especially the Navajo Nation were familiar to me. There was a lot of action what with the kidnappings and police and/or DEA raids and the various forays into the snowy Montana mountains or across the Midwest at night. There are three main characters who acquire others as the story moves along--some stay for the duration, some are ships passing in the night.

The idea of a cure-all drug was rather fascinating--especially since it is the product of a cannabis hybrid. What is the author trying to say here, I wonder? The fact that the pharmaceutical industry and the government would try to destroy it and the research that produced it is ludicrous. For we find that the drug is not really a cure as such but a substance that sends all sorts of disease into remission and without it the patient is lost once more. I just bet the drug companies would like to see that stamped out rather than fight to get the patent that would allow one of them to corner the market and charge an exorbitant price for the prescription to say nothing of the taxes the government could levy on the manufacture of such a miracle drug.

And my science self had a real problem with the lack of testing to determine the true efficacy of the drug and to ascertain what the lengthy warnings of side effects would be to the patient.

If logic, then, can be suspended for a time this book is a good read with many twists and turns---not a thriller, not a mystery but surely an adventure. I don't think I'll ever drive by fields thick with high corn in Iowa again without wondering if there are other crops secretly planted between the rows--a take off on the three sisters. Nor will I venture into Window Rock again and park near the Council House without wondering if a Grow is being considered somewhere out in the far reaches of the Reservation.

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Jul 14, 2011 Carole rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: giveaways-first-reads, favorites

**I received this Signed Copy as a Goodreads First-Reads giveaway.** Thanks!

Have to start by saying I absolutely loved this book! It has to rank in my all time top 10. The plot was clever and well played out. Take an illegal herb and a poisonous plant and genetically engineer them into a cure all wonder drug. It helps our ailing family and friends recover from horrific diseases all while destroying the blood sucking insurance/prescription drug industry. The characters were believable and most ve...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Karel Deich rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received this book as a free advanced Reader's copy in return for a review. Thank you,

A Cure to Die For - by Stephen G. Mitchell is a fast-paced Medical Thriller. The plot, a cure for cancer, is a credible reality which could happen in our lifetime. There are conspiracies by drug companies, politicians, and media don't want this to happen because of greed, power and manipulation. The use of f-words was a turn off for me and because of the language will not recommend it to my book club. The aut...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Nicole Fall rated it 2 of 5 stars

Unfortunately I could not 'get into' this book. The flow of the writing, the character set-ups and the overall voice of the book was unorganized, unbelievable and, in my opinion, lacking in experience. It felt like the author was excited, rushed almost, to write the book. The characters were hastily pushed into emotions and situations that they were not 'lead' into. Trust is earned, even in books, not just given inexplicably to a stranger you just met, for example. Even with that said, I did lov...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Cynthia K rated it 3 of 5 stars

My husband won an autographed copy of this book through Goodreads and let me read it first.

The premise of this book is intriguing: what would happen if someone discovered a cure for cancer and other diseases? In Mitchell's story, greedy drug companies and the powerful politicians that they buy want to destroy what they see as a threat to their way of life. Some of the potential suspense in the book is negated by the author's heavy-handed foreshadowing. I also thought he tried a little too hard...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Anita rated it 2 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from Goodreads. I wanted to like it, I really did. But, I just couldn't. The premise and the idea were good; the execution, not. I won't go into any plot details, but I will explain the reasons why I put the book down for a good three weeks before I could pick it up again (and I did so only because I felt an obligation to do so and come here to write a review).

First, the writing style - it was choppy and unendurable. Second, the characters appeared to be ster...more

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May 29, 2012 Misterg rated it 2 of 5 stars

The premise of this book is great; a universal cure-all is discovered and the big drugs companies are running scared and will stop at nothing to halt it.
Problems?
Two; one minor and one REALLY annoying one.
Firstly some passages are a little rambling to say the least. Nothing a few Kindle clicks won't solve.
The major one that really got on my nerves was the false cliffhanger at the end of nearly every chapter. Similar to "little did they know that the dinner they put in the oven would be their las...more

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title link	preview: A Cure to Die for: A Medical Thriller
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11360025-a-cure-to-die-for?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348437755l/11360025.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11360025-a-cure-to-die-for?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]A Cure to Die for: A Medical Thriller by Stephen G. Mitchell[/url]

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