Robin Cook's Pandemic was published shortly before the Covid Pandemic and it shows how New York had some preparedness for such an event.
The thriller follows medical examiner Jack Stapleton when a young woman, who had recently received a heart transplant, dies on a subway train. The case seems eerily similar to the rapid deaths of those during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. Although it appears to be a virus that caused her death, nothing quite adds up. Never to shy away from a problem, Jack does his own investigating which takes him to a hospital in New Jersey where suspicious biological research is taking place. Meeting the billionaire Chinese owner of the facility leads to further concerns and Jack finds himself in the middle of unfolding events.
