Robin Cook presents a thriller with situations torn from the headlines. In "Toxin," food-borne illness is the medical problem exacerbated by the cozy relationship between the USDA and meat processing plants.Dr. Kim Reggis' daughter Becky falls ill after eating an undercooked hamburger, which leads him to an undercover and illegal investigation of the meat processing plant from which the beef originated. USDA officials and cattle barons are soon gunning for him (both literally and figuratively) as he tries to expose them.Cook's book is rooting in fact (he provides an excellent reference at the end); modern food processing, with its emphasis on volume, has resulted in a significant increase in food-borne illness and contamination. Well worth reading, to say nothing of sharing information on how we can more humanely and safely manage the meat supply.
