Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 9, 1992 TAG: 9202090269
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by JUDY KWELLER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BOOKS IN BRIEF
No Greater Love.\ By Danielle Steel. Delacorte. $23.I am probably one of the few women in the reading public who, until now, had never read a Danielle Steel novel. Actually, I enjoyed my initiation with "No Greater Love," her 28th book.
Not that this is a great piece of fiction. Among other failings, it's one of those novels that just doesn't ring true in plot or character development. But it is well-written and entertaining, and it has a fascinating premise.
The Winfield family is sailing home from England on the Titanic. Edwina Winfield's father, mother and fiance are drowned, leaving her to raise five brothers and sisters. The novel chronicles the family over the next 15 years. As corny as it gets toward the end, "No Greater Love" is good reading and a fine retelling of the great ship's sinking.
Miracle Cure.\ By Harlan Coben. Simon & Schuster/British American. $19.50.
In a bizarre example of life imitating art, Harlan Coben's new novel was scheduled for publication just weeks before Magic Johnson's shocking announcement that he had tested positive for HIV, the AIDS virus.
"Miracle Cure" is a fictional account of two scientists working on a cure for the disease. One has either been murdered or committed suicide. In addition, someone is murdering gay men in New York city. Max Bernstein, a gay police lieutenant, is investigating the killings. TV journalist Sara Lowell is drawn into the case when a friend who was being treated at the experimental clinic AIDS is murdered. He is also the son of a constituent of her father, a former U.S. surgeon general.
And now the most chilling thing about this highly suspenseful novel . . . Sara's world becomes a nightmare when her husband Michael Silverman - the star of a fictional New York basketball team - is diagnosed HIV positive. Michael checks into the clinic, but not before he holds a press conference to announce his condition in an effort to foster public support for AIDS victims.
Even if it weren't for the ironic similarities to Magic Johnson, "Miracle Cure" would deserve our attention. Coben has written a finely crafted and suspenseful contemporary murder mystery. The plot is highly convoluted; the characters fascinating and memorable. Everything about the novel is handled well. Don't miss it.
Judy Kweller is a vice president of an advertising agency.