Doctor and author Robin Cook is widely credited with introducing the word "medical" to the thriller genre, and twenty years after the publication of his breakthrough novel, Coma, he continues to dominate the category he created. Cook has successfully combined medical fact with fantasy to produce a succession of New York Times bestsellers, including Outbreak (1987), Mindbend (1988), Mutation (1989), Harmful Intent (1990), Vital Signs (1991), Blindsight (1992), Terminal (1993), Fatal Cure (1994), Acceptable Risk (1995), Contagion (1996), Chromosome 6 (1997) and Toxin (1998).

In each of his novels, Robin Cook strives to write about the issues at the forefront of current medical practice. To date, he has explored issues such as organ donation, genetic engineering, fertility treatment, in vitro fertilization, research funding, managed care, drug research, and organ transplantation. In VECTOR, Cook explores an issue seemingly ripped from today's headlines -- bioterrorism.

Cook says he chose to write thrillers because the form gives him "an opportunity to get the public interested in things about medicine they didn't seem to know about. I believe my books are actually teaching people."

Coma was made into a successful feature film, and Cook's novels have also been made into television productions. In December 1993, CBS-TV aired "Robin Cook's Harmful Intent"; in November 1994, NBC-TV aired "Robin Cook's Mortal Fear"; in May 1995, NBC-TV aired "Robin Cook's Virus," based on Outbreak; and in February 1996 NBC-TV aired "Robin Cook's Terminal." In addition to 1997's "Robin Cook's Invasion," NBC-TV has two other Cook novels in production.

Robin Cook is a graduate of Columbia University Medical School and finished his postgraduate medical training at Harvard. He is currently on leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He divides his time between homes in Boston and Florida.