Alice Austen is a physician working for the Center of Disease Control(CDC). She is harmlessly asked to follow up on the unusual deaths of innocent and seemingly unconnected individuals in NYC. After participating in the autopsies she stumbles upon biomedical clues that link all of the victims: a homeless man, a teenager, and antique dealer. As a pathologist she focuses her skills on the physical exam findings found in the victims tissues. The dangerous new disease, which has never before been seen, is slowly revealed like tissue beneath her skillful dissecting instruments.
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As a CDC epidemiology sleuth she makes the connections linking the victims as the body count starts to rise. NYC is on the verge of being a test case for dangerous hybrid virus-bacteria. Her investigations start in the goulish confines of the NYC medical examiners autopsy suite but also takes her to a special built bio-containment lab on Governor's Island. Austin is always on the sometimes unwanted front lines chasing the disease and criminals on the city streets and into the subways.
Her counterparts in the NYPD, NY Medical Examiners office, and seasoned bioweapons experts from the days of biowarfare development in the 1960's muster forces to uncover the criminals responsible for unleashing the deadly chimera (virus and bacteria) that infects the brains of it's victims. The primary villain, Archimedes, has combined the deadliest features of smallpox and the common cold virus. The disease is easy to catch and deadly. Once the victim gets a whiff of innocuous viral glass he eats himself before dying.
The review of this Book prepared by Jerry Naradzay
After the deaths of a 17 year old girl, and a homeless person, the CDC sends Dr. Alice Austen to perform an autopsy on the bodies. During the Examination she finds traces of the Smallpox virus. Austen tries to find the cause of this. At the same time in Iraq the millitary is looking for a biological weapon which is vely lethal. After more of the virus is released and many more people die, it is discovered that the virus is the same one that was created by a mad scientist who wants to get revenge on the government for firing him from the biological weapons development team.
The review of this Book prepared by Borgmaster209
A bio-medical thriller from the creator of "The Hot Zone" Goes back and forth between fictional story, and factual background. If you're at all interested in Biological Warfare, this is a must read.
The review of this Book prepared by Steve Schmitz