Sunday, August 25, 2019

✱✱Book Review✱✱ THE RED DEATH by Birgitte Märgen


The Red Death 
A Pandemic Medical Thriller: Plague
by Birgitte Märgen 


"EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST PART OF THE STAND." --Amazon reviewer
*****
DEATH HAS A NEW COLOR
* * *
A fast-paced, gripping thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, and Dan Brown, The Red Death is a thriller fueled by the re-emergence of an ancient plague that gave rise to the Black Death--and the people trying to stop it. The question is: How do you stop something that you can't see?

* * *

AN ANCIENT DISEASE re-emerges in the heart of New York City--a deadly bacteria that gave rise to the Black Death. Maggie De Luca, an epidemiologist who is fighting her own demons, works to uncover clues to contain the disease, but is always one step behind--her fate determined by the flip of a coin. Microbiologist Michael Harbinger believes he can make a vaccine that can stop the disease, but to do so would require an elusive plant that only grows in a remote region of the Amazon.

With the help of J.D. Stallings, a paleoanthropologist, and Samantha Boutroux, a bacteriologist, they set out to find the plant that holds the key before the Red Death pandemic grips the world--or has the First Horseman of the Apocalypse, Plague, already opened the gates to our final annihilation?

The mother of all plagues is back.
Let the death toll begin . . . 



"RING AROUND THE ROSIE,
POCKETS FULL OF POSIES,
ASHES . . . ASHES . . .
WE ALL FALL DOWN."






Momma Says: 3 stars⭐⭐⭐

It's been quite a while since I've read a medical thriller, but the premise for this one caught my attention. The story starts off with a thought-provoking idea of how the virus is spread from one person to the next, and I found myself pulled in to each victim's plight as they contract the virus without even suspecting. The idea is chilling, and I'll tell you, I'll never look at that seemingly innocent item the same way again. We also have Maggie, who tries in vain to get someone in authority to actually listen to her and take action. Maggie is a likable character and the author certainly pulled me in with the growing tension each time she tries and fails to get the right people involved. That said, I can't say the same for the amount of technical information in the story. From the history of the plague to all the medical jargon, I'll admit that it was a bit too much for me. I do realize that some amount of medical information would come with a medical thriller, but it becomes a little too documentary-ish, and I found myself zoning out during some lengthy descriptions. There's also the almost secondary plotline of three of the characters heading into the Amazon, deep into the Amazon, to find the elusive cure. Finding a cure is a major part of the story, of course, but the whole expedition felt over the top. In the end, there were things I liked and some that I didn't about this one. Nevertheless, the idea is terrifying and it is certainly worth checking out. 



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