I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Anthrax Protocol by James M. Thompson Published by Pinnacle on February 23rd 2016
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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It Kills Slowly…
In an excavation site in Mexico, a team of archeologists uncovers the lost tomb of Montezuma--and a deadly strain of anthrax as ancient as the Biblical plagues. One by one, the team falls violently ill, bleeding from their eyes and ears before succumbing to a slow, painful death. Whatever was buried with the Aztec chief is still active, infectious--and now airborne…
It Spreads Quickly…
In Austin, a young archeologist listens to the dying words of her mentor in Mexico--a warning to quarantine the site before all hell breaks loose. In Atlanta, the CDC's Dr. Mason Williams leads an emergency squad on a life-or-death mission--into the hot zone. At Fort Detrick, an army officer sends a trained team to secure the anthrax--as a biological weapon. But time is running out. The disease is spreading rapidly across the border, into the airports, and across the globe, killing thousands. With no cure, no vaccine, and no way to contain it, there will be no hope for humanity--to survive…
Lauren is woken in the middle of the night to a phone call from her mentor and friend who is dying of mysterious causes. While opening a tomb in Mexico the team contracted a horrific illness with a one hundred percent mortality rate. He urges her to contact the authorities and to never come to Mexico where she will meet certain death. However, Lauren is no wilting flower and joins the CDC Wildfire team, lead by sexy Dr Mason Williams, to identify the dead crew and help understand the plague that is quickly becoming a world wide pandemic. Mason and Lauren must search for a cure for an ancient and very deadly plague that could destroy civilization without any back up while up against a power crazed military official, mercenaries and time itself.
When I saw The Anthrax Protocol I had to immediately request it. A novel about killer diseases, elite CDC plague hunters and Mathew Reilly level action? Count me in! I was overwhelmed to see the email appear in my inbox, alerting me that I was about the delve into a wonderful world of medical jargon, mystery and over the top action. Hallelujah!
However, my excitement was short lived. I began reading The Anthrax Protocol and I couldn’t immerse myself completely in the narrative. The characters fell flat. The over explanation of remedial terms like CDC (Center of Disease Control for neophytes) and hot zones was a bit annoying. I mean, it WAS the first few chapters and maybe I’m just such a huge immunology nerd that these terms aren’t as “common place” as I assumed..I don’t know. Anyway, I plodded through the info dumps, character background information and poorly executed dialogue to be left feeling unsure about this title.
Unfortunately, things fell apart for me where the characters were concerned with too similar personalities or the use of “cookie cutter” typologies instead of complex individuals. I was annoyed by the fact that everyone found Lauren and Mason super sexy and irresistible. Having an entire Naval ship wanting to jump Lauren’s bones? It was a bit much. The macho hero getting the “hot” anthropologist made me want throw my e-reader in the garbage. It just didn’t work for me.
The Anthrax Protocol had it’s strengths as well and I definitely want to give credit where it is due. The plot itself was stellar with plenty of action, interesting side lines and devious bad guys. The whole novel felt like like a Jack West Jr novel with medical intrigue thrown into the mix. I think the rush to find a cure for mysterious illness was the best part of the entire novel and solely resulted in the two star rating. The author has a flair or wonderful storytelling and strong action scenes, but he needs beta reading to strengthen his character building and develop more realistic character interactions.
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy medical dramas, action novels, over the top action scenes and plenty of unique story building. The Anthrax Protocol will not disappoint readers looking for adrenaline fuelled novels with hot main characters and movie-esque scenes.
About James M. Thompson
James M. Thompson was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Thompson practiced family medicine and surgery in Corpus Christi, Texas for 25 years, then retired in 1999 to write full-time. Now he splits his time between Rockport, Texas and North Waterford, Maine with wife, Terri, and their dogs, Captain MacTavish and Shuggie, and loves to hear from his readers.
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