Fast, fantastic read. All too plausible, given the recent pandemic, terrorism and the unsavory underbelly of government secrecy and paranoia. ( )

Excellent book! Well-written with developed characters. The plot is so real it is scary, but the resolution is hopeful. ( )

Action-packed medical thriller -- scary and plausible.

Antibiotic resistance has resulted in a world wide crisis where a simple infection is now deadly. Historically eradicated disease is once again rampant, and humans live in isolation, quarantine, and fear of the microbes and of each other. Bioterror is the latest weapon for those extremist groups who want to bring about the end of human life. Amidst all the confusion and wariness, a couple of NYPD detectives stumble across a boy who has an unusual gift -- the ability to cure. Unfortunately, they must protect him from powerful factions who want the boy as a pawn.

The science in this work of fiction is very real and the threat of humans losing resistance to disease is looming. The world created by the author of this novel is bleak and dystopian. Government overreach and the protection of human rights are always seemingly at odds. The many characters in this book have their own motives for the actions they take and the philosophies they espouse. In any event, this story will make you think, do some of your own research, and take responsibility for making sure that the narrative does not come to be.

Very fast paced, it was hard to put down and quite enjoyable. I recommend it.

Thank you to Mulholland Books for this complimentary e=book to read and review. ( )

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

For years, the overuse of antibiotics threatened to create antibiotic resistance among the people. When it finally happened some four years ago, aggressive diseases doomed the unprepared populace, often within days.

But something even more terrifying awaited New York City.

Spencer Brutsch, harboring radical beliefs, released a multidrug-resistant strain of bacteria in a New York City subway station. It took two days for the infected to begin dying. As the outbreak continued to spread, the death toll rose.

While caring for his sick daughter, Zoe, widower New York Police Department Detective Jacob Gibson, summoned by his partner, Amira Hassan, finds mass murder victims who, despite their squalid living conditions, died in perfect health.

Now Jake must find eleven-year-old Mateo Rivas before the powerful men who will use him for their own nefarious ends can locate him.

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Dark, disturbing, and frighteningly within the realm of possibility, this story pulls the reader into the telling of the tale from the outset. As the plot twists and turns, the events become even more horrifying, keeping the suspense high. A constant undercurrent of apprehension keeps readers guessing and the pages turning at breakneck speed.

Believable, nuanced characters, a strong [albeit harrowing] plot, and non-stop action combine to create an unputdownable story filled with tension, behind-the-scenes machinations, mercenaries, and political conspiracies. It’s a not-to-be-missed book that belongs on every reader’s must-read list.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Mulholland Books and NetGalley
#ChildZero #NetGalley ( )

Child Zero (2022) byChris Holm. It seems there are going to be many, many books written now and in the near future which will be set in a pandemic society. That is fine in as much as the writing is not just a regurgitation of sights and sounds we have been living with for two years. Something fresh is called for, a twist to our status quo if you will, I don’t mind seeing a pattern, just give it significant differences from the others.
Child Zero is just such a book. Set in a slightly alternate universe from our own, it concerns the outcome of a terrorist attack that is commonly referred to as 8/17. This time it is a biological attack brought about by a single individual. Working in a college lab, one man devised a weapon that renders antibiotics useless. With the initial spread of this weapon, diseases long thought to be extinct rush across the globe leaving medicos with little or no weapons to use against infection. A simple infected paper cut can now kill.
In this world we find NYPD Detective Jacob Gibson. He lost his wife in 8/17 and is now at home caring for his sick daughter, Zoe. Taking her to a hospital is tantamount to handing her to the nefarious Biological Security Agency, who will sweep her away to some isolation area. Jacob fears he would never see her again.
When his partner, Amy, calls him out to a crime scene, he manages to leave Zoe with his ex-girlfriend who is a doctor. The crime is a massacre in Central Park, home to a quarantined community of the poor. More than 100 people were killed overnight, their bodies left in a funeral pyre.
SOC determines that the victims were completely healthy prior to death, a very, very odd situation.
The story follows Jacob and Amy who get embroiled in something way over their pay grades. They quickly become enemies of the state, go on the run while still trying to solve the crime. Large government agencies and vast private companies play a role in the situation, and there is a miracle along the way.
Mr. Holm effectively uses a slightly alterer New York City as the grid this game of hide and seek gets played out on. There are plenty of twists, and the ending is a bit different from what you might expect, but the whole thing is a fun ride with plenty of twists and surprise revelations.
I won this book through Goodreads. ( )