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About the Book
Rabies kills. Can
it also cure?
Tessa Price, PhD,
knows what it’s like to lose a child to an inherited genetic disease. To spare
another mother this pain, she invents a radical new gene therapy that might
save the life of seven-year-old Gunnar Sigrunsson. Unable to get regulatory
approval to treat Gunnar in the US, she takes her clinical trial to the Palacio
Centro Medico, a resort-like hospital on a Mexican peninsula where rich medical
tourists get experimental treatments that aren’t available anywhere else.
When the hospital
is taken over by a brutal drug cartel, Tessa hides with a remarkable trio of
Palacio clients—rich Texan Lyle Simmons, his much-younger Brazilian girlfriend,
and his protection dog, a German shepherd named Dixie, only to learn that
gangsters aren’t the only deadly threat they face. A rabies-like infection that
began in the Palacio’s research chimpanzees has spread to humans. Tessa
investigates and finds a shocking connection to her gene therapy experiment. In
the wake of this discovery, Tessa must weigh the value of one human life
against another—including her own.
My Review
Medical thriller
describes well this somewhat gruesome novel. Without overwhelming the reader,
Rogers spins a tale of discovery, greed on so many levels, and absolutely corrupt
power.
Opening with a
nightmare scene of a bat attack on a tech on a drug run and in deep trouble,
the story spirals out of control from the first page and breathlessly leads
readers on a terrifying journey of terror and healing.
Harsh as it
sounded, Dr. Tessa Price is what Administrator Vargas accuses—a medical school
washout—one with a needle phobia that nearly costs her life. Refusing the
required blood test upon entry to the luxurious Mexican medical resort, the
doctor secretly in love with her, Sameer, resolves the matter by falsifying her
record.
At first Tessa’s
visit to the spa to make sure her experimental treatment continues even when
the specialized tech is out sick seems like an idyllic break in her messy life.
That idyll quickly turns into a nightmare when she is caught up in war between
powerful gangs.
Tessa must come
to several self-actualizing truths during her ordeal. Among many of her issues,
needle phobia is the least is the least of them when she learns exactly what
has happened with her research. She shows her true mettle when she learns how
to operate on the fly, and what the depths of true, selfless love can do.
I give this book
four stars instead of five because of the author’s habit of annoying switching
around internal and external thoughts, and unnecessary sentences fragments
attempting to ramp tension when there is plenty without it. Otherwise I
thoroughly enjoyed the story and obvious excellent research. I did question
whether a femoral arterial bleed can be halted with paper towels and pressure,
but as the author has a medical degree, I accepted it. Recommended for those
who like rapid action and don’t mind lots of blood and guts.
About the Author
Amy Rogers, MD,
PhD, is a Harvard-educated writer, scientist, educator, and critic. Through her
book review website ScienceThrillers.com, her publishing company
ScienceThrillers Media, and her own writing, Amy advocates for literate
entertainment in the form of great stories with real science.
Amy writes
thrilling science-themed novels in the style of Michael Crichton (PETROPLAGUE,
REVERSION). She also composes a monthly column "Science in the
Neighborhood" for Inside Publications. She is a member of International
Thriller Writers.
Amy loves dim
sum, Ted Drewes, redwood forests, lakes with loons, Hawaiian beaches, and cats.
She lives in Northern California with her husband and two exceptional children
who believe she has an unreasonable tolerance for mysterious things growing in
her refrigerator.