The Gabon Virus: A Novel (TSI) [Paperback]

Paul McCusker (Author), Walt Larimore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2009 | Series: TSI

In the face of a new plague that threatens the world, our forensic heroes investigate the past to save the future— studying evidence from when the Black plague decimated a small english village eyam, pronounced eem, during the seventeenth-century.

After the greedy founders of a scientific research laboratory intentionally infect subjects with a deadly plague in order to develop a lucrative vaccine, the plague spreads beyond the lab’s control. A top-secret government team of scientists covertly begins to research a solution. They turn their attention to the seventeenth-century—the only other time when a widespread plague ravaged the world—for clues on how to prevent this disaster from happening again. In particular, the scientists are interested in how eighty people from the village of Eyam were able to remain virtually untouched by the plague at the height of the Black Death’s deadly reign over Europe. But trouble is afoot in Eyam—grave robberies, grisly murders, and the bizarre reappearance of the Blue Monk—a legendary, spectral figure from the time of the plague. Can he be real? And who’s trying to stop the team from discovering the truth about Eyam? Distinguished authors Paul McCusker and Walt Larimore, M.D. have collaborated to deliver this sweeping, fast-paced novel that spans the globe and transcends time. Sure to leave readers wanting more, The Eyam Factor is a riveting introduction to the authors’ new Time Scene Investigators series.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I was on the edge of my seat from the very first page of The Gabon Virus and didn't breathe again until I turned the last page. Fast-paced and gripping, this book will make us all think, This could happen." -- Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling novelist

About the Author

Paul McCusker is a Peabody Award-winning writer and  director who has written novels, plays, audio dramas, and musicals for children and adults. He currently has over thirty books in print. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Walt Larimore, M.D. is a noted physician, award-winning writer, and medical journalist who hosted the cable television show on Fox’s Health Network, Ask the Family Physician. He lives in Monument, Colorado.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (August 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416569715
• ISBN-13: 978-1416569718
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,361,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A 15th Century Blue Monk and a 21st Century Virus, August 13, 2009

By 

Wyn (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gabon Virus: A Novel (TSI) (Paperback)

Interesting premise: take a historical fact ~ the plague in a small town in 1600 England ~ mesh it with a unleashed virus today and see what happens. How do the two relate and what can the remains of an old Blue Monk tell a scientist of today. The story moves at a fairly good pace. The switches between the past and present, and England and Africa move smoothly without any jarring or hesitation. The detail in the scientific, medical, and military sides of the story seem to be plausible. I didn't feel like the authors didn't know what they were talking about. The religious threads were also believable which is difficult in this kind of a story with historical myths and scientific doubt combining to question any research. I read through the story in a day. Although I wouldn't say that it was gripping, it was definitely well written and mostly believable.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A missionary book about viruses, June 14, 2011

By 

Carl W. Brown "graduate student supreme" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gabon Virus (TSI) (Kindle Edition)

This book could have been so much more. It's disappointing to think of how good it could have been, to what it really was.

This is my first TSI book, a series I was unaware of before this book. I love the BSL4 virus books in general, and I was looking for the same in this book. The plot setup was engaging and interesting, and really had a change to be a great book. Unfortunately, it really lost its steam, focus, and direction in the last 1/3 of the book. So I'll break my review into two sections, the spanning the first 2/3s of the book for the first part and the last 1/3 for the second part.

The first part is quite engaging. It sets up a great plot line, above-average dynamic characters, and a suspenseful narrative. The various factions are introduced with enough information to be understood, but leaves you wanting to know so much more about them. There's a good amount of action and pace to the scenes and dialogue, and was definitely a page-turner. There was sufficient medical and scientific knowledge added to give the outbreak depth, rather that a simple generic and cliched virus. You had a hold on a fictional account of a "real" virus and the search for a "real" cure. The characters and story line revolved around theology, and although I am not religious, was still a highly engaging wrinkle. The problem is that all of this was lost in the last third of the book.

Strangely, the tone of the book shifted dramatically, moving away from the spread of the virus to the trials and tribulations of the individual characters as they searched for a cure. From here, the book basically changed into an expose on the Christian explanation to why there is evil and suffering in the world. The main characters were highly dependent on their faith, and all of the issues or conflicts that arose were basically solved by resorting to faith. While this is not necessarily a problem, it came across as a shallow and half-hearted attempt to merely convince the reader that faith in God solves all of your problems instantly. It did many of the important arguments for faith a disservice and didn't even give non-faith arguments a shot. Had the book stayed focused on the scientific aspects of the virus, and left faith as an important but secondary issue, this wouldn't have been a problem. But too many of the books seminal moments and twists were dictated less by knowledge and understanding but more by chance/luck/God's grace. The characters easily dealt with complex issues, merely because they trusted in God. It reflected an argument for Christianity you would find in beginner Sunday School pamphlets. It really felt like the authors wrote the book with the sole idea of using a virus to explain how God can allow suffering in the world.

This also affected the medical and scientific credentials of the book. While many attempts were made to remain true to scientific underpinnings of reality (and was done so well in the beginning), most of the solutions came from (or were implied to have come from) God rather than science. As a biological researcher, I felt a bit cheated on a chance to appreciate and understand a real solution, even if it were to be far-fetched in realistic implementation. This culminated in the finality of the book, which violated so many obvious protocols and safety standards, that it again overshadowed the efforts of the authors to remain true to science. As a reader, I want to know what book I am reading. A book that deals theology, science, and medicine is fine. But if you want people to believe that you are writing in a particular style, you can't change that style at the end for a more impressive ending or for effect. While I appreciated the climax and resolution of the plot, it was so grossly out of character that it left me confused as to the whole point of the writing.

As I said before - it could have been so much better (and was for a good majority), but the resolution of the issues just left much to be desired.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Level 4 viruses, March 13, 2010

By 

Peggy J. Kincaid "Peggy" (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gabon Virus: A Novel (TSI) (Paperback)

I saw this book at a bookstore and thought it might be interesting. Turned out I was correct. Suspense, terror, and disease especially a disease being manipulated by man makes for a very exciting read.

There were Christian overtures to this book but it didn't get in the way of the story and in fact made it more interesting as a read. This is a fiction book but we all know that in today's world Ebola is just a flight away from any major city in the world. I have always found Ebola to be fascinating and add to it the Spanish flu and the 14th Century plague and you've got all the elements for a page turning thriller.

I look forward to the next book by the authors if they can keep that tension and storyline going. Pandemics are not always a great read but this one was truly frightening in the scope of what could happen one day.