Customer Reviews

Germ: If You Breathe, It Will Find You

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Plenty of books are claimed to be "thrillers". Once you read Liparulo's work, the difference between a suspense and a true thriller becomes clear.

Germ starts at warp speed and doesn't slow down longer than it takes the reader to refuel for the next lap.

Robert's prose in the first chapters are what I love about his writing. He has a literary bent that few thriller writers do. After the first chapters, the action continues to pick up and his writing moves into less literary and more unobtrusive, which serves the story well.

This book had unique, believable characters who were layered and likeable. The writing was top notch and the action moved along so quickly I had to take breaks, just to catch my breath and process it all.

In short, this novel read like an action movie, which is apparently a good thing, since I believe it's being made into one. Though not as gruesome as Liparulo's first novel, Comes A Horseman, it does contain a good amount of violence in the form of shootouts and fist-fights.

Germ is a great choice for thriller lovers and most especially for men as it isn't weighed down with a lot of romance or mushy gushy feelings and deep self-exploration. This stays true to its genre.

If you're not afraid to be scared sick, pick up this germ, er, gem.

Liparulo's debut novel, "Comes a Horseman," snared the attention of numerous readers and garnered rave reviews. Fast pacing and interesting villains propelled the story toward a satisfying climax. With the release of "Germ," he makes a convincing argument for the title of Suspense Thriller King.

Imagine an all-to-believable future in which DNA-specific biochemical warfare can pinpoint its targets, in which the most deadly weapon on earth can become personal. This is the concept behind Liparulo's "Germ." With a gruesome opening scene, he gives readers cause for concern. Then, with barely a second's pause, he dives into a story that moves once again with flawless pacing.

We follow the fates of three people--a female FBI agent, and two estranged brothers. Although the plot's speed allows little time for character development, Liparulo manages to make us care for these people and their individual pasts. There are hints of romance, of personal conflict, but they are secondary issues to the race-against-time. Already, the germ has been released, targeting ten thousand individuals. This is big-screen material, made-for-Hollywood stuff, and yet it still races along with a beating human heart.

In the past year or so, Westbow Press has published three novels revolving around this theme of biochemical warfare, all with historical basis in WWII. Whereas Ted Dekker's "Black" was more suspense/fantasy, and Tim Downs' "Plague Maker" dealt with an isolated attack on NYC, Robert Liparulo's story aims for the destruction of mankind. This is more than an entertaining book; it's a warning against the dangers of mixing impersonal science and very personal human motives, such as revenge.

In the end, Liparulo leaves us breathless. And panting for more.

The study of disease is fascinating. Of course, in recent years, the study of disease as an unnatural phenomenon has become more prominent--the manufacture of disease and the possible use of disease as a weapon has become vivid in this age of terrorism. Mr. Liparulo has taken this idea and run with it in his new novel, Germ.

The basis of this novel is that a group of children smuggled out of Nazi Germany in the waning days of World War II are brought to the United States. They form the nucleus of a team that develops means of germ warfare. There is a break in the group and one of the scientists becomes a renegade. It turns out that Ebola is not a natural disease but is, in fact, an artificial and, more than that, can be targeted to a particular person's DNA.

Karl Litt, the scientist is question, is ready to demonstrate his invention to the world as part of his revenge against his former mentor, Kendrick Reynolds. Inadvertently caught up in the task to stop Litt are a federal agent, Julia Matheson; a doctor, Allen Parker; and his brother, Stephen. Lined up against the good guys is Atropos; basically a super-assassin(s).

It's an interesting premise and the plot unfolds easily with new information being doled out as needed. The characters are interesting and Liparulo isn't afraid to kill off principle characters if this serves the logical development of the plot. It's a move deserving of respect as is his willingness to give the police a victory or two. If he still allows amateurs to overcome professional killers; well, no one's perfect.

In the end, Germ is a fun and interesting book that plays on the currently popular fear of disease; particularly, weaponized disease. If this is a subject that interests you, this is a book worth reading.

My husband, teenage son and I have all read this book and really enjoyed it. It is easy to connect with the main characters and care about what happens through every twist and turn. Your imagination is tweaked to see the threat of biological terrorism as something truly evil and worthy of strenuous prevention efforts or great struggle. Great object lesson about the reponse one has to personal loss and tragedy and the effect of that response.

Biological warfare threatens the world in an unprecedented manner in Robert Liparulo's latest thriller. The Ebola virus is one of the deadliest viruses known to man, and now someone has developed a way to make it even deadlier. This new strain still kills just as effectively, but now has the ability to target specific people through their DNA. Suddenly 10,000 people are in the crosshairs of the world's newest and deadliest assassin, and their only hope rests on the shoulders of three unlikely heroes that are armed with the information needed to stop the germ and the creator behind it.

Robert Liparulo soars above the best in this jaw-dropping thrill ride. This is a superb effort that is quite simply the best novel I've read this year. The plot is complex and flows with ease, while the characters are rich and engaging. The subject matter is extremely well-researched and as a result the story is plausible, which makes it all the more frightening. Intense action scenes and gory violence work to create an atmosphere of suspense and tension that will have readers squirming in their chairs. This novel should come with a label that reads: Warning! Highly Addictive Material! Once you begin you won't be able to stop.

This is not typical Christian Fiction with altar call moments and preachy diatribes. However, Liparulo weaves effective elements of faith and hope throughout the story that add to this novel's richness. This is a must read novel that is highly recommended for fans of thrillers and suspense. (From Christian Library Journal)

Robert Liparulo's previous work Come's A Horsemen was so gripping, such a page turner, that I was worried that his next work might not hit the same heights. Well GERM not only hits the mark it might even beat it by a bit. I read Germ in one sitting unwilling to leave the superb characters and edge of the seat situations for anything. Robert Liparulo creates the most frightening and bizarre Killers of any author out there (and I mean "Out there"), a Viking in Comes a Horsemen, and now Atropos for Germ. Like Tom Clancy's clairvoyance in all things military, Liparulo has hit the Germ warfare nail firmly on the head. I'm glad it's just story from the twisted mind of Robert Liparulo and not from the front page of the newspaper. Read Germ, and then wash your hands often.

The book cover intrigued me. The title seduced me. The story disappointed me. The title and liner notes of this book raised my hopes that it would be in the genre of Richard Preston's Hot Zone. It is a far cry from it.
The title of the book should have read something like "Bad guys chasing good guys all over the place." There was a great deal of violence and a fair degree of suspense, however the cat and mouse game that surrounded the four main characters completely eclipsed the "germ" theme! I suppose if this type of writing appeals to you you will like this book. Yes there is a lot of action but very little substance.

GERM, by Robert Liparulo begins with a scene so graphic and repulsive it's almost enough to stop a reader then and there. However, after this the action not only picks up, but increases to a maddening pace, leveling off briefly only so the reader can catch their breath.

It's that kind of a novel, one that drives you into places you do not wish to go, ensnaring you with its charm, brilliance, intensity and a balanced tension that, to me, is the mark of a truly great writer. You know these characters, maybe by different names, but you've met them before. Liparulo is not satisfied with merely describing them physically, but gives you insights into their psyche.

GERM is more about us than about a deadly virus. Hidden like the virus he's written about is a truth about ourselves, our weaknesses, our evil desires, more deadly than any physical virus. Perhaps that's the point of this story. We can be the deadliest virus on the planet...or by God's grace, it's cure. - David Brollier (Author of THE 3RD COVENANT)

When I received this book in the mail, the first thing everyone said when they saw it was "Oh your book is wet." Actually I'm not sure why there are spotted raised dots on the cover, but it sure was a way to get people to notice the book! To be honest this isn't the type of book I would normally pick up. I'm glad though that I did, I would have missed out on a really intense, suspenseful read. While reading it, I kept thinking I was in 24 with a touch of the Constant Gardener. The story moves at a extremely fast pace and you never get bored. I really liked all the characters, Julia is a very good female lead. ("Jack"ie Bauer!) And my goodness, those Atropas guys were creepy. The description of the weapon they used and how it tore the body up after you've been shot made me squirm. Same with the first chapter of the story, extremely gross out situation. But I liked it because it's definitely not something one would expect in a Christian fiction book. (blood and guts?? isn't that sinful?) Great way to hook you into the story (if you haven't thrown up on the pages already). Really scary when you think about how those guys seem to share the same identity and only think as one. What's even more scary is how realistic the storyline is and how there's a possibility it could happen in this day and age. If they make this novel into a movie, I'll definitely be in line for it. This is the type of book that would appeal to both the secular and Christian crowd.

I'd heard so much about this book, I started wondering if any novel could live up to the hype. Fortunately, I found out the friends and reviews that recommended GERM weren't wrong. No hype, just a great story told well.

However, I read this when I had the flu... not a good idea. The titular virus moves from host to host as a cold (or the flu??) until it finds DNA that it was encoded to find, then it turns into Ebola! Some gruesome Ebola symptoms are described. I started thinking my own guts were liquifying. Ugh.

I like that it wasn't all about the virus and the science behind it, though. There's a real thriller and action-adventure here. Atropos is an assassin that ought to be inducted in some literary killers' hall of fame. Wow, what a creepy guy.

If you like suspense and action and guns and chases and the idea of biological terrorism (though this is more personal than that implies), you should like this one. Just read it when you're healthy.