Limited Time [Hardcover]

Robert Greer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2000

The author of the CJ Floyd novels has won over readers and critics with the adventures of one of the most compelling and colorfully drawn private-eye heroes in years. Now in the best tradition of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton, Robert Greer-a nationally prominent physician and research scientist-turns to the world he knows best with stunning results... LIMITED TIME. For centuries it has been the holy grail of medical science, in pursuit of which the human race has violated nature, launched explorations, and waged war. Now one rogue doctor has dared to unlock the power of one of the most potent substances ever swirled inside a test tube-and stands on the verge of cracking the code of nothing less than the legendary fountain of youth.

A world-class collegiate swimmer breaks a record at the women's U.S. Olympic trials, then seconds later succumbs to a sudden, violent seizure. A brilliant, maverick molecular biologist stumbles onto a drug that can both enhance athletic performance and accelerate the average lifespan past every imaginable barrier, until death cuts his experiment brutally short. There is a hidden but devastatingly real link between the two tragedies. Few see the connection, until the expanding and shocking web of fatalities draws in research pathologist Dr. Henry Bales.

Bales, dedicated to answering questions inside the safe confines of a lab, now tackles a mystery in the dangerous, unscientific world of unchecked greed and power. To assist him he enlists several allies, including a rival scientist of exotic good looks and penetrating mind, and a certain local bounty hunter who brings a welcome battery of battle-tested street smarts to the rarefied realm of high thinkers and earthshakers. Together they must penetrate a conspiracy that stretches from the high, open training fields of Denver to the cramped, darkened gyms of Cuba. Hurtling toward a deadly climax in a desperate race against time, Bales, a supreme man of reason, knows that none of them may make it to the finish line.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author of the acclaimed CJ Floyd mystery series (featuring an African-American bail bondsman and bounty hunter) takes a new direction with this shrewd and suspenseful medical thriller, in which both promising young athletes and celebrated medical researchers are mysteriously stricken. What connects the sudden illness of a Cuban boxer and the suspicion that a prominent Denver physician has been faking the results of his research experiments? What are the strange growths in the brain of a swimmer who dies while competing in an Olympic qualifying heat? Murder and malfeasance are afoot, apparently, in a university research laboratory, and pathologist-rancher Dr. Henry Bales needs to find the link before more deaths occur. CJ Floyd appears as a minor character in this novel, and fans of the series may miss his bracing presence. But Bales is an old friend of CJ's from their Vietnam days, and he is an appealing character in his own right (like the author, Bales is a pathologist at the University of Colorado). Greer ties up the threads of his subplots adroitly, and he is especially good at depicting the everyday life of a research lab and the ever-present tension there between applied and pure science. Agent, Nat Sobel. 6-city author tour. (Jan.) FYI: In 1998, Greer won the Chester Himes Award for his CJ Floyd mysteries.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Greer, a surgical pathologist and professor at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, has written his fourth mystery novel, this one set in the arena of biomedical research. CJ Floyd, an intriguing African American bail bondsman and private investigator who is the protagonist of Greer's first three works, plays a significant character here. The novel's "biotech" theme concerns telomerase, an enzyme that may control the human aging process, and, in this story, gives athletes a supreme boost of energy. The action begins when an Olympic-level swimmer suffers a seizure after a race and dies. Then a controversial telomerase researcher dies suddenly. Research pathologist Henry Bales conceives of a possible link between these two tragic deaths, and, along with Floyd and others, attempts to get to the bottom of an international conspiracy. Many of the book's characters are quirky, and its storyline is rich in detail and full of tension. A riveting medical mystery; appropriate for public libraries.ALinda M.G. Katz, MCP Hahnemann Univ., Philadelphia
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (January 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089296684x
• ISBN-13: 978-0892966844
• ASIN: 089296684X
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,323,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great thriller, December 23, 1999

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Limited Time (Hardcover)

World-class swimmer Leah Tanner attends the University of Colorado. She is considered a strong contender to make the American Olympic team. At the U.S. trials, Leah figures that winning her race will automatically provide her a spot on the team that will compete in Australia. However, she does suffer from some back spasms, but she is not too worry since her coach told her that it is nothing. Leah smashes the NCAA record for her event, but dies minutes after winning her race. The autopsy reveals many nodules in the brain.

At the U of C's Health Science Center, Dr. Neil Cardashan works on a research project centering on an enzyme that controls life spans. However, a colleague accuses Neil of faking his test results. Shortly thereafter, Neil is killed. The autopsy matches the results found in Leah's death. Dr. Henry Bales, chair of pathology, thinks there is a link between the two dead people. He also believes that they are murder victims and did not die of natural causes. He decides to learn more about Cardashan's research and who is backing the scientist. He enlists CJ Floyd to find answers, but neither person is aware that an unknown foe will do anything including murder to achieve his goals.

Although the medical jargon is a bit difficult to grasp without a scientific background, LIMITED TIME remains a frightening chiller. The story line evolves around the dangers of tampering with DNA in an uncontrolled environment. Robert Greer makes believers out of his audience that this could happen in real life. Fans of medical thrillers will want to lose no time in reading this cutting edge novel.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GETTING THE EDGE, August 11, 2000

By 

Bonita L. Davis - See all my reviews

This review is from: Limited Time (Hardcover)

A world class swimming athlete bound for the olympics dies a mysterious death. Cuba's premiere boxer is suffering from a high fever, loss of energy and incessant vomiting. The one linking connection to those two cases is himself found dead from mysterious causes.

Enter into the world of research of pathologist Henry Bales as he attempts to break the mystery of an experiment run amok and unbridled by greed and power. Assisted by his friend C.J. Floyd, the two penetrate a conspiracy that goes from the athletic fields of Colorado and all the way into Fidel Castro's Cuba.

Robert Greer does an outstanding job in weaving togeter a murder medical mystery. He introduces us into the areana of pathology where we learn how these medical detectives unravel secrets through a microscope. What they find is chilling as we look at the greed of athletic competitition. We see that athletes will do anything to get an edge. There are also those who will prey on those athletes with drugs that have serious medical implications as well as enhancers for performance. This is a must read book. It is easy to follow though the scientific words may throw you off. It is a break from Greer's Floyd Mysyteries. He has truly created a great story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Limited Time, May 18, 2000

By 

peggy evans - See all my reviews

This review is from: Limited Time (Hardcover)

Limited Time continues the mystery series starring CJ Floyd. It was great to see that his secretary, Flora Jean remains ever ready and just as fiesty as ever and its great to see C.J's former secretary and now attorney, Julie remain as as an asset to C.J and his business. The series of stories about C.J. show him slowly evolving from the job of bounty hunter into the position of private investigator and he remains a likeable and memorable character in both roles.

It was clear that the author, Dr. Greer used his background as a researcher and professor to supplement this story and he did and excellent job of blending this medical mystery into a page turning thriller.

Peggy Evans