MADicine (Hardcover)

~ Derek Armstrong (Author)
Key Phrases: hypo gun, rage plague, isolation suit, Doctor Kenner, Alban Bane, Abbey Chase (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Armstrong’s first two novels (The Game and The Last Troubador, both 2007) amply demonstrated his talent, but his latest, a mesmerizing satirical thriller, is the best of the lot. Alban Bane, from The Game, returns as the caustic Scottish doctor who is head of the World Advance Response Team (with the unfortunate nickname WART). This time Bane is called upon when otherwise normal, happy people seem to be going on murderous rampages across the globe. Yes, Bane learns the cause of the pandemic (a virus intending to cure violent behavior but doing the opposite has made its way into society), but how can WART possibly stop its spread? Bane puts together a team of three women—his “angels” (and you can call him Charlie . . . .)—including his kung-fu expert assistant, a Harvard-trained (and gorgeous) doctor from the CDC, and a pop star; together they make a plan to save the world, which requires globetrotting from L.A. to Hong Kong to Africa as they pursue the virus and its origins. Armstrong manages the difficult proposition of satirizing the very genre in which he’s writing, but not settling for a simple spoof. Like Ian Fleming, he somehow combines over-the-top satire with genuinely suspenseful action. His ear for funny and believable dialogue goes a long way to making this trick possible. Celebrate the upcoming centenary of Fleming’s birth by reading this book. --Mary Frances Wilkens

Review

"Armstrong manages the difficult proposition of satirizing the very genre in which he's writing but not settling for a simple spoof. Like Ian Fleming, he somehow combines over-the-top satire with genuinely suspenseful action. His ear for funny and believable dialogue goes a long way to making this trick possible. Celebrate the upcoming centeneary of Ian Fleming's birth by reading this book."  —Booklist, starred review

"Det. Alban Bane's second outing takes a satiric look at genetics research companies, zombie films and more in Armstrong's action-packed second novel."  —Publishers Weekly

"MADicine takes Armstrong's unique genre-bending style to a new level."  —Films and Books Magazine

"Armstrong grabs the readers from page one, buckles them into their seat[s] and jets off on a wild ride of mystery and mayhem. . . . A richly detailed, well-organized read that superbly marries fact with fiction and humor with horror. The action is blistering, the zany characters are timeless, and the tone is as forceful as a heavyweight's jab."  —The Free Lance-Star (syndicated to several newspapers and two radio shows)

"Alban Bane may be a cop who breaks the rules, but he also gets the job done. The wise-cracking Bane has his work cut out for him when a super-virus spreads out of control, threatening the global population. International locales and (horrors!) yet another reality show make MADicine a grand romp of chuckles and thrills."  —In The Hills: A Magazine of Country Living

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Kunati Inc. (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160164017X
• ISBN-13: 978-1601640178
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,662,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It takes WART to stop a killer virus, June 4, 2008

By	R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

That's the World Advance Response Taskforce led by Alban Bane, a Scot who can be more than a wart on the backside of people who get in his way. He's not entirely sure why he's been called to California to save the world yet again, but he gets a taste of the virus firsthand when the pilot of his transcontinental plane goes nuts and nearly kills everyone on Flight 411.

Enter, Dr. Ada Kenner, Harvard trained CDC doc who first identified the plague and named it MADS because the primary symptoms were dementia, sociopathy, and violent psychotic breaks. She's a bit mad herself because no one was willing to listen to her until Bane stepped in.

These two, along with help from Nam Ling, kung fu champion and Panji, a Native American pop star also known as Little Coyote, will lead the forefront in the fight against the deadly virus.

There's a lot to recommend "MADicine." It's not just typical plot driven page turning suspense. Alban Bane and the other supporting cast members are all strong characters with their own beliefs and painful pasts.

In addition, while Armstrong knows how to dish the action, he can also keep you from raising your blood pressure too high with an occasional laugh. His comment, "I plan to sleep. Hopefully, you don't." to an obnoxious pilot had me rolling and that was just within the first few pages.

Finally, the mystery comes in with just the right amount of clues to keep me reading and guessing almost until the last of the book. The imagery here was so vivid, I'm casting the movie in my head while I'm heading off to order Derek Armstrong's first book in this series, The Game.

Rebecca Kyle, June 2008

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging medical thriller, April 25, 2008

By	Karen Harrington "Author, Janeology" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

Having read Armstrong's "The Game" last year, I was looking forward to meeting Alban Bane on the page once again. Who can resist a character who, when asked by a young kid on a plane if he is like James Bond, responds, "Better looking and funnier." This is a thriller with charm, humor and sexy-edge. Armstrong's dialogue is so smooth, you will feel as if you're hearing the characters, rather than merely reading them. Looking for an entertaining summer read? Grab this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Move Over, James Bond, April 24, 2008

By	David Donelson "Author of Heart of Diamonds" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You gotta love a hero who works for an organization called WART, which is
the evil-fighting World Advance Response Team headed by Alban Bane, a
smart-mouthed Scot who saves the world in his spare time. In this satirical
thriller, Bane tackles a plague that's spreading across the globe causing
people to go into violent, murderous rages. He figures out that the cause
is a virus developed to CURE violence (oops!), but then has the fun job of
stopping it before the world's entire population starts frothing at the
mouth and doing bad things to each other with baseball bats and claw
hammers.

Bane calls on a trio of beautiful assistants, a kung-fu champion, a pop
star, and Ada Kenner, a CDC virologist who serves as the perfect foil for
Bane's acerbic wit. Together they hop the globe as required by all
high-performing international crime fighters, whizzing from L.A. to Europe
to Hong Kong to Africa. Any reader who doesn't catch the 007/Charlie's
Angels/Michael Crichton references suffers from an incomplete education.

It's a spoof, of course, (did I mention the zombies?) but not so
over-the-top outrageous that it gets in its own way. You can certainly
enjoy it as a fast-paced thriller with appealing, memorable characters and a
well-thought-out suspenseful plot, but you'll be missing half the fun if you
don't stop every once in awhile and wallow in the comic dialogue and sly
pokes at the conventions of the genre.