The Mosquito War [Hardcover]

V. A. MacAlister (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2001

They were so close to a cure. And no one cared. Why should they? Americans would not care about malaria until their own children woke screaming with the fever, until they started burying small caskets in their own country. Su Thom picked up the flask. It was only a tiny sample, but it wouldn't be hard to culture. The idea was so simple. So horrible. So perfect. Americans did not care about anything until it was a threat to their own people. Well then . . . that could be arranged.

The Mosquito War is a fast-paced thriller with crooked pharmaceutical companies, a CIA plot gone horribly awry, and a terrorist weapon that comes in a very small package. When combined, these elements produce a deadly force that one grief-stricken scientist is determined to unleash on the American people to make them pay for their indifference to the plight of Third World suffering.

Who will try to stop him? Conor Gale, a world-weary young man who has more pride than sense, and Zee Aspen, a beautiful scientist working on aquatic medical research that might hold the key to the whole puzzle. Thrown together, mistrustful, but believing that the devil you know somewhat is better than the hordes of unknown bad guys who are definitely out to get you, they will have to work fast or an epidemic, unparalleled in our history, will spread this nation . . . and millions will die.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A scuba diver and a gourmet caterer in her nonliterary life, MacAlister here crafts a debut thriller distinguished by its luminous underwater diving scenes and earnest focus on a Third World health crisis. As the book begins, pharmaceutical firm SeaGenesis has found a cure for malaria a serum derived from sea sponges looking like spinach, and therefore labeled "popeye" but the higherups cut funding for the project before the cure can be thoroughly tested. Frustrated Vietnamese lab assistant Su Thom, whose mother and brother died of malaria, decides to take matters into his own hands. How better to make Americans care about finding a cure than to toss two large jarfuls of mosquitoes bearing a fatal strain of malaria into a mall throng in Washington on July 4? Meanwhile, beautiful scuba-diving scientist Zee Aspen, who collects popeye for SeaGenesis, becomes suspicious when one too many accidents happen on the job. She joins forces with a rough-edged Robin Hood, Connor Gale, who works for a company providing private security for unscrupulous SeaGenesis and has also noticed that something fishy is going on. What is SeaGenesis's link to the CIA? And is Connor's adoptive father and boss hiding secrets of his own? Connor, the orphaned son of a smalltime thief and pickpocket, is a compelling character, and MacAlister crafts a convincing bioterrorist scenario. If her attempt to follow the lives of a selection of Americans bitten by malarial mosquitoes is a little forced, readers will forgive her once they make it to the novel's moving conclusion.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Imagine a dedicated researcher who decides the only way to get funding for a malaria cure is to start an epidemic in the U.S. That's the premise of this first novel by a gourmet chef and scuba diver. It's a solid thriller with a linear, albeit somewhat predictable, goodversusevil plot and characters who are different enough to seem reasonably fresh. There are a few problems, such as occasionally stilted dialogue and a tendency to overexplain things to the reader. But some other novelists (Robin Cook springs to mind) have produced strings of best-sellers despite a rudimentary grasp of plotting and an inability to write dialogue or create characters; MacAlister is already better than that, and, with practice, she may go far. This is a promising first novel, intelligent and mostly successful. Medical thriller fans will be satisfied. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (September 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312878702
• ISBN-13: 978-0312878702
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,715,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scary, realistic, original . . ., December 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mosquito War (Hardcover)

The Mosquito War is a remarkable book, with beautifully drawn characters who are far more real than many who show up in today's thrillers. It's also a gripping tale that zips along, becoming more compelling with each chapter. Of course it's loaded with the kind of technical details that make its premise completely plausible -- but they're folded in so well that instead of slowing down the action they merely add another layer. It may have been meant to be escapist fiction, but the depth and timeliness leave a lasting impression. And while it's impossible to read this and not be troubled by the danger of biological attacks, most readers will still enjoy the story for its adventurous suspense, colorful writing and heartfelt terror that pushes its characters toward a stunning, unforgettable conclusion!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carry your OFF with you., September 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mosquito War (Hardcover)

V.A. MacAlister not only created characters with depth and emotions, what was once irritating nusances are now very frightening villians. The Mosquito War is a story that is right now or could be next week. The references to landmarks and areas around Washington, D.C. took me "home", the West Nile Virus is just arriving in Texas what more can I expect Connor Gale or Zee Aspen at my front door? As a United States citizen, I often take for granted the advantages and comforts we have available such as excellent medical care. Read this book, I couldn't put it down. Fast paced, well thought out and thought provoking... where did I put that can of OFF?

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Read for a Biology Major, February 18, 2007

By 

Levi S. Johnston "Blogger, avid reader, South... (South Point, OH, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mosquito War (Mass Market Paperback)

Having read only semi-interesting research papers and textbooks for the past 6 years, it was quite a relief to stumble onto this book. The complicated process of reproduction and growth of the Plasmodium genus is expertly explained to not only help the science uninformed understand what was going on, but added a good deal of suspense and imagery for those who do understand it. The other comments will give you a good synopsis of the book; the storyline gripped me at 10pm when I started reading until 5am when I closed the book. Definitely recommend.