Customer Reviews

Plague

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

All the cliches are here. Rich people looking "down" on the not so rich. Doctors looking "down" on lowly lab techs. Spoiled rotten rich daddy's girl who got him to pay for her education up though and including supporting her as a resident physician, Annick acts patronizingly as she is only looking out for you aka Bill O'Rielly.

Annick has no worries or debts so she can afford to be magnanimous. She even flies to France on the weekends via daddy's private jet when she wants to get away from it all and once in while invites a "poor" physician in training along and then she and daddy secretly smirk at him as he takes in the personal jets and opulent hotels and apartments.

The reader gets the feeling Annick even feels smarter than the administrative staff of the hospital because her father could buy it.

If the author had Grady kill Annick instead of those children, I would have given this book a 5.

What is it with doctors and lawyers who write thrillers with heroes in their own professions? They're all incredibly attractive, brilliant and adored by all - even when they aren't particularly nice to the numerous people they consider their inferiors. This is yet another example of wishful thinking, and an extremely poorly written one at that. The characters are all cardboard cut-outs and the plot strains credulity.

I though this book was amazing. It is definately one of the best medical thrillers I have read in a while. I have read Dr. Birken's novels in the past and this one was just as good as the rest. I recomend this book to anybody who enjoys medical thrillers or just reading in general.

I picked this book up more as a time killer than anything else. The description on the back of the book looked promising, so I thought i'd give it a try. It turns out that I quite enjoyed it.

While I don't know, nor do I care, whether the facts are accurate in the book, that's not something that I look for in a novel. The book's job was to entertain, and it served its purpose in my opinion.

I particularly liked some of the ways that the killer chose to kill his victims, but I won't give that away here. Good for a quick, yet entertaining read.

When several children die of mysterious but virulent diseases and no one, not even the CDC, considers the matter seriously, Dr. Annick Clement investigates with the help of senior fellow Mac Eastwick. Before long, Annick begins to suspect that a bioterrorist may be orchestrating the unusual deaths, but she needs more evidence to prove her theory. Once the FBI gets involved, the action heats up. This is the second book by Gary Birken and I found it just as fast paced as his first. The only complaint I have about this book is that it dragged on in places. More than 50 pages were dedicated to a trip to Paris that really didn't need to be in the book. Also, the ending was a bit of a flop since the book builds up so much tension. Either way, it was still a good read. But if you're expecting The Cobra Event, you'll be disappointed.

Dr. Annick Clement is a third year resident in pediatrics and the first resident to participate in a French-American exchange program. One day while she is working in the Emergency Room, she is treating a very sick little boy and she isn't sure what is wrong with him. Tests discover that he has botulism but they don't know how he got it or why. Soon after, Annick treats a little girl, who after extensive testing, is found out to have the pneumonic plague.

She begins to believe that somebody in the hospital is deliberately making these children sick. The administration of Franklin Children's Hospital doesn't want to believe there is a bio-terrorist on the loose and tries to muzzle Annick who refuses to give up seeking possible links. When three children come down with cholera, Annick's theory proves deadly correct and she is even able to point the FBI in the direction of the perpetrator. What she doesn't know is her suspect is only a puppet and somebody very close to her is pulling the strings.

Fans of Robin Cook, Patricia Cromwell and Kathy Reichs are going to want to put PLAGUE on his or her must read list. The heroine is spunky, intelligent and intuitive, a combination that makes her an excellent medical detective. This hopefully is the first installment in a medical thrilling series because the heroine would make a great recurring character.

Harriet Klausner

This is another great book by this author. I have read all of them and have enjoyed the nail biting suspense in everyone.

I thought this book was well written and very suspenseful. The author seemed well educated on the topic of biological weapons and the ending definently catches the reader off guard. All in all, great suspense. I haven't read Birken's other novel but I will now.

I have read both of Birken's previous novels...Plague: A Novel of Bioterrorism is his best book yet. The plot catches you and keeps you yearning for more. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone interested in a medical approach to bioterrorism or anyone looking for a good piece to read. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Looking forward to the next novel!!!

Must of us do not have an idea of what those with an evil mind are planing to do, this book carries us in a world unknown for the majority of us, exploring areas that in today's reality there is a need to know, in order to prevent it.
Excellent.