Throat Culture (Body of Evidence) [Mass Market Paperback]

Christopher Golden (Author), Rick Hautala (Author)

Book Description

Series: Body of Evidence | Publication Date: March 22, 2005

"Shayna tried to speak, but her throat was closed off. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps....Frank cradled her head in his lap, frantic as he looked up at the crowd. 'Is there an ambulance on the way?' "

Wedding bells are ringing for Jenna Blake's dad, and she couldn't be happier for him. His new wife, Shayna, is just the greatest. And their wedding luncheon is perfect -- until the food arrives. When guests start experiencing unusual symptoms, Jenna knows something is terribly wrong. Then all too quickly, Shayna winds up paralyzed.

But Shayna's not the only victim. The mysterious illness begins to sweep Jenna's college campus, leaving two students dead. Doctors suspect that this is no ordinary virus. Highly unusual and destructive, it could only be the work of human hands.

While the Center for Disease Control is blanketing the campus, Jenna and the rest of the medical examiner's team scramble to put the pieces together. But the longer it takes to solve the puzzle, the more critical the situation becomes....

Because this virus is deadly -- and very contagious.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-Jenna Blake, college coed and part-time student coroner, returns in her eighth book. This time she faces a very personal case when her father's future wife and several of her fellow students are struck by a paralyzing disease that is easily passed from person to person. The CDC, the police, and Jenna are all looking to find the answer. Because the suspect is revealed in the prologue, this book is much more a race against time than a mystery. The characters are well drawn and the disease is scary and gross. A chilling read for fans of medical thrillers.-Amy Patrick, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. The latest Body of Evidence thriller, which stands quite well on its own, finds Jenna Blake, intrepid, well-intentioned college sophomore, once again poking her nose where it doesn't belong. This time trouble begins at festivities for her newly married dad, where guests, and the new bride, start dropping like flies after sampling the buffet. While Jenna's stepmother remains on the critical list, homicide detective Audrey Gaines, the local medical examiner (for whom Jenna works part-time), and Jenna herself pursue a variety of clues before finding the culprit. Although Jenna does confront a problem with her college roommate and has an occasional insecure moment, she relates mostly to adults; their problems are the stuff of this story. She is also a good deal more sophisticated than the college-age incarnation of her literary progenitor, Nancy Drew (she even uses a few swear words and kisses a much older man). That said, this is a relatively tame segue into the more highly charged and explicit adult mystery genre. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (March 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689865279
• ISBN-13: 978-0689865275
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,347,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, Of Saints and Shadows, and (with Tim Lebbon) The Map of Moments. He has also written books for teens and young adults, including Poison Ink, Soulless, and the thriller series Body of Evidence, honored by the New York Public Library and chosen as one of YALSA's Best Books for Young Readers. Upcoming teen novels include a new series of hardcover YA fantasy novels co-authored with Tim Lebbon and entitled The Secret Journeys of Jack London.

A lifelong fan of the "team-up," Golden frequently collaborates with other writers on books, comics, and scripts. In addition to his recent work with Tim Lebbon, he co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire with Mike Mignola. With Thomas E. Sniegoski, he is the co-author of the book series OutCast and The Menagerie, as well as comic book miniseries such as Talent, currently in development as a feature film. With Amber Benson, Golden co-created the online animated series Ghosts of Albion and co-wrote the book series of the same name.
As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies The New Dead and British Invasion, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, the online animated series Ghosts of Albion (with Amber Benson) and a network television pilot.

The author is also known for his many media tie-in works, including novels, comics, and video games, in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Angel, and X-Men, among others.

Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book order for Body of Evidence of series, July 3, 2005

By 

Richard Shewmaker (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Throat Culture (Body of Evidence) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've been unable to find the books of this series in order, so I thought I'd provide them here, with the tenth, and apparently last, in the series.

Needless to say, I've enjoyed them all very much. I'm *much* older than the recommended age group for these, but then I like the Paddington books too!

1. Body Bags (May 1999)
2. Thief of Hearts (August 1999)
3. Soul Survivor (November 1999)
4. Meets the Eye (February 2000)
5. Head Games (June 2000)
6. Skin Deep (October 2000)
7. Burning Bones (February 2001)
8. Brain Trust (July 2001)
9. Last Breath (October 2004)
10. Throat Culture (April 2005)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy Halloween, Jenna Blake!, June 10, 2005

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Throat Culture (Body of Evidence) (Mass Market Paperback)

Nineteen-year-old Jenna Blake has been through enough drama in the past year since she started her freshman year at Somerset University, so making it to her sophomore year is definitely a blessing. Jenna's father is happier than ever, for he has finally married Shayna, a wonderful Professor who works alongside her father at the University, just in a separate field. Unfortunately, just as the happy couple is about to ride off into the sunset, they are surprised with a fabulous wedding luncheon, that carries a great deal of baggage along with it. Suddenly guests at the luncheon begin experiencing very peculiar symptoms, and a Dean ends up dead. As if that weren't bad enough, Shayna ends up paralyzed - unable to move, speak, or even open her eyes. But those attending the wedding luncheon aren't the only ones who have fallen victim to the mysterious illness. In fact, there are plenty more. Suddenly the virus is attacking various students at Somerset, and employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are sweeping the campus. Now the only thing left for Jenna and the rest of the ME's team is to put the pieces together and figure out what is truly going on.

I adore the BODY OF EVIDENCE series, and love to read about Jenna's adventures. THROAT CULTURE hits a very strong point with me since many people are currently worried about biological warfare, and that's exactly what this book discusses throughout it's many chapters. Jenna, as you can always expect, is her normal Nancy Drew self, getting herself into trouble everywhere she goes. Die-hard fans will be excited to see the relationship between Danny Mariano and Jenna - that has kept us on the edge of our seats for years - take a new turn. One that is surprising and exciting at the same time. A must read book for anyone who has followed the series since book one.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so it's the end! SPOILER ALERT : ), April 10, 2005

By 

Melissa (nanaimo, canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Throat Culture (Body of Evidence) (Mass Market Paperback)

One of the things I love about this series is that the authors stay true to the characters and to reality. Bad things happen. Melody dies. Damon cheats. Danny gets suspended. Not everything is fixeable in Jenna's world. And while, for the last book, a part of me might have wished for a Hallmark happy ending, I discovered it's more satisfying this way. Something in your brain says, 'yes, this is right. If everything had worked out it would have been a lie.' In Jenna's world, happy endings are bittersweet. Sure, she catches the bad guy, but not before he kills his wife. And Shayna recovers but others don't. And Danny and Jenna have feelings for each other, but Danny's been fired for killing Yurkich, and he's leaving.

That was the big kicker. Danny's leaving. And yet, every fan of the series knew things couldn't work out in the end. It was Buffy and Angel all over again. It was Ryan and Marissa. It was doomed. That was what made it so good.

And that's why I'm badgering Simon and Schuster for more books. The authors have fulfilled their contract with S&S and have not been offered another one. So I'm going to write and e-mail Simon Pulse until I get a reply. Join me!

Snail Mail
Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY, 10020

E-mail
[e-mail]

Together we can bring Jenna back to life! It worked for Cagney and Lacey.