The Trudeau Vector [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Juris Jurjevics (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2005

Geopolitics, environmental disaster, and bioterrorism explosively converge in this timely political thriller set in the bleak Arctic winter.

Unabridged CDs - 12 CDs, 13 1Ž2 hours

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Soho Press cofounder and publisher Jurjevics gives a knowing nod to apocalyptic plot expectations for biohazard thrillers, but the real passion of his debut lies in presenting difficult science clearly, creating complex characters and playing Cassandra on the environment. Four members of Arctic Research Station Trudeau go missing: three of them turn up, still in their cold-weather suits, twisted into positions of inexplicably grotesque and agonizing death; the fourth lays nearby, naked and frozen solid. Jessie Hanley, an epidemiologist working for a California biotech firm, is hired by the Canadian government to parachute into the isolated facility and track down the cause of the mysterious deaths. Jurjevics lovingly details the Trudeau Station facility, bringing its scientific community to life along with the brutal but beautiful surrounding Arctic environment. A parallel plot features several Russian submarines and a cold war secret that eventually comes to light and bears on the pathogen's origins. It slows down the search for the virulent, always-fatal disease. While not quite over-the-top enough for bestsellerdom, Jurjevics's debut will lure those with a taste for deep science, medical intricacies and a plot that twists and shines like the aurora borealis.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

As the long night of the Arctic winter begins for the scientists stationed at the high-tech Trudeau Research Center, three of them are found dead out on the ice--their bodies horribly contorted and all the color gone from their eyes. The Canadian government calls on unconventional American epidemiologist Dr. Jessica Hanley to investigate the gruesome deaths and discover what biological or chemical agent was involved. At the same time, Admiral Georgi Rudenko, a cynical veteran of the cold war, is given a top-secret mission to retrieve at all costs a sunken Russian nuclear submarine. Their two separate missions will soon bring them together as they strive to prevent secrets from the past from causing a global disaster. First-time author Jurjevics has obviously done his research and keeps the reader guessing to the very end. Character development isn't worthy of an Oprah pick, but fans of Robin Cook and Michael Crichton will enjoy the fast pace of this intriguing biothriller. Michael Gannon
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Penguin Audio; Unabridged edition (August 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143057871
• ISBN-13: 978-0143057871
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,814,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MUST READ!, September 14, 2005

By 

Jerry A. Miller (Just East of Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trudeau Vector (Hardcover)

I picked up Juris Jurjevics' first novel,The Trudeau Vector, on Saturday morning and started reading after lunch. We were having old friends to dinner, but by the time they arrived I was so caught up in the tale that I watched the clock all evening, waiting for them to leave. More company arrived on Sunday afternoon, by which time I'd hunkered down in the spare room, completely engrossed in the frozen wasteland where Jurjevics' story takes place. Again, I could hardly wait to bid our guests a fond farewell. By Monday morning it was all I could do not to call in sick and stay in bed to finish the last few chapters.

The Trudeau Vector is a masterpiece of plot and pacing. It is rife with fascinating tidbits about the polar ice cap, cold war and post cold war politics, and the fragile nature of the world in which we live. It is peopled with characters whom I hope one day soon to meet again.

This is more than a story; it's an experience not to be missed. Do NOT wait for the paperback; this is well worth the full price of admission!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intricately plotted and well-written mystery, September 13, 2005

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Trudeau Vector (Hardcover)

Juris Jurjevics is, in a sense, the man behind the curtain. He is the co-founder and publisher of Soho Press, whose intricate, well-written mysteries are set in exotic locales and peppered with unusual characters. As expected, THE TRUDEAU VECTOR --- Jurjevics's initial excursion into the world of authorship --- possesses these elements, and more.

A Canadian research center whose international team is ensconced in a remarkable but fragile ecosystem is rocked by the deaths of four of its members. Three are found in impossibly contorted positions, their irises and pupils erased, while the fourth inexplicably committed suicide by giving himself over completely to the frozen environment outside. Dr. Jessica Hanley, a quirky but brilliant epidemiologist, is sent to determine and isolate the cause of each death. These tragedies coincide with the departure of another member of the team, a Russian scientist who is picked up by submarine from her home country; unbeknownst to the world, except for Russia, the vessel is lost.

Admiral Rudenko, a mothballed Russian naval officer, is roused out of quasi-retirement to lead an expedition to find it. The mission is a success but a horrid one: the sub is discovered though all the passengers are dead, exhibiting the same symptoms that afflicted the three research team members.

THE TRUDEAU VECTOR proceeds along these two, slowly converging tracks, with the principals of each unaware of the other. Hanley wants to interview the Russian team member who left on the day of the killings, not knowing that she has been the victim of the same malady aboard the submarine. Meanwhile, Rudenko, who is unaware of the deaths at the research center, is sent there to pick up the remaining Russians.

Jurjevics's pacing is nothing short of marvelous; he is in no hurry here, but his narrative is anything but plodding. His unseen and unknown microbiotic serial killer could strike again at any moment, which increases the tension factor one-hundredfold. He also peppers his story with marvelous little factoids, the product of which is obviously yeoman's research, yet these items never get in the way of his story or characters. Hanley would be a necessary irritant in lesser hands; here, one actually begins to like her, partly due to her brilliant intuitiveness as she assembles the minutiae of the scene of the deaths (and the lives) of the four victims. It is Rudenko, however, who almost steals the show. Sturdy, dependable and gruffly likable, he is a knowing, underestimated pawn in a much larger game.

THE TRUDEAU VECTOR creates a bit of a conundrum. Jurjevics's debut is the stuff of wonder and immediately leaves one wishing for more --- though not at the cost of losing his guiding hand at Soho Press. If somehow the reading public could continue to have the benefit of both, it would be a blessing. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How much danger is Jessie in? Can she survive?, September 25, 2005

By 

N. Larrabee (Tarrytown, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Trudeau Vector (Hardcover)

Two different stories are told simultaneously. Dr. Jessica Hanley is a well-known; nonconformist American epidemiologist who gets an emergency call to go to the Trudeau Research Center. Four of the scientists working in this remote center were found dead out on the ice. No one can figure the cause of these brutal deaths. There was a fifth scientist who mysteriously escaped via a Russian submarine. Admiral Rudenko is summoned out of retirement to locate the submarine. Jessie dearly misses her ten year old son Joey on this five month mission. Her tough exterior cracks just a bit whenever she in touch with her son. It is a stressful mission, where she races against the clock in this unforgiving environment, trying to find answers. Not known for being very socialable; Jessie is impressed by the hard work and dedication of the scientists at Trudeau. She falls in love with Jack Nimit, an engineer; and as she discovers there's no secrets in the Trudeau Center. Jessie and the Admiral do meet in a volatile ending. An excellent debut novel!