Unacceptable Risk [Mass Market Paperback]

David Dun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

Deep in the wilds of the Amazon jungle, a rare insect is discovered to possess an incredible substance within its body - one that can alter the cells of the human brain. It is a breakthrough that could bring untold power - or unspeakable horror. Covert operative Sam Wintripp is charged with locating a researcher who is trying to uncover the secrets of the mysterious substance. But he is not alone. A ruthless terrorist is also on the hunt, with his own twisted plans to unleash a genetic nightmare on the world. Back in the States, Sam is caught in a desperate fight for survival against both a lethal enemy and a biological time bomb with the potential to cause global devastation. With the clock ticking and the stakes rising, Sam must risk everything to save himself, his team, and the future of humanity.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786016361
• ISBN-13: 978-0786016365
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,209,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breath-taking!, December 10, 2005

By 

Peter Werner "peterwerner4" (Essingen, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unacceptable Risk (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the second novel by David Dun that I have read after The Black Silent. The basic problem is the same: a conflict between science used as a benefit for mankind or as a dangerous threat to humanity as a whole when in the hands of ruthless gangsters - or in this case (under the influence of 9/11) terrorists. Of all scenarios this is the worst imaginable. There is always the discussion in the media whether authors like David Dun give those terrorists ideas what they could do next. But I believe it works the other way round. Those monsters are never short of ideas. So authors depict certain possibilities, but it would be short-sighted to think that distorted criminal minds have not yet played with similar ideas. What the authors do is open their readers' eyes to what they might have to expect and prepare for the worst.

The entertaining side-effect of these horrors is the thrill that they experience while reading those stories. And - as in The Black Silent - the reader can expect excellent story-telling, and a plot with a lot of unexpected twists and turns that make you read the book in one go. The tremendous speed of the action is breath-taking. Who cares that some characters - above all Sam and his terrorist opponent - are slightly exaggerated and are on the way to becoming supermen? It only helps to make the novel's message clear to the reader and makes us aware of the possible dangers that fate may have in store for us.

A remarkable and very recommendable novel, not only for the friends of the genre.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timely Thriller, August 9, 2004

By 

Jacob Alexander - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unacceptable Risk (Mass Market Paperback)

A group of middle eastern business men decides to fund a terrorist, Devan Gaudet, in a plan called Cordyceps. The plot is the namesake of a fungus which invades its pray and eats its vitals first and then its brain. To complete the metaphor Gaudet wants to take down the US stock market by a mass killing (its vitals) and the internet (its brain) by an advanced worm unleashed on the internet just prior to the holocaust. Sam races to stop Cordyceps assisted by the mysterious Benoit Moreau a smart French woman gone bad who is locked away in a French jail forever. She is educated, sophisticated, street smart and wants to reclaim her life. Against overwhelming odds she conceives a plan, in her words using devil bait to catch devils, and fools everybody in her bid for release. Supporting character Michael Bowden a jungle ethnobiologist in the Amazon adds to the plot and gives Dun an excuse to tell us about medicines and the jungle. It's a complex sophisticated thriller that you won't want to put down and is worth the read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was unique and a great read., August 8, 2004

By 

Dan L. Schrader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unacceptable Risk (Mass Market Paperback)

Unique Chemistry. This book has a fairly unique mix of action, love, and some science. Sam, the hero is hunting a terrorist by the name of Devan Gaudet who wants to tank the US financial markets for politics and profit. Gaudet is an instrument of rich zealots who want to mix business and religious fanaticism. Gaudet has some high tech capability that translates into an interesting instrument of terror.

The latest hottest science can, as usual, be used to kill people as well as benefit them. But he only has part of the science of a now defunct company and wants the rest for profit. Benoit Moreau, locked in French jail almost forever sees the French government grasping for the science that they now own but don't actually possess and she sees Gaudet seeking the same prize. Finally, she sees Sam hunting Gaudet. Putting it all together she conceives a way that Benoit can get out of jail free. And it is Benoit's quest for freedom and her clever manipulations that will enthrall the reader. Sam, being the clever fellow that he is, figures out what Benoit might be doing and decides to work with her scheme to get Gaudet--his main interest in the unfolding events. As Gaudet rushes to destroy the US financial markets Benoit rushes to win her freedom and Sam rushes to catch Gaudet. In a fascinating plot they all three collide and you will marvel as Dun weaves the plot elements into an exciting conclusion. This was unique and a great read.