White Sleeper [Paperback]

David R. Fett (Author), Stephen Langford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2011

When Arkansas experiences a wave of rare fatal diseases, the CDC sends disgraced doctor Dave Richards to investigate, and he knows this is the case that could save his career. When he teams up with FBI agent Paula Mushari, Richards thinks he may have found the person who can help him find the answers. But as they dig deeper, they begin to get a sinister glimpse into what they are dealing with-a vengeful sect, led by the son of a late white supremacist, intent on destroying a nation. As Richards fights to save his job, he and Mushari must race against the clock to prevent a plague of catastrophic proportions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. David Fett, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. He now runs a private practice in Los Angeles. Fett resides in L.A. with his wife, Randi, and their four children.Stephen Langford is a veteran writer/producer of primetime television. He has also ventured into screenwriting and fiction writing. He lives in L.A. with his wife, Sandy, and their two daughters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Synergy Books (April 12, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984504028
• ISBN-13: 978-0984504022
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,107,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting medical thriller!, December 4, 2011

By 

Denise Reiss "Mike" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: White Sleeper (Kindle Edition)

I really enjoyed this taut suspense tale with a great medical mystery and undercover excitement. I learned a lot about diseases and how vulnerable we might be to sabotage and attack. Loved the sexy vulnerable doctor who must rise to an extraordinary challenge. Highly recommended.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good story, but moved a little too fast, May 1, 2011

By 

Nikki (Poconos, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Sleeper (Paperback)

White Sleeper, written by David R. Fett, Stephen Langford, is a lightening-fast-paced story about two characters trying to stop a homegrown terrorist from unleashing a deadly virus on American citizens. Doctor Dave Richards was once a fast-rising star, solving cases that no one else could figure out. Known for finding the things that hide in plain site, his rise to the top came at a price- he developed a serious drinking problem and found himself catapulted to the bottom of the food chain and banished to the basement. Not even his best friend, Dr. Root, can save him. Agent Paula Mushari is an FBI agent who dreams of working counter-terrorism, but wonders if her ethnicity is holding her back in a country where all those of Muslim backgrounds are viewed with suspicion. Together, they unravel a plot to unleash a rare virus on unsuspecting American citizens, perpetuated by a white supremacist bent on revenge since the government killed his parents during an FBI raid.



The story moves extremely fast, a little too fast at times. At only 272 pages (in the ARC), I feel that the authors had plenty of time to slow down just a little bit and flesh out a few sections. The book starts out with the rain on Ben Curran's parent's house, jumps forward to the highlight of Richards' career, then leaps forward to almost present day, then one more time a few months later to actual "present day." This is a purely action-driven story, character development is limited to the two main players, and even then we only see glimpses of who they are and how they got to this particular point in their lives. I personally prefer a little heavier hand on the character back-stories, but I'll let it slide. Those who are looking for a straight-forward action story about deadly viruses (one of my favorite subjects) won't be disappointed.

PROS- First, I really like that, aside from the brief run-in with the plague, the viruses in the book aren't your typical fare. In my opinion, botulism and rabies (I wont tell you which of the three is the big bad of the book, I don't want to ruin anything) don't get nearly enough play these days. Second, Agent Mushari is a delight. She could be bitter and grumpy about the fact that she's stuck in the middle of nowhere because the upper echelon of the government is too scared to allow an Arab woman any sort of real power- but she's not. She's also not one of those fictional FBI types that is always shoving her title or jurisdiction in other people's faces. She's kind, considerate and helpful. Richards is also a likable character who cares more about saving lives than he does about saving his career. They make a good team.

CONS- While I found the pace a little fast, I'm not counting that as a con because many people enjoy that. My only real complaint is that occasionally the writing read a little too much like a screenplay. Stephen Langford is a screenwriter, so that may account this issue. A few scenes, like in the room at the hotel, seemed to be set up as though it was written in a way that would translate better to television than into the mind of the fiction reader. It's not blatantly obvious and doesn't detract from the overall story, but it did pull me out at moments. Again, a lot of this has to do with personal preferences, I like to a have enough information to form a full picture of the setting in my mind.

OVERALL- I enjoyed the story very much, although I do wish it was just a little longer and a little more fleshed out in some spots.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Concept but Poor Execution, May 25, 2011

By 

Charles Evans "Call me Kevin" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: White Sleeper (Paperback)

Dr. David Richards is a brilliant but flawed doctor. He is capable of insightful diagnoses of his patient's maladies, but he often celebrates his discoveries with drinking binges. His problems with alcohol have severely impacted his career to the point where he is clinging to a low profile job in the Center for Disease Control. Through an unexpected turn of events Dr. Richards is thrust into the middle of bio-terrorism scale that could leave millions of American dead. Teaming with a beautiful FBI agent Dr. Richards needs to find the source of the threat and keep it from being released.

Sound interesting... well it is interesting, the issue is that while White Sleeper has a strong concept it suffers from mediocre writing. There are numerous instances of poor/contrived dialogue that really knock the reader out of the story and make you question the author's use of words.

Another issue is the pacing of "White Sleeper" - it is rare to say that a book is too short or that it paced too quickly, but that is case with "White Sleeper". The book moves at such a pace that most of the characters are very one-dimensional (which adds to the contrived dialogue). It really felt like there was additional layers of story that was not being told. The stories climax occurs over about a 10 pages which (again) feels very rushed. Finally, the book ends with a bit of romantic awkwardness (are the authors planning a sequel?) that seems to leave a few threads hanging.

Final Verdict- I don't mean to be overly harsh, in truth "White Sleeper" would make a nice pool-side read. The plot was clearly developed under the careful eye of a practicing physician. It is just unfortunate because with the oversight of an experienced editor, "White Sleeper" could have gone from "Mediocre" to "Special".

3 Stars