Resistance (Tom Doherty Associates Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "He eased the stolen black Ford Explorer to a stop behind the Dumpster in the dismal alley..." (more)
Key Phrases: new superbug, staph aureus, Luc Martineau, Ellen Horton, Dennis Tyler (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Daniel Kalla joins a select list of doctors who know how to keep you up all night with their writing.”--Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author on Pandemic

 

“Dan Kalla expertly weaves real science and medicine into a fast-paced nightmarish thriller–a thriller all the more frightening because it could really happen.”--Tess Gerritsen on Pandemic

“Very much in the Michael Crichton school of cutting-edge scientifically rooted thrillers. Pandemic is an absorbing, compulsive thriller, the sort of book you could stay up too late reading. I’d advise against that, however. With all the bugs going around, you’re going to need your immune system functioning at full strength . . . .”--The Vancouver Sun

“A totally compelling novel, one of those rare thrillers that lays out a scenario that is not only possible, but terrifyingly probable.”--Douglas Preston, author of The Codex on Pandemic

“Kalla’s ripped-from-the-headlines plot and confident command of both language and medicine make this sobering book a pleasure”--Publishers Weekly on Pandemic

“Pandemic starts fast and never lets up on the suspense . . . Kalla juggles the many narrative balls easily, manages to insert a little romance, puts his protagonists in plenty of danger and drives his complex plot to a rousing climax.”--The Edmonton Journal

Product Description

No treatment. No cure. No hope

Once it seemed as though penicillin and other antibiotics had won humanity a lasting victory over harmful bacteria. But now hardier bugs, resistant to most common classes of antibiotics, are emerging–with potentially catastrophic consequences.

When Dr. Catalina Lopez of the Center for Disease Control first receives a report of a lethal new “superbug” immune to all known antibiotics, she realizes that she has a major health crisis on her hands. An ultra-resistant form of group A strep is spreading like wildfire throughout hospitals and emergency rooms in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Doctors, lacking any effective way to combat the infection, can do nothing but stand by and watch their patients die, one after another.

Dr. Graham Kilburn, an infectious disease specialist in Vancouver, is one such doctor. Desperate to contain the spread of the new superbug, he joins forces with Lina Lopez as they try to find some way to halt the growing epidemic.

What they don’t realize is that shadowy forces are conspiring to spread the disease on purpose–and they will stop at nothing to avoid exposure.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076535439X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765354396
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #130,364 in Books (See Bestsellers 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 Resistance is terrifying!, April 6, 2008

By	Cheryl Tardif "bestselling suspense author" (Edmonton, Canada) - See all my reviews

This shockingly realistic novel explores what could happen if a deadly new "superbug" was unleashed on an unsuspecting world and was completely resistant to all known antibiotics. And what if its release was intentional? This is the premise for Daniel Kalla's medical thriller Resistance.

The author brings together some intelligent, tough and realistic characters in a search for the truth: Dr. Graham Kilburn, an infectious disease specialist in Vancouver; Dr. Catalina Lopez, who works at the Centers for Disease Control; and Seth Cohen and Roman Leetch, two Oregon police detectives.

Kalla's writing flows through his characters and really shines when he reaches medical or scientific prose. Not only does he draw on his experience and expertise as an ER physician in a Vancouver hospital, he also gives us a terrifying message about our overuse of antibiotics.

The action moves at lightning speed, carrying readers across borders and reminding us that to deadly viruses and superbugs, there are no borders. Furthermore, Resistance delivers a surprising twist just when you think you've got it all figured out. Kudos to Kalla!

This is the perfect book to take on holiday, although you might want to hold your breath if you're flying. I probably wouldn't recommend you bring it with you if you have a hospital stay. And the one thing I have to say for sure, don't read this book if you have a cold or the flu. I made that error while suffering through a wicked flu and nearly scared myself silly as I read the description of the symptoms caused by the author's fictional superbug.

Daniel Kalla is a Canadian author whose works were unfamiliar to me, but I have to say, I'm HOOKED! I can't wait to read more! If you enjoy works by Michael Crichton, Robin Cook or Michael Palmer, I guarantee you'll enjoy Resistance (Tom Doherty Associates Book)by Daniel Kalla!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Author of Divine Intervention

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Medical thriller, June 21, 2006

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In Seattle Dr. Catalina "Lina" Lopez works for the Pacific Northwest Epidemiological Intelligence Service, a branch of CDC. She joined the agency dreaming that she would heroically stop an outbreak of avian flu or some other epidemic. Instead she sits in public forums fielding tedious questions from pseudo-intellects still fantasizing that her disease prevention escapade will soon come along with her hopes of getting assigned to the headquarters one day.

However, Lina will soon learn that you better watch what out for what you wish for as reports from Vancouver and Portland claim a new "superbug" that is deadly and totally immune to antibiotics has arrived. Soon hospitals throughout the region claim this superbug spreads faster than anything they ever seen and nothing seems to prevent it from moving on. Lina realizes that this is not just a health crisis; this could be a pandemic worse than 1918. People are dying in bunches including health providers. Soon many in the health fields fear going to work and stop showing up, exacerbating the crisis. In Vancouver, Dr. Graham Kilburn, who has seen the impact from the onset, joins Lina in a desperate battle to develop a RESISTANCE to this PANDEMIC disaster while some unknown adversaries want to prevent the doctors from finding the elixir.

This is a timely exhilarating medical thriller that is at its best when the story line focuses on the impacts of the superbug and the efforts to find a means of prevention. When the plot spins into an action-packed conspiracy thriller it gains excitement but also loses the essence of what makes the tale so good. Still this is a thrilling tale that will remind sub-genre readers of Dustin Hoffman's Outbreak.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real thriller, May 11, 2006

By	Allen Wyler (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having read Pandemic, I looked forward to Resistance. I wasn't disappointed. Kalla's clear writing and excellent plotting kept me turning pages like crazy wondering, "What next?" This is a superb medical thriller that will keep you totally engaged throughout. I recommend it to readers of both mystery and thriller genre.