Black Monday: A Novel (Hardcover)

by Bob Reiss (Author)
Key Phrases: rapid response team, fluids companies, baby cheetahs, Marion Street, Father Young, Bartholomew Young (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The pseudonymous Reiss, in his unsettling debut, depicts a truly frightening scenario: a deadly microbe contaminates the world oil supply, effectively shutting down all cars, planes and machines—anything driven by oil. Food supplies and electricity run out. Police have no way to patrol the streets. Gangs and marauders seize control in the world capitals. Scrambling to find not only a solution to the problem but who's behind it is Greg Gillette, an epidemiologist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As Gillette furiously tracks the microbe from the Nevada desert to rural Massachusetts, experts predict total chaos will soon sweep Earth. Lost in the maelstrom, however, is a full explanation of how the microbe works and the motive behind the calamity. Still, Reiss, a Hollywood screenwriter, has created a true page-turner of pell-mell action and momentum, already in production as a movie produced by Tom Jacobson. (Feb.)
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From Booklist
Screenwriter Reiss (the name is a pseudonym) plants himself firmly in Michael Crichton territory with this techno-thriller. A microbe that eats oil has somehow appeared in oil fields around the world. Any machine that runs on gasoline is rendered inoperable by the microbe. Greg Gillette, an epidemiologist, tries to beat the clock and find an antidote to the techno-plague before society collapses. Written with urgency and wit, the novel (already snapped up by Hollywood) is imaginative and plausibly plotted. The book doesn't feature Crichton's lengthy scientific explanations, but it does have the same sort of plucky characters and high-octane pacing. Sure to be a crowd-pleaser. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743297644
• ISBN-13: 978-0743297646
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #418,959 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining but ultimately falls short, March 6, 2007

By	E. Bonnell "Bonnell76" (E. Hartford, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book had all the ingredients for a great read. A terrifying plot, visions of an apocalyptic America, a ruthless assassin and the mysterious master mind lurking in shadows. This potentially fascinating story however gets lost in the authors uninspiring writing. The novel seems to be very scattered. Reiss uses flashbacks way too often and at the worst times. I'm sorry, but I find it hard to believe that as Gillett is getting shot at, he finds the time to reflect on his mentor's lessons and how they molded him into the person he is. This happens through out the entire book as it seems to be the author's only device for developing his characters and it gets old quick. There also is not much explanation about the virus that attacks oil, or the motives behind the villain's use of it which leaves the end a little unsatisfying.

There are however some positives to the story. After all, a bacterium that renders oil supplies useless in today's over dependent society is a scary and timely scenario. There are some gruesome chapters which illustrate the complexity of civilization and how easily it can brake down. The scenes of chaos and destruction are well described. The way that governments deal with social breakdown is frightening. It also sends a tremendous message about our dependencies not just on oil, but on anything capable of destroying us should it disappear. Is it a far fetched plot? Probably, but lets not forget that this is a work of fiction. This is a "what if" book and as long as the reader starts with that question in mind it will be at the very least a quick entertaining read.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertainings, Some gross scenes..., February 13, 2007

By	Lady Naava - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

What would happen if a super-bug infects the nations oil leading to massive economic breakdown, looting, and paralyziation of the nations's military? Reiss explores this premise in Black Monday, a thriller about corruption, human greed, and human perseverence.

I really enjoyed the premise of this novel and many of the characters.

***Mild Spoilers***

I did find myself mildly put off by the first part of the book which describes a hitman gruesomely killing someone in a casino. The same hitman commits several murders during the course of the book including murdering children. There is also a semi-graphic scene of torture which I found rather disturbinng. I found the graphic quality almost made me stop listening. I don't mind thrillers, sex and violence but I don't need the details.


***End Spoiilers***

The hero Gillette is interesting but a tad superhuman. Not only is he an ex-gang member, but he is a super-scientist of the ludlum variety, who can out-shoot, out-ski, and out-snowmobile the badguys at a moments notice. He also has 2 hot women lusting after him. Fine, but a little fantastic.

4 stars. The ending was a bit over-the-top, and I could've done without the graphic murder, it didn't add anything in my opinion.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great Premise, Flawed Execution, May 10, 2008

By	Thriller Lover (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

BLACK MONDAY starts with a great "what if" premise: what if the Western world was suddenly deprived of the use of all of its oil? Unfortunately, Reiss doesn't really deliver on the promise of this idea.

In this novel, Reiss goes into familiar territory: within a few weeks of the oil disappearing, he imagines a post-apocolyptic world arising in the United States where Americans, stripped of all their modern conveniences, become violent and cannibalistic. I've seen this type of world before, in novels like Stephen King's THE STAND and Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD. There is nothing new about Reiss's own attempt, which falls well short of what's been done before.

The major flaw of this novel is the flat characterization. Reiss just isn't very good at creating characters that are distinct and memorable. The square-jawed hero of this book is a virtual superman -- and not the least bit interesting. Most of the dialogue is bland and colorless. There's a lot of action in this novel, but you don't care about any of the key characters, so the suspense level is close to zero.

BLACK MONDAY isn't exactly terrible, but I just didn't find it very engaging. Other than some interesting scientific information about how oil is used and refined, there is little about this book that stands out. I would give it a pass if I were you.