Review by Rat de bibliotheque1 -- The Prize
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Rat de bibliotheque1
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Review by Rat de bibliotheque1 -- The Prize
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Prize" by Geoffrey M Cooper.]
The Prize is written by Geoffrey M. Cooper and is the story of a brilliant young scientist, Pam Weller, who is working on discovering a new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The story takes place in Boston, in the Langmere Institution. Finding a drug for Alzheimer would undoubtedly lead Pam and her team to be recognized worldwide. For Pam, it would certainly mean tenure and a full professorship. She may even be awarded a Nobel Prize. But as Pam gets closer to finding the holy grail, can she guarantee her discovery will be kept a secret from other competitors before she can officially publish her data in a scientific paper? Some scientists will stop at nothing to get a lifetime award and Pam’s discovery could be at risk of being stolen.
As the story develops, one of Pam’s assistants, Holly, makes a remarkable discovery which could be what the team has been looking for: the cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The discovery is highly promising but more work needs to be undertaken. Pam and her team now need to move on to animal experiments to prove their findings. Holly, who has made the initial discovery, feels disappointed when she is told she cannot have first authorship. Being first author would give Holly a promising job in any neuroscience institution. Feeling betrayed, Holly decides to steal the data and seeks to discredit Pam’s work by going to one of their main competitors. Holly is desperate for revenge and thinks that keeping the data will advance her career. Will Pam be able to retrieve her data and not be accused of fraud? The reader enters the ruthless world of scientific research where scientists are put under great pressure and where competition or even corruption can be rife.
The story revolves around four characters: Pam, Holly, Eric and Jake. Pam is the young and talented assistant professor. Pam’s intelligence and dedication to her work could lead to discovering the cure for Alzheimer. She treats her team fairly and seems to have a good relationship with them. It is easy to warm to Pam and the reader will feel her anguish when she is accused of fraud whereas she has done nothing wrong. Holly is the culprit, the assistant who thinks stealing the data will get her the great career she deserves. Eric is the evil character who will come up with a plot to discredit Pam’s research. Jake is Pam’s partner, he is an ex FBI agent and has the skills to help Pam uncover the truth and clear her name.
The book is very well written, the style is fluent and the author has used a lot of scientific information which gives the story authenticity. Having said that, the reader can easily understand the scientific details presented. It is well edited as there are very few mistakes in it. The plot is really interesting with a few twists, essential for any good thriller! The reader will feel warmth, empathy, pity and hate towards the different characters. I think this book will appeal to all lovers of thrillers who want to read something a little different, as the story is really original and creative. There is so much detail that the story seems completely realistic.
I really enjoyed this book. It is the first time I read a story about a scientific conspiracy, it felt refreshing and innovative. I loved the characters, particularly Jake, as he started by having a minor part but developed throughout the story. I also loved the clever plot. It was an exciting story and a true page-turner! There is nothing I disliked about the book and therefore I rate it four out of four stars.
******
The Prize
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
The Prize is written by Geoffrey M. Cooper and is the story of a brilliant young scientist, Pam Weller, who is working on discovering a new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The story takes place in Boston, in the Langmere Institution. Finding a drug for Alzheimer would undoubtedly lead Pam and her team to be recognized worldwide. For Pam, it would certainly mean tenure and a full professorship. She may even be awarded a Nobel Prize. But as Pam gets closer to finding the holy grail, can she guarantee her discovery will be kept a secret from other competitors before she can officially publish her data in a scientific paper? Some scientists will stop at nothing to get a lifetime award and Pam’s discovery could be at risk of being stolen.
As the story develops, one of Pam’s assistants, Holly, makes a remarkable discovery which could be what the team has been looking for: the cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The discovery is highly promising but more work needs to be undertaken. Pam and her team now need to move on to animal experiments to prove their findings. Holly, who has made the initial discovery, feels disappointed when she is told she cannot have first authorship. Being first author would give Holly a promising job in any neuroscience institution. Feeling betrayed, Holly decides to steal the data and seeks to discredit Pam’s work by going to one of their main competitors. Holly is desperate for revenge and thinks that keeping the data will advance her career. Will Pam be able to retrieve her data and not be accused of fraud? The reader enters the ruthless world of scientific research where scientists are put under great pressure and where competition or even corruption can be rife.
The story revolves around four characters: Pam, Holly, Eric and Jake. Pam is the young and talented assistant professor. Pam’s intelligence and dedication to her work could lead to discovering the cure for Alzheimer. She treats her team fairly and seems to have a good relationship with them. It is easy to warm to Pam and the reader will feel her anguish when she is accused of fraud whereas she has done nothing wrong. Holly is the culprit, the assistant who thinks stealing the data will get her the great career she deserves. Eric is the evil character who will come up with a plot to discredit Pam’s research. Jake is Pam’s partner, he is an ex FBI agent and has the skills to help Pam uncover the truth and clear her name.
The book is very well written, the style is fluent and the author has used a lot of scientific information which gives the story authenticity. Having said that, the reader can easily understand the scientific details presented. It is well edited as there are very few mistakes in it. The plot is really interesting with a few twists, essential for any good thriller! The reader will feel warmth, empathy, pity and hate towards the different characters. I think this book will appeal to all lovers of thrillers who want to read something a little different, as the story is really original and creative. There is so much detail that the story seems completely realistic.
I really enjoyed this book. It is the first time I read a story about a scientific conspiracy, it felt refreshing and innovative. I loved the characters, particularly Jake, as he started by having a minor part but developed throughout the story. I also loved the clever plot. It was an exciting story and a true page-turner! There is nothing I disliked about the book and therefore I rate it four out of four stars.
******
The Prize
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper
