Review of The Virulence

[Ukaegbu Confidence]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Virulence" by James C. Hendee.]

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

How far would you go if your kid was ill and there was no cure for his disease? If someone offers you a cure for your child's illness in exchange for a favor, but you can't know what that favor is before accepting it, how would you respond? In James C. Hendee's The Virulence, we follow our protagonist, Jason. Jason's son, Billy, suffers from a blood disease for which there is no known cure. Dr. Chance Bonnard, an agricultural genetic engineer, approached Jason after his speech as his audience was leaving, claiming to have a cure for his son's disease. Dr. Chance Bonnard offers him this cure in exchange for a favor. If you want to find out what favor he needed to grant in exchange for his son's life, grab a copy of this book and dig in.

Taken aback by Bonnard's offer, he finds himself in a profound dilemma, torn between accepting the cure and following Bonnard's instructions or rejecting the cure. However, if he rejects the cure and his son dies, he will face the guilt of not doing everything within his power to save his son's life. If he accepts the cure and it doesn't work, he will also be guilty of raising his son's hope and Susie's, his ex-wife's. One aspect I liked most about this book was that each chapter started with a news update on the current situation regarding the terrorist attacks between the Zionists and the Hamas. This served as a follow-up process for me to know how deep the terrorist attack ran and how much urgency needed to be employed at the moment. I feel so much smarter after reading this book. The explanation of gene therapy provided a lot of education for me. Gene therapy has the potential to cure blood diseases and most other diseases, including cancer. If you need education on this, then grabbing this book would be your best option. If you are interested in the issue between Israel and Palestine, this book will appeal to your taste.

The novel was realistic. Usually, in situations like this where people are asked not to say anything to anyone about a particular situation that could mean life or death, we are often shown that they, in fact, do not tell anyone about that issue, and it always goes south. However, in this book, Bonnard required that Jason refrain from mentioning anything to anyone about what they discussed. When he left the auditorium, he called his friend Sali to run a background check on Bonnard. If I were in Jason's position, I would take similar action, and I appreciate the book's portrayal of this perspective. Despite my lack of knowledge about terrorism, the Zionists and Hamas, and gene therapy, the story effortlessly captivated me. I do not have any dislikes for the book. The editing was exceptional.

The book was executed perfectly. I recommend it to lovers of the crime/thriller genre. You will have a blast reading it. This book contains details about terrorism, so if you are extremely sensitive to such topics, you should avoid reading it. However, if you find such topics enticing, this book is perfect. I give this book a rating of five out of five stars. The author greatly exceeded my expectations.

******
The Virulence
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[NetMassimo]

This thriller seems engaging and also contains food for thought about genetic engineering, a tool that is currently just in its first stage of development and will become very powerful, offering the chance to cure many diseases or kill a lot of people. Thank you for your great review!