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notoriousleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I loved this book a lot more when I first read it back in 2000 or so. Now the anti-vax stuff makes my stomach hurt. If you havent already read it and arent coming back for the characters (slocums) then maybe dont bother. 3 stars is for Lyle
bloodredwine's review
Using plot of vaccines causing autism is both inaccurate and insulting to those who have autism.
elizcait's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
annhenry's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise. But too many winding storylines and too long in the tooth. After a quarter of the way through I began to skim to the end. Don't waste your time. Has high hopes
ronilynnreads's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, it was a good 'story'...trying to link what everyone thought were three random medical issues, despite the fact that these three cases were located in different parts of the country. It started out really interesting...how can a case of paranoid patients with neurofibromas (one in W. Virginia and the other in Boston) be linked to a pregnant woman in Chicago who thought she had the flu, but ended up with a fever and diarrhea that caused bleeding from every part of her body? What I like about Mr. Palmer is his ability to explain medical procedures and and healthcare policies with ease. what I don't like about him is his tendency to ramble on and on seemingly going nowhere with his explanations. This book (the paperback) was 509 pages! The story should have ended around page 321...it dragged on unnecessarily. It was a REAL struggle to finish it. I plowed through because I was ready to connect the dots. He seemed to add incidents just to make it a bit more convoluted to throw us off, but it only served to make things more boring. I don't know if I can recommend it unless you are truly fascinated by environmental issues (toxic dumps, coal mines) and vaccine-related illnesses and the supposed connection to autism and other similar diseases. The first Michael Palmer book I read was A Heartbeat Away and I really enjoyed it so I set out to read all of his books. Fatal was my second book and I think I need to take a quick break and read something more fast-paced before I dive back into the rest of his books.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 4.5
Characters: 4
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 4.5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4.5
Story Line: 4
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4.25
Overall: 4.58
Characters: 4
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 4.5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 4.5
Story Line: 4
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4.25
Overall: 4.58
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
Dr. Matt Rutledge suspects that the local coal mine is behind a series of strange illnesses in his West Virginia town. Grandmother Ellen Kroft fights against a super-vaccine that's about to be implemented as the standard of care. Dr. Nikki Solari mourns the loss of her best friend and travels to West Virginia for her funeral... All of their stories come together as they are thrust into a deadly adventure to find the truth behind the disfiguring disease that's popping up in Belinda, WV. An action-packed thrill ride set in the mountains of West Virginia. Interesting characters and the scenic mountain backdrop add to this medical thriller that kept me turning the pages.
powerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
TLDR: While slow to start, this book is fast-paced and full of action, conspiracies, and just a hint of romance.
I read this book for the category of “Medical Thriller” for the PopSugar reading challenge. I’ve read a handful of medical thrillers in the past (many more than a handful if you can count books where the protagonist is a medical examiner), but this was my first by Michael Palmer. I’m so glad I decided to read this.
The book starts off somewhat slow paced, and Palmer spends many pages letting us get to know the characters. That said, the characters are well-rounded and have backstories that fuel who they are today. I loved the characters and the little snippets of romance in two of the storylines.
There’s a lot of action and intrigue in this book! There’s also a little bit of science, but not so much that it might be confusing or overwhelming to non-sciencey people. (I have a science background, so it can be hard for me to judge this sometimes, but it seemed well-explained).
I read this book for the category of “Medical Thriller” for the PopSugar reading challenge. I’ve read a handful of medical thrillers in the past (many more than a handful if you can count books where the protagonist is a medical examiner), but this was my first by Michael Palmer. I’m so glad I decided to read this.
The book starts off somewhat slow paced, and Palmer spends many pages letting us get to know the characters. That said, the characters are well-rounded and have backstories that fuel who they are today. I loved the characters and the little snippets of romance in two of the storylines.
There’s a lot of action and intrigue in this book! There’s also a little bit of science, but not so much that it might be confusing or overwhelming to non-sciencey people. (I have a science background, so it can be hard for me to judge this sometimes, but it seemed well-explained).