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Title: Phage
Author: Mark Tamplin
Genre: Suspense
Publisher: Mark Tamplin
Release Date: 12 September 2015
Format: Paperback
Pages: 474
ABOUT THE BOOK {from the back cover}
In Phage,the first novel of a science thriller trilogy, Dr. Sam Townsend is called upon to halt the spread of a deadly pathogen in rural Alabama. But Sam isn’t allowed time to bask in his success. He faces the greatest challenge of his career, preventing Owen Potter, a deranged government scientist and home~grown terrorist armed with drones, from unleashing a genetically~engineered pathogen on the United States population.
This would~be mass assassin frames Townsend, who is forced to run from the FBI while scrambling to produce the antidote and wrestle demons from his past. Even if Townsend succeeds in time, he is still faced with delivering the antidote to all of Potter’s victims, who unknowingly have millions of biological time bombs ticking inside their bodies!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Tamplin is a microbiologist and author of numerous scientific publications. He is a university researcher and teacher.
You can find out more about Mark Tamplin on his website, like him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.
MY OPINION
I’m not a science person at all, so when Mr. Tamplin invited me to review his book I almost said “No.” I was worried that I’d lose interest or be overwhelmed by the technical jargon. I wasn’t. In fact, Tamplin wrote the explanations for different experiments and science terms in a way that flows naturally with the story and makes sense to the reader.
The story and characters are plausible and a little bit creepy: contaminated food supply, profit over life businessmen, sociopathic egotistical guy with mother issues, and scientist with a story. OK, that last part required a little bit of belief suspension because I totally imagined a scientist with the charm of Don Wildman, nerd appeal of Jeff Goldblum, and physique of Harrison Ford (middle~aged Indiana Jones years). And none of my science teachers ever came close to meeting those specs.
My only complaint about this book is that there were a few lose ends. Really, what was the deal with Owen and his mother? How did Townsend get the scar and what happened to his wife? Although I don’t expect answers to the Owen question, life is that way sometimes; I suspect that since this is the first in a trilogy, other answers will be forthcoming. And I look forward to finding them out.
This is a long book, but it’s a quick and easy read.
Note: this novel contains crude language, violence, and sexual situations.
I’d recommend this book for anyone who likes suspense and/or medical drama.
Side note: You will never look at salad the same way again…
RATING
★★★★
Purchasing Option
Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book by Mark Tamplin free of charge in exchange for a review. This did not influence my opinion.