James AbelReseñas

Alright, the author’ military jargon is not at all authentic. If you know anything about US military organizations, you may find the author’ lack of such specialist knowledge less than immersive. Be that as it may, the writer more than makes up with an exciting setting, a well thought-out plot and interesting characters. In fact, I found this a bit Alistair “Mcleanish”in style and quality.

Excellent action bio-thriller.

Another great Joe Rush novel. This time he’s battling a contagion. Very relevant today, especially the absurdity of the government’s response.

It seems I picked two books about pandemics and this is one. Who knew. It is a fast read and the first one I have read of Abel. The nemesis happens to be the mosquitoes. This was published 2017 and Abel captures the bad behavior of the American public -- in this case gatherings, ignoring mosquitoes habitat, not wearing DEET, clothing that covers and going out at dawn and dusk. Sound familiar. So if you can take the subject matter during this period, go for it.

Fascinating and exciting thriller that makes me think of a great Robin Cook medical mystery. This tale had me on the edge of my seat - what a fun ride!

When I started “White Plague”, I expected something along the lines of “Ice Station Zebra” or “Deception Point” – secrets, betrayal and super-power rivalry set against the unforgiving Arctic climate. All those elements are in “White Plague” (although the super-power rival to the US is now China rather than Russia) together with the idea of one brave man solving a puzzle that will save the world, but the book goes beyond all that by focusing repeatedly on the moral dilemma of choosing whether the survival of the many justifies the death of a few.This was little more depth than I expected from a military thriller and it made the book much more interesting.

“White Plague” centres around the mission of US Marine Colonel and bio-weapons expert, Joe Rush, to rescue a US Submarine that has been crippled by fire and is now on the surface in the Arctic ice.

Inevitably, Joe is a troubled man: haunted by his past, divorced, sleepless, isolated and a few days away from leaving the leaving the Marines. I almost groaned at all this because it sounded so clichéd. Fortunately, the character of Joe Rush is rounded-out not only by the action in the Arctic but by vividly described flashbacks to his experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the end of the book I understood and believed in, Joe Rush. I can’t say I liked him much because, while he was admirable and brave and heart-sore, he still seemed to have “insensitive asshole” as his default setting. Still, my dislike of him is a tribute to how well written the character is.

Whatever his faults, I was glad to see that Joe Rush didn’t suffer from the blind patriotism of Jack Ryan or Jack Bauer, who are both disturbing examples of men who will do anything to anyone if they perceive them as a threat to the USA. Joe Rush holds himself accountable for his actions and constantly questions the moral basis for own decisions.

“White Plague” is full of difficult moral decisions: for Joe Rush in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Arctic; for an Airforce General, asked to do an unspeakable favour for the President, through to the advisors to the President and the President himself. All of these dilemmas come down, in different ways, to one question: would you personally kill a small number of people to save a large number of people. The answers are varied, thoughtful and never easy.

There’s some good writing in “White Plague”, particularly the descriptions of the Arctic conditions, the vivid images of the what it feels live to ride in Humvee, or walk into an apparently deserted village in hostile territory and the remarkably clear images of being on-board a large, unfamiliar ship. Unfortunately there is also a tendency towards cliché, which is disappointing when it’s clear that James Able can do better. The book would have been better if the female lead had not had to have a frail beauty as well as being an internationally known Arctic explorer, an athlete and a designer of submarines, or if the Senator on-board had not has such a tendency to bullying through unoriginal verbal bluster. I also thought the ending had too much wish-fulfillment for a novel that had, up until then, seemed to understand political reality.

“White Plague” left me wondering why anyone joins the military and puts themselves in line for such hard moral decisions.

Oh and my favourite quote in the book is “Politics is Hollywood for ugly people.”

Although Joe and Eddie have shifted to private contract work, when a job takes them to Brazil, the FBI asks them to look for possible terrorists camps. However when Eddie goes missing, Joe finds an unexpected terror--mosquitoes altered to carry a resistant strain of malaria. Upon their return to the US, the partners must try to track a killer and stop a massive plague before it is too late.

I didn't realize this book was part of a series until after I requested it. It works well on its own though. One day I would like to go back and read the first three books

*I received this ARC from First-to-Read. Thank you!

While this novel is part of a series, you can easily read it as a standalone. Now, I've read quite a few biological thrillers. The best praise I can give for this novel is that it wasn't terrible. There was nothing that I really loved about this novel but it wasn't terrible enough to warrant a bad rating. I had no feelings while reading this book. I didn't get excited, I didn't get attached to any characters... it was just a blah experience for me. This novel is mostly told from Joe's perspective but it does shift to other POVs - including that of a mosquito. Yeah, you read that right. A mosquito. It was weird and I'm not sure if it was really necessary or helpful. I appreciated the amount of research that the author did on malaria; it was very thorough and gave reader an indepth knowledge into the disease as well as how mutations work in general. Overall, this novel was okay. It wasn't really memorable but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read.

Thank you to First to Read program and Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I won this ARC in a GOODREADS giveaway. It was very good, especially for a fourth in a series!

Disclaimer #1. I received a free copy of Cold Silence through the publisher and Goodreads -- thank you!

Disclaimer #2. I have not read the first two books in the series.

I'm a big X-Files fan. And while I sure do love those weird alien plotlines, my favourite episodes come in two forms: the weird contagions (think Pine Bluff Variant) and the terrifying religious fanatics.

So, Cold Silence? With an ancient and unexpectedly contagious virus? And some scary motivations involving prophets? COMPLETELY UP MY ALLEY.

Joe Rush is a great character. While this book stood well on its own, I kind of wish I had read the previous two books to get a little more insight about him. There were things to do with his backstory that I was curious about that I assume were addressed previously in the series.

But I think my favourite character was Aya. She's smart -- amazingly smart. And, weirdly enough, what I really noticed was that she still peppers her speech with "like" and "whatever." It's nice to see a speech pattern like that when it ISN'T used to flag someone as an airhead, you know?

The plot kept me guessing, as well. Between that and the characters, this was a great read. Not the sort of book that I usually pick up, but I'm so glad I had the chance to check this one out.

(Read all of my reviews at Ouroboros Freelance.)

If you are not already scared into agoraphobia by the threat of the Zika virus, Lyme disease, and skin cancer, James Abel’s book will make you afraid to leave your house or at least make you clothe yourself from head to toe and top that off with a couple layers of bug spray.

Vector is a chilling exercise that imagines the results of a terror organization’s ability to weaponize an everyday annoyance we barely notice here in the United States. It is terrifying how easy Abel makes it seem to create, distribute and disperse such a weapon.

The book starts with Joe Rush and his partner, Eddie, travelling the Amazon. Except that Eddie is missing, Joe is being followed, his guide is less than trustworthy and a large number of malaria-stricken individuals have disappeared from their homes.

Things go terribly wrong for Joe at the same time that events are going awry quietly and steadily in the United States. A terrorist’s threat is delivered, the government is blackmailed, hard decisions are made. (Some of the most terrifying moments in the book stem from the decisions of people in power and the reasoning behind those decisions.)

When the two story lines intersect, the action comes quick and fast.

The pacing of this book is just what you want in a thriller. The science was written in a believable and easy to understand way. And the ending does not disappoint.

I will definitely be going back to read the first in the Joe Rush series, White Plague.

(A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.)

The latest biothriller from James Abel takes Joe Rush from the jungles of Brazil to New York and across the United States in Vector. In Brazil to study malaria, Joe and his partner Eddie Nakamura get talked into poking around to see if they can find anything about terrorists groups planning an attack on the United States or its interests by an old FBI contact. When Eddie goes missing, Joe must track him down and in doing so, stumbles onto a threat far worse than anyone was expecting.

Meanwhile, a homegrown terrorist is back in New York planning the release of modified mosquitoes infected with a newer, deadlier strain of malaria. Joe sets out to rescue Eddie with the help of Brazilian police captain Izabel Santo before heading back to the States. Once there he must try to stop the terrorists before their attack can spread in truly devastating fashion.

I’ve read enough poorly executed biothrillers to appreciate a good one like Vector all the more. James Abel (pseudonym for Bob Reiss) takes a terrifying threat, disease carrying mosquitoes, and marries it to a clever and realistic plot. He adds in a strong hero with an interesting support team and an antagonist that you can feel sorry for even as you despise the heinous acts he is perpetrating. Supporting characters Eddie, Izabel, and especially young intern Aya all challenge Joe and offer him different perspectives that ultimately help him choose a course of action.

Abel has a knack for sketching out likeable characters, both major and minor, that help provide an emotional connection to the danger in which he places them. Coupled with a plot that seems realistic enough to be ripped from the headlines and you have a thriller that will have you turning the pages even as you get a little extra chill from the sound of a mosquito buzzing past your ear.

This is the fourth Joe Rush thriller and while there is some backstory to the characters, it reads fine as a standalone story. I’ve been meaning to jump into this series for a while and Vector certainly didn’t disappoint. Highly recommended.

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this book.

In Joe Rush I believe I've found a new series to follow. This is a work of fiction, so there were a few impossible to believe aspect to the story. But, overall, this was disturbingly believable. The characters were engaging, both the good and the bad.

Anyone who's read my other reviews might notice this tome took a bit longer to read. This is no reflection on the plot or skill of the author, it was just an inordinately busy couple of weeks. We have here an outstanding tale coupled with very good writing. Enjoy your copy!

Book #3 and last in the Joe Rush series. Bob Reiss, writing as James Abel, spins a yarn containing deadly disease, fanatic motives, clueless leadership and our hero who goes his own way. My favorite character was Aya--just a kid, but smart. The plot dragged a little in the middle, and the last twenty minutes could have been dispatched with a parenthetical phrase. Also, the author should research other military services...USMC is great, but they don't do everything! This is the final book of three under the Abel pseudonym. I'll search for more under his real name.

Exciting theme--bioweapon in the Arctic. Fun beginning to a series. Non stop Arctic action--front to back. I thought the communication cut-off was a little bit unreal, but it did add excitement to the plot. Throughout, there were questions that kept itching at me; for example, the flu morphs every few weeks and a pristine copy nearly 80 years later just won't happen. That finally solved itself in the last few minutes of the listen. Looking forward to more Joe Rush and his sidekicks.

This could have been a good book and concept was great There were a few problems. There were quite a few characters to track and when the killer became evident, the question: "who was that, again?" I especially liked the Eskimo characters and the rogue Army General. They added some reality and some spice.I could imagine each responding in the ways that they did in the book--I wanted them to cooperate in the worst way. Near the end, our hero is nearly a popsicle and is saved at the last minute. After such a nearly believable story, why that? Okay, I'll try the next one, book #3 in this series.

Yikes! Non-stop action from the start. This is a bio-terrorism, political, cross-cultural thriller that does not disappoint. Americans, Chinese,and Native peoples are battling possible bugs from the distant past that have been frozen in the ice and may have been released into a submarine environs. Who are the good guys and who are the baddies? Who is on which side and will there be a government cover-up? Danger, weather, and enemy actions abound. This needs to be up on the big screen soon. A sure-fire box office hit. My thanks to Penguin's First to Read program for a complimentary copy of this 5 star winner.

cool plot, bad writing