Christine Poulson

I love brainy British mysteries — those that make you think while you are trying to figure out whodunit! The third book in Christine Poulson’s series featuring researcher Katie Flanagan, An Air That Kills, does just that. At first I was reluctant to read this book with the blurb promising a threat of pandemic, but you needn’t be worried about that. Yes, there are deadly viruses involved in the book, but it is the murderous humans that the characters really have to worry about. Katie impersonates a lab tech to discover if anything is going on with the research at the Cat 3 infectious lab that studies, among other things, influenza. And plenty is. I have to admit, I trusted no one! The remote island location with its mists sets up a very mysterious atmosphere that made the story even more enjoyable. Katie is an atheist, but is perhaps a bit of a seeker as well, though her journey towards faith is very slow — and realistic. The theme of the novel — public persona vs. hidden self — is explored in more than one character. While this is the third in the series, it is not necessary to read the first two to enjoy the complex twistings. However, I recommend beginning at the beginning 😉 . This book refers to Cold, Cold Heart a lot. I have it on my Kindle, and now I have to read it too!

Please note: An Air That Kills is published by a British imprint that focuses on Christian fiction. However, CF outside of the US may contain some elements not all American CF readers like. There is no adult language in this book, but there is some off-stage sex that is hinted at. If that bothers you, I would skip this book.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Lion Fiction for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)… (més)

How far over the line would you go with millions at stake? Millions of lives, millions of dollars...

Very tightly plotted scientific/medical thriller with a focus on the ethics of the laboratory scientist. The fast paced narrative also relates the degree of pressure that researchers are under to get new treatments and therapies to those who need them -- the patients, and to those who want them -- for profit.

This suspenseful novel has a large cast of characters and quite a few parallel plots that the author cleverly navigates with ease. The main character is Katie Flanagan, a post doc, newly hired at Calliope Biotech to work on a biotech cure for a rare blood disorder. Her cell lines and western blot are a disaster and she's on a deadline. Attorney Daniel Marchmont is a patent lawyer, hired after an accident kills the former attorney handling the case involving a dispute of which lab was first to produce a substance that might cure obesity. It so happens that Daniel's daughter, Chloe, has that very rare blood disease (the first of several major coincidences that had potential to defy belief). There is a lot happening in this short book (252 pages), but the essence of the science is related to the reader through very effective narration and description by the author so is easily understandable.

The main focus of the story is that many things are going wrong in the lab and there are several who could be responsible for the bad luck and negative results. Without spoilers, just know that Katie is trying to figure out what is going on with the lab and the blood disorder research while also trying to figure out why her experiments are total failures.

Easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable, I'm glad I finally picked this up after reading a review by a Goodreads "friend" (Rachel). I had won this from LibraryThing a long time ago as an ARC and I'm sorry it took me so long to get to it. Medical thrillers are my favorites in the mystery and suspense genre so I'm always happy to find a new author. In fact, I'm reading the second book in this series next!… (més)