Synopsis:
During an Ebola-like viral outbreak in New Orleans identical to the one chronicled in the best-seller The Hot Zone, Chief Medical Examiner Andy Broussard and criminal psychologist Kit Franklyn find that the lethal epidemic is not the only killer stalking the Big Easy.
When Kit Franklyn receives a mysterious invitation to Grandma O's famous Cajun restaurant along with one long-stemmed yellow rose, she can't resist the urge to discover the identity of her suitor. At the restaurant, she approaches a table where an older gentleman is waiting with another rose. He stands, speaks her name, and keels over dead. Who is this stranger? And why do her parents seem to be holding something back when she tells them the story?
Broussard's autopsy of the dead man uncovers the presence of a deadly virus that causes its victims to bleed to death in a matter of days - a virus for which there is no known cure. While conducting an investigation into the dead man's identity, Kit and her longtime boyfriend, Teddy LaBiche, disappear. Another corpse shows up in the early stages of the same disease as the first victim, but with ligature marks around his neck and bearing a clue to Kit and Teddy's whereabouts. Broussard's race to save Kit and Teddy and stop the spread of the virus results in a chilling confrontation with a brilliant, extremely violent psychopath deep in the Louisiana bayou, revealing the lengths to which a family will go to keep its dark secrets.
Review:
"D.J. Donaldson is superb at spinning medical fact into gripping suspense. With his in-depth knowledge of science and medicine, he is one of very few authors who can write with convincing authority."--Tess Gerritsen, NY Times best-selling author of the Rizzoli & Isles novels
"If your skin doesn't crawl with the step-by-step description of the work of the (medical) examiner and his assistants, it certainly will when Donaldson reveals the carrier of the fever." --KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL
"Delivers... . genuinely heart-stopping suspense."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Keep (s) the reader on the edge of his chair and likely to finish in one sitting." --BENTON COURIER (Arkansas) "Exciting reading... well planned... fast paced." --MYSTERY NEWS
"A novel of... "terrifying force... . utterly fascinating... His best work yet." --THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL (MEMPHIS)
"Sleek, fast moving." --KIRKUS
Tight and well-paced... Andy (Broussard) is a hugely engaging character... (the) writing is frequently inspired." --THE ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE
"This series has carved a solid place for itself. Broussard makes a terrific counterpoint to the Dave Robicheaux ragin' Cajun school of mystery heroes." --BOOKLIST
"A dazzling tour de force... sheer pulse-pounding reading excitement." --THE CLARION LEDGER (JACKSON, MS)
"The autopsies are detailed enough to make Patricia Cornwell fans move farther south for their forensic fixes. ... splendidly eccentric local denizens, authentic New Orleans and bayou backgrounds... a very suspenseful tale." --LOS ANGELES TIMES
"A fast moving, ... suspenseful story. Andy and Kit are quite likeable leads... The other attraction is the solid medical background against which their story plays out." --DEADLY PLEASURES
"Sleek, fast moving." --KIRKUS
"Tight and well-paced... Andy (Broussard) is a hugely engaging character... (the) writing is frequently inspired." --THE ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE
Delivers... genuinely heart-stopping suspense.--Publishers Weekly
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