When I received this book in the mail, the first thing everyone said when they saw it was “Oh your book is wet.” Actually I’m not sure why there are spotted raised dots on the cover, but it sure was a way to get people to notice the book! To be honest this isn’t the type of book I would normally pick up. I’m glad though that I did, I would have missed out on a really intense, suspenseful read. While reading it, I kept thinking I was in 24 with a touch of the Constant Gardener. The story moves at a extremely fast pace and you never get bored. I really liked all the characters, Julia is a very good female lead. (“Jack”ie Bauer!) And my goodness, those Atropas guys were creepy. The description of the weapon they used and how it tore the body up after you’ve been shot made me squirm. Same with the first chapter of the story, extremely gross out situation. But I liked it because it’s definitely not something one would expect in a Christian fiction book. (blood and guts?? isn’t that sinful?) Great way to hook you into the story (if you haven’t thrown up on the pages already). Really scary when you think about how those guys seem to share the same identity and only think as one. What’s even more scary is how realistic the storyline is and how there’s a possibility it could happen in this day and age. If they make this novel into a movie, I’ll definitely be in line for it. This is the type of book that would appeal to both the secular and Christian crowd.

One of the fastest-paced novels I’ve ever read. But, still, the characters are well-developed (the good guys are likeable, the bad guys despicable), the action is believable, and the plot is intriguing. If anything like what Robert Liparulo describes is viable—a virus that finds only SPECIFIC people, based on their DNA—the world is far scarier than I ever thought. I would have liked to have seen more of the consequences of releasing such a “weapon,” but considering the several times the graphic, gory results are described, I understand why the author limited the reader’s exposure to it. Overall, a highly satisfying read.