CONTAINMENT – Hank Parker
Touchstone
ISBN: 978-1-5011-3644-3
ISBN: 978-1-5011-3647-4
January 2017
Suspense/Thriller

Pennsylvania – The Present

An Amish man dies from flu symptoms, a friendly dog attacks the veterinarian attending him, and a madman terrorist, Dr. Vector, takes care of his disease infected ticks. That's the start of this terrifying story, terrifying because it is so imaginable.

Her boss, Dr. Hoffman, gives Mariah Rossi, a veterinary epidemiologist, the task of preforming a necropsy on the dog. Mariah works in a BLS-4 (the highest level of protection for biosafety) lab, dressed in protective gear with another person—Curt Kennedy, from the USDA Biological Investigative Service. Unknown to everyone in Hoffman's agency is the fact that Curt is also an undercover CIA agent. Mariah and Curt believe someone has purposely released ticks with a virus unknown in the area to begin a biological act of terrorism.

Soon parts of Pennsylvania are fenced off due to the death toll, and residents are contained within the area to help prevent further viral contamination outside the area. From there, very scary but realistic social and governmental results take place. Rossi and Kennedy travel to the Philippines and Malaysia to discover who is behind this deadly attack.

Along with the many segments dealing with those affected by the deadly disease, background issues on Rossi, Kennedy, Hoffman, and other characters begin to emerge. Rossi and Kennedy also give some relief from the terrorism with their incipient attraction to each other. Courage in the face of incredible evil, individual and societal craziness, and insight into protecting civilization are all tied together in CONTAINMENT. If you love suspense and terror, this is a good selection for you.

Robin Lee