"If you breathe, it will find you".

Robert Liparulo's sophomore novel "Germ" grabs your attention from Chapter One. The non-stop action begins by a statement of facts regarding Dr. Robert Guthrie, a microbiologist, and his development of the Guthrie Test, a medical test performed on newborn infants to detect an inborn error of amino acid metabolism.

Deduction is made of how such technology, in association with gene splicing and in the wrong hands, could selectively target and attack a particular DNA gene in the general population rending a person dead in a matter of days.

Details of the end result of such a virus on humans are graphically described. This is not a novel for the weak at heart. It is intense in its plot, in its characters, and almost non-stop action scenes.

That being said and for those who enjoy an action packed Thriller, this novel of DNA-specific biochemical warfare will take your breathe and not release it until you finish the last page.

Good and evil are presented with equal clarity.

FBI Agents Goodwin Donelley and Julia Matheson, the protagonist, are depicted genuinely, with a sincere, deep friendship.

Dr. Allen Parker and his brother Stephen Parker (almost Doctor turned Pastor) are unsuspecting participants but add much to the story.

Karl Litt, the antagonist, the son of a Nazi researcher, is diabolical and utterly without remorse.

With unexpected twists and turns and several complex story lines, true to the genre, this work kept me in 'suspense' wondering how all elements would merge to a conclusion. I was not disappointed as the story line ended.

This novel will surprise you as you become acquainted with characters only to learn they do not survive. Not all suspense novels can make such a claim. Unanticipated ends to major characters adds greatly to the development of those characters that remain as well as the plot.

Germ is a Christian Fiction novel. It is entertainment and does not resort to profanity or vulgarity. Great novels rarely do. It takes much more creativity to produce a work that captures the reader with the plot, the characters, and interaction alone.

I recommend this book highly and look forward to more of Robert Liparulo's work.

The characters in this book spent too much time chasing each other around and Liparulo left one murder unresolved. The writing style thankfully made these shortcomings less painful. With maturity Liparulo should have some nice thrillers in the future. ( )

I gave this book a 5 because it did exactly what it was supposed to do--provide a thriller that keeps the heart stopping action going from beginning to end. It entertains and is the ultimate escapist read. It is not literature but that is not the point. This book is as good as watching a movie. It's language conveys a picture of every thought and movement of it's actors. Highly recommended. ( )

well, when i read the back i thought it might be interesting in a zombie novel sort of way. turns out it's a complete thriller with no psychological or sociological factors at all. it's like reading die hard. since watching action movies aren't typically my thing, neither is reading them. i think i should get an A for effort though for making it half way through. or then again, maybe i was just lazy about picking out a new book... ( )

Top notch thriller. I bought it expecting a medical thriller a la Robin Cook, but got something so much better. Liparulo knows how to keep you going. All plot elements in place. A devout Christian, he tells the story without even mild profanity, yet all characters work that way. The slight Christian message is not heavy handed and does not detract from the story. A mad scientist has figured out how to splice DNA with the Ebola Virus, so that it can target specific individuals. The unlikely team of a CDC/FBI agent, a renouned surgeon, and the doctor's brother, a pastor, work to figure out and defeat the scientist, while being pursued by an amazingly wicked assasin. ( )