Plague Maker

What can I say....I was hooked on this book after reading the first page in the public library. The style of writing is so fluid, as though he is talking to you. Believe it or not I read the first 70 pages as I walked home from that library...I could not put it down. I have not finished it yet but just had to review it...it is that good!!! I will read more books by this author. ( )

Tim Downs’s third novel is a mostly successful combination of character depth, plot suspense, and exhaustive research. Downs, whose other books form a series about a forensic entomologist, uses his above-average knowledge about insects to good effect in this standalone thriller.

FBI counterterrorism agent Nathan Donovan’s life is coming apart. His wife left him after his son died of cancer, his career is on the rocks thanks to his unnecessary risk-taking, and his depression is spiraling out of control. One day he gets a call that changes his life—Li, an 80-year-old Chinese man, has reason to believe the dead fleas Donovan discovered at his most recent crime scene are a portent of the most sinister terrorist plot the U.S. has ever seen. Li says New York City is about to come under a biological attack when fleas carrying bubonic plague are released into the air. The man behind the attack is a man Li has been hunting for six decades.

Plague Maker is a solid book from a promising author. It is entertaining with just the right amount of subtle humor, yet appropriately dark in places as well, particularly when discussing the motivation behind the terrorists’ plans. Downs does a good job of weaving relational issues into the narrative, using the relationship between Donovan and his ex-wife, a psychological profiler who is pulled in to assist with the case. The biggest disappointment is the fact that certain characters who seemed key to the story early on were dropped from the plot as it developed. In spite of that, the ending is satisfying if a bit abrupt, and the characters Downs has created are strong enough to perhaps warrant a sequel.

The book contains no significant objectionable content, though some descriptions of human biological-weapons testing during World War II are disturbing. Explicit Christian content is largely absent as well; the underlying message of the book seems to be one of human forgiveness, rather than human repentance and divine restoration.

Overall, this is quite a good book. It’s a terrorism story that relies on suspense and character interaction rather than grotesque destruction to get its point across. The writing is strong, the characters are realistic, and the threat presented seems realistic. Tim Downs is likely to be a major player in the quasi-Christian thriller genre for a long time to come. ( )

Nick Polchak, Downs' brilliant "Bug Man", makes only a token appearance in this fast-paced philosophical thriller, but in exchange Downs introduces his readers to some of the most interesting and engaging characters in thriller-fiction. Special Agent Nathan Donovan is a man whose personal tragedy has caused him to lose faith in just about everything; his ex-wife, a professor of political science, tempers her realistic view of the world with both determination and compassion; and the mysterious Mr. Li, who inserts himself into Donovan's investigation of a possible bio-terrorism incident while forcing Donovan to examine the state of his own soul.

In the hands of a less-gifted author, these characters would play out into a stereotyped plot, but Downs brings something a little bit special into play here -- his own deep Christian faith, which allows him to see even the vilest of acts through a redemptive lens. Though I am an atheist, I found Downs' insistence that all human beings are given the chance at spiritual salvation neither preachy nor Pollyannaish.

Downs never indulges the temptation to insert an end-of-days Armageddon scenario, and those looking for signs and portents in this book will look in vain. Rather, Downs' message seems to be that if God is indeed the power to love our enemies, it is incumbent upon us to show that love even in the most dire of circumstances.

Aside from the philosophical additions, which play out naturally as the plot unfolds, this is a darned good read all on its own -- fast-paced, interesting, and suspenseful.

Very highly recommended. ( )

Awesome book! ( )

http://dhamel.typepad.com/book_blog/2006/05/plague_maker_by.html
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