Panacea

PANACEA
F. Paul Wilson
June 27, 2016

It was around 1995 when I snatched THE TOMB off a rack at the end of a check-out lane in a local grocery store. I devoured F. Paul Wilson’s first Repairman Jack novel, and remember thinking, “This guys is awesome.” It is sad to admit, I never followed up. I never read another book by Wilson, and I have no idea why. So when I was offered a copy of PANACEA in exchange for a review, I jumped at the opportunity.

In Wilson’s latest novel, medical examiner, Laura Hanning, is doing her best to keep a busy life in check. Divorced, she works hard in her field, but also has a young daughter battling cancer. To complicate things, she is handed two new, and bizarre cases. The corpses found at the scene of show more two separate fires are burnt nearly beyond recognition. However, she can find no cause of death for either. Unique tattoos might be the only other immediate link between the victims.

There are two opposing cults at work. One is known as 536, and they are on the hunt for the elusive Panacea. The all-natural plant cures people of any ailment. They believe the miracle drug is abomination, going against God, and God’s Plan. They want to rid the world of the drug forever. The other cult, the makers of Panacea, do not take their responsibility with the elixir lightly. It is doled out in small, calculated doses.

They know the 536 are closing in on them.

Laura is hired by a terminally ill billionaire to investigate the reality of such a drug, and if it in fact does exist, return to the states with enough to cure him of his disease. While Laura does not believe in the Panacea, or its mystical powers of healing, she can’t walk away from his offer. For two weeks of her time, and even if she returns empty handed, she will be paid millions.

Rick Hayden is her assigned bodyguard, an ex Navy Seal. The trip should be relatively quick, and easy. Except, nothing is ever quick and easy.

Laura and Rick find themselves the target of the 536, as they discover that each clue leads them to yet another clue. Their search for answers turns up only more questions. What they thought would be a single stop to find the Panacea, ends up the first of many --and before they know it, they are traveling all over the globe.

Deception, and mistrust abound. With her ex-husband caring for their daughter at home while she traverses the continents on a bizarre scavenger hunt, Laura learns those closest to her might not be who they seem. Unable to give up, and walk away, Laura is determined to see the trek out to the end. She has to know if the Panacea is real . . . even if it means she could die trying.

PANACEA is a compelling medical thriller. Wilson has created a cast of characters that, good, or bad, the reader will relate with them. I found myself sympathetic to the antagonist on more than one occasion. The pacing is fast. The chapters taut. I read the book in a few sittings, and loved every piece of the story. I can tell you, I am not going to wait another 30 plus years to read my next F. Paul Wilson novel!

Phillip Tomasso,
Author of Wizard’s Rise & Wizard’s War show less

Things I liked about this book:
* The premise is neat, and some interesting questions are explored.
* The different factions are really interesting and well-developed
* Laura Fanning and Rick Hayden are compelling characters, and the supporting cast is pretty well-drawn too

Things that annoyed me:
* Laura's incessant policing of Rick's speech patterns. Especially because the way he talks /isn't actually weird at all/. It makes her sound like an obnoxious grammar pedant... and she uses the same constructions he does immediately afterwards.
* Towards the very end of the book something happens that feels like a very ham-fisted hook for a sequel or series of sequels. It's unnecessary (it could just happen at the beginning of some hypothetical show more sequel), and distracts from wrapping up the narrative.
* The way a certain romantic subplot developed... Laura periodically declaring "I sure haven't been with a man in a loooooong time" in a matter-of-fact way was a really weird way to convey her gradually falling for Rick. Like, seriously, the best thing you can find to say about your crush is "he sure is male and also here right now!"? It didn't read right to me at all.
* Switching back and forth between viewpoints sometimes spoiled a surprise that one POV hadn't found out about yet, taking some of the suspense away.

Overall, it was an enjoyable story. show less

I'm glad to have Wilson writing more suspense novels that solid enjoyment. Kind of a silly statement since the vast majority of his work falls into that bucket. In my case, it was exactly what I needed and I'm very happy with the book.

Laura Fanning is a medical examiner who finds a weird connection between two corpses she has examined. Both bodies are in perfect condition other than being dead. She soon finds herself pulled into a search by a terminally ill billionaire to find the legendary panacea which will cure all ails. She is joined on her quest by Rick Hayden, an ex-Navy Seal who was also hired by the billionaire.

Going into this book, I knew that there were two more sequels in the The ICE Sequence books, so I wasn't exactly sure show more how it would end. And up to about two-thirds of the way through, I thought it was going to be a massive cliffhanger. Instead Wilson does his usual talented job and closes the novel up in a clean, respectable manner. Similar to the Repairman Jack series, you can tell further adventures are coming. However, at least at this point, there is no massive evil entity trying to destroy the world as there was in Repairman Jack. PANACEA is a Done In One. The continued continuity will be coming, I'm sure. There were a couple minor things that I wasn't crazy about in this novel. There were a couple characters that were too good to be true; they had all the right answers at the right time and guided our heroes along their quest. Yes, they were both explained later in the book but it still struck me as too convenient at the time. The story was a tad too formulaic also. Heroes travel to foreign country, defeat some trap and/or bad guys, find a clue that has them travel to yet another foreign country and do it all again. It was fine and worked but one more country would have been it! An excellent start for a new series by Wilson. I look forward to the future novels. show less

In Panacea, F. Paul Wilson has written an entertaining thriller. The premise is, there is a cult, a subset of Catholics, real hardcore freaks, that adhere rigidly to what they consider to be God's will, and it has come across their radar, that there exists a panacea that will reset your body's health to maximum. This panacea, an ichor, in their words, is made by a priestess of the All-Mother cult. They cannot allow this, because it's not God's will, and as a result, they are determined to quash the makers of said panacea. Many members of this cult, known as 536, are Spooks--CIA. The protagonist is hired by a multi-billionaire, who is terminally ill, and has also heard of this panacea. He's determined to get hold of it, and he figures show more that doctor Laura Fanning, the protagonist, has a good chance of finding it for him. So he hires her, and provides her with a bodyguard. The bodyguard is an anomaly, whose history has been buried deep. She and her bodyguard begin their search in a Mayan village of Quintana Roo, but that's only the beginning. They travel to Israel, France, and Scotland, and at every stop they are threatened with danger to their lives. Non-stop action and thrills in this tale.

This book takes much suspension of belief, but I've never been one to let that stop me from enjoying a good story. Soon I'll be reading the next book in the series.

P.124
"I'm having meat today, agent. Meat."
Bradsher's voice rose an octave. "sir?"
Nelson almost laughed. He'd been a vegetarian for at least a decade now, believing it would increase his odds of living a long and healthy life. Well, fat lot of good that had done him.

P.156
"You do realize that mental institutions are full of people with ideas like the ones we just discussed, don't you?"
He nodded. "and that's a shame, isn't it. Because if you say you can't eat pork because the creator of the universe told you not to, fine. If you say there's a part of you no one can see that's immortal and will be reincarnated in a new body after you die, cool. If you say the Earth was created in 6 days back in 4004 BC, some school boards even consider making that part of the curriculum. If you--"
"okay you've made your point." show less

A devoted fan of the Repairman Jack series, I was excited to see a new book by FPW. A battle is underway to protect our destroy a cure for any sickness, essentially a full health reset as you might find in a video game. The 536 Brotherhood thinks it's devil spawned while its creators use it to heal the deserving. A terminally ill billionaire hires an industrious and motivated coroner (Dr. Laura Fanning) to find him a dose, and she needs the money for her sick daughter's safety. She is joined by a mysterious, but skilled bodyguard. Traipsing around the world, Laura is tenacious, battling the bad guys. Classic struggle between good and evil. Recommended.

Wow, what a journey!

Once again, F. Paul Wilson takes the reader on an incredible exciting journey.
And he sure knows just how to portray the Brotherhood so that you can not help but to despise them.

If you like the Repairman Jack novels, you will really enjoy this novel also. Can there really be a plant that can be made into a drug that can cure any diseases. Well done and thought out.