FICTION

White Plague: A Joe Rush Novel

by James Abel
Berkley. Jan. 2015. 336p. ISBN 9780425276327.$26.95; ebk. ISBN 9780698168930. F
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Panic ensues in the Pentagon when the Navy's newest submarine, the USS Montana, reports that it is on fire under the Arctic ice. Worse, there is the threat of bioterrorism because of what else is aboard. Joe Rush is a naval officer and a doctor with a checkered past. He is also a bioterror expert, and it's up to him to rescue the survivors and put a stop to the plague. To further complicate matters, the Chinese have a sub on the way and the United States does not want the Montana's secrets falling into enemy hands.
VERDICT Despite the potentially intriguing themes of a submarine in peril and a catastrophically deadly virus that is spreading on board, this thriller by the pseudonymous author and Arctic expert is just not very exciting. Overwritten to the point that the numerous descriptions distract and annoy the reader, the novel features a convoluted plot and just about everyone is a villain, including the big pharmaceuticals. There are some exciting moments, just not enough of them.
Reviewed by Robert Conroy, Warren, MI , Oct 15, 2014
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