I know this book is a thriller but it’s not my usual kind of thriller. It is a type of book that I enjoy; I just don’t read enough of them. So I was super excited to get the chance to add this book to my read list. Thank you to @FrankRGardner and @TransworldBooks for this advanced audio copy of Outbreak in return for an honest review. Outbreak is due to be published on 27th May 2021 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Three scientists from the UK are battling a blizzard deep in the Arctic Circle but when they spot an abandoned cabin ahead they start to feel some relief. As they enter the cabin they immediately realise that something is very wrong. A severely sick man is in the cabin and when the team medic approaches him to help she quickly figures out that whatever this man is suffering from is very dangerous and very contagious.

Within hours, UK government and bodies are working to try and contain the disease and investigate its origin. Intelligence concludes that this is a terrifying man made bio weapon created to cause destruction. Luke Carlton from the MI6 is assigned to work on the case and is thrown into danger every which way, but is he looking in the right places?

General Thoughts 🤔

As soon as I started this book I knew I was going to like it. It’s packed with action, tension and it’s so fast paced. I don’t know what it is about intelligence operatives and covert missions but I find them really exciting and Outbreak did not disappoint on that front. It was thrillingly nail biting and I was so invested.

Only a week or so ago I was wondering whether or not books set in the present day or future would reference COVID-19. I feel like they have to right? I know it’s fiction but it’s such a big thing that has happened I expected it to start popping up in stories. Although this book is not about COVID-19, I thought that it was referenced just the right amount.

Characters 👭👫👬

I did not realise that this is not the first book from Frank Gardner about Luke Carlton but now that I do, I want to read more. I loved him as a character; flaws and all. I like my heroes to be a little rough around the edges and I got that impression of him. Not scared to break a rule here and there in order to get to a result.

She wasn’t a huge part of the storyline, but for some reason, Luke’s girlfriend irritated me a little. I thought she was a little bit of a nag but then I may have missed some of the history about their relationship that has skewed my opinion of her.

Writing Style ✍🏽

I really liked the way that this book was written. Short and snappy chapters kept me engaged and gripped and I loved some of the cliff hangers. I did get a little confused at times as the chapters jumped locations a lot and I lost track of what was happening where geographically.

I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great. It was dramatic in all of the right places and I’m not ashamed to admit that there were moments where I shouted back at the voice reading me the story as though I was cast into the story.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

I thought that this was a really good action thriller and I was even a little bit disappointed that it was over once I was finished. I thought it was a bit of a cross between I Am Pilgrim and the Robert Galbraith series so if you like either of those I would recommend that you give this a try.

Outbreak by Frank Gardner
Narrated by Jonathan Keeble

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to Penguin Random House UK Audio and Netgalley.

Deep within the Arctic Circle, three scientists from the UK's Arctic Research Station trudge through a blizzard in search of shelter. They see a cabin ahead. It appears abandoned. No lights. No snowmobile outside. But as they push open the door, the smell hits them. Rank and foetid: there's something bad inside.

Then movement. A man lies slumped, his face disfigured by livid pustules. Blood runs from his nostrils; his chest glistens blackly. The team's medic, Dr Sheila Mackenzie, pushes forward to examine him when the convulsions start. Blood, bile and mucus spray into the air. The doctor knows it's too late - she's been contaminated . . .

This is the first book I have read featuring Luke Carlton. There are a lot of references to the current Covid-19 outbreak. In places it was possible to forget that this was a work of fiction as there was a lot of reference to past epidemics and acronyms that needed explaining.

I liked Luke and throughout the book I found myself rooting for him. This is a fast paced book and features multiple POVs.

Rating 3/5

I love a good old plague story and this was also crossed with an old style Cold War story. It’s set in modern day times with frequent references to the previous Covid-19 pandemic, but the writing and narration reminded me of long ago read John Le Carre novels. There were a few cliches thrown in there but the narration was easy to listen to and I liked the final twist.

In the Arctic circle a a man lies dying; with his last breath he sprays blood and mucus into the air and so begins the start of the contagion. Luke Carlton from MI6 is called in to investigate and so begins a deadly game of cat and mouse around the globe to try and stop the virus from infecting the world's population.

The theme of this novel felt very relevant and at times a little too close to comfort with the characters mentioning Covid-19. Both the plot lines and characters felt very real and I was gripped; a truly exhilarating thriller and one I couldn't put down..

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in return for an honest review

An enjoyable book about an outbreak of a potent virus. There were a lot of references to Covid and other past epidemics. Sometimes it read as a bit non-fiction because of the amount of explaining of these past epidemics and of all the acronyms that were spread throughout the book. On the whole I did enjoy the story and liked the main character so was rooting for him. Fast paced in places and multiple POVs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the audioARC of this book.

I really enjoyed Blood and Sand, Frank Gardner’s autobiography in which he details his recovery following horrific injury whilst a war correspondent. I didn’t know he’d turned novelist and that Outbreak features Luke Carlton, an ex services officer who’s now working for the British Secret Service. Gardner is currently BBC security correspondent and I imagine he has brought a wealth of personal and practical knowledge from his work life, past and present , into this novel. I felt as if I’d been dropped into a real life race against time!

The story centres on a threat, very real, to release a deadly virus into the general population. Luke is tasked with investigating and this involves secret missions to Lithuania, Russia and more. Alongside this is in fighting between Russian security services and a top secret research facility in Norway. Without giving too. Much away, this is one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read, truly.

The pace throughout is absolutely relentless. Short sharp chapters switch seamlessly to keep the narrative moving across a number of locations. It’s literally breathtaking as the potential for human disaster mounts. In a world still struggling with the effects of Covid pandemic, this is a prescient reminder of how vulnerable we are to the actions of the deluded and extreme.

Throughout, there’s a strong sense of reality, with plausible characters that draw you in and this story had my pulse racing more than once. It kept me listening through the night and I finished it in record time. Breathtakingly good. Superb narration. I heartily recommend this.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

wow, fast paced story line during a potential spread of a deadly virus. Race against time and a few twists and turns along the way, really enjoyed this book, the first i have read by this author. Will definitely look for for more by this author, thank you #NetGalley for the copy to review.