Lethal Lies: The Conspiracy by Laurence O’Bryan

Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Suspense: 5/5
Overall Enjoyment: 5/5

Well, there is no denying that this book while a work of fiction, has a lot of true issues inside. Covid is as real as it gets and this book Incorporated it all. I think that giving a summary has already been done but will say that the author has done a brilliant job of creating a story about a real issue that gripped the world. Trying to find the best of the best scientists to create a vaccine that would protect the vulnerable as well as the healthy and then throwing in a story about the scientists wife dying from the one thing he was fighting to eradicate. The book definitely was a fat paced and intriguing book. I was so moved by the story within the story and wanted so badly for the US to come out ahead. This is a book to read if you enjoy true events with some fiction thrown in.

Thank you to NetGalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

One man fights to discover the truth.

Robert McNeil is a vaccine scientist. His wife died while he was rushing back to London to be with her.

Her death from the Coronavirus hits him hard. When he's asked to join a U.S. State Department mission to China, he accepts. The mission, headed by Faith Gordon, a China specialist, is tasked with finding out the truth about the origins of the virus.

The author has written the first book of a fictional trilogy examining the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. The story takes the reader from London to Beijing to Moscow and back to London. This first portion of what should be an attention-grabbing medical thriller falls short for this reader. The first segment of the trilogy never quite grabbed this reader’s attention.

It is hoped that the future volumes will better meet the expectations of a medical thriller. For now, I must give this book three-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

This book is a quick and easy read, the action keeps you turning the page. Looking forward to more from the author.

What could be more relevant than a thriller about coronavirus. Mind-provoking, worrying and very much of the moment.

Easy to read, a real page-turner. Would recommend to anyone.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

After dealing with the pandemic, I wasn't sure if I would be interested in this book. While it was very action packed and had me wondering if Robert would succumb to his grief, or become very angry. I felt that after reading this book and living through the pandemic, I really wasn't into reading a book about this. Again, while it was a very good plot and subject. You must understand that after awhile reading or hearing about the pandemic is getting a little old. Yes, these are the times we live in, and yes this is the new normal. But, also reading is supposed to be a way to escape what is going on around us.

I really felt heartbroken for Robert and wanted him to survive this and proceed with what he was tasked to do. But just wasn't really into this book as much as I really thought or wanted to be. This is my honest opinion.

A captivating story that kept me engrossed from start to finish. Laurence O’Bryan never disappoints. Keep ‘em coming, please.

My thanks to NetGalley and puplisher BooksGoSocial for the electronic copy.

This is Book#1 in The Conspiracy series and, set in our contemporary world of a coronavirus pandemic, well, anything could be true - couldn't it?

Dr Robert McNeil is an American and world-leading vaccine scientist at an Oxford lab. He'd visited the Wuhan labs some months before this April, taking with him samples of his proposed vaccine. He was doing the same in Paris when he got word that his wife Jackie was in hospital with the virus and, driving home in London, was run off the road - although he escaped with minor injuries. He had to find out how and why his wife dies so quickly.

Faith Gordon, a US State Department employee steps in to help him answer those questions, resulting in them going to Wuhan where Rob is accused of releasing the virus in their labs. Incarceration ensues until Wang, charged with overseeing the Wuhan labs and getting a confession from Rob, is ordered to take them to Beijing

Meanwhile, Vladimir (Russian) is tying up loose ends in London and presenting the US Embassy there with "proof" that China is responsible for the virus leak. However, he's also keen to work with the Chinese. - Complicated - you bet!

The conspiracy surrounds these three superpowers - China, the US and Russia - and poor Rob is in the middle of it all. Each country has it's own agenda regarding vaccines and their world-standing.

An intriguing read with plenty of thought-provoking scenarios to keep conspiracy theorists happy..

What can you say about something that you know is true? Because even though this is a book of fiction it is also a book of reality. Maybe not character wise but definitely subject wise.

I'm not going to give a plot summary just that it's something close to all our hearts. The competition between nations to find the best scientists, the first vaccine. Countries who should have been working together to save lives. This was global.

I'll admit it had me hooked from the first page. Maybe it was because we had just lived through it and are still living it.

The author has an amazing technique of grabbing your attention. He is also a good story teller. Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with this.

Enjoy!

I wanted to enjoy this book due to the theme around COVID and it's current relevancy but no matter how much I tried I couldn't get into it.

This book tackles an interesting, contemporary topic. It's an easy read, and gripping. Suspenseful and intriguing. I'll definitely read more of the author's books in future. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book.

The blurb looked interesting for this book and the subject matter is very current. I enjoyed this book, it was an easy, well written read which was paced well. Robert O’Neil is a man wanted by several countries to work for them, as he is the scientist who has made the most progress creating a Covid vaccine. He is grieving the loss of his wife to the virus and wants to know exactly how she contracted the virus that killed her. So ..... with the Chinese and Russians competing to employ him the book is about scaremongering, secrecy, who is to blame for the outbreak of the virus and how far countries will go to cover the truth. I liked that the book was told through different points of view by the characters although I did feel their reactions to situations they found themselves in was not wholly believable. The author was descriptive setting the scenes in the story which I liked and I enjoyed the intrigue and suspense and wondered what would happen next. Overall a good read and I’d probably look at the authors next two books in this series when I have time.