I was so excited to read Jane Jesmond’s new book!

It is so different to Her but in all the best ways! A change of pace and a story that really could be happening behind the scenes (and obviously historically did)

Love, friendship and turmoil all in one place - you will definitely enjoy this!

Jumping between the late 50's and 2017 this book explores the way a secret covered up ahs affected the lives of a handful of people and their wider community. Hard to review without giving away the plot the book is actually quite slow paced but still keeps you turning the pages as you seek first to have your suspicions confirmed and then the facts revealed.
A great and thought provoking read.

Phoney does not get along with her step-grandmother, but when her happy Grandfather takes his life with no understandable reason, the two are thrown together to find out what was behind his suicide.
A long buried secret is slowly revealed, leading to attacks and death.
An intriguing tale of amateur sleuthing and gentle understanding of family.
A Slow but interesting story.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Quick read, well written. It’s a fiction thriller that feels very believable and I wouldn’t be surprised if something like this has actually happened. Really enjoyed all the characters in the book. It moved between two timelines seamlessly and it was easy to keep track. Well paced. Lots of discussion around vaccination which is a hot topic but pretty amazing that polio was eradicated in many countries due to the vaccination program. Lots of ethical dilemmas discussed as it pertains to vaccination and when the characters in this time line are faced with the same choices they hesitated. Recommended.

This mystery thriller has an unusual and inventive theme. Focussing on a real medical crisis when poliomyelitis - polio- broke out in UK in 1957, and involved a race against time to get as many children vaccinated in as short a time as possible. The dual timeline takes us to 2017, and Phiney’s heartbreak and confusion when her beloved grandfather takes his own life, with no warning or obvious reason.
Her efforts to find out what went on in the laboratory making vaccine at that time, leads to a fast paced, involved search for the truth, leading Phiney herself to take too many risks with her own safety.
At the heart of it all is the 1957 equivalent of ‘big pharma’ and their desire to increase profits being their number one goal. The parallels with contemporary themes is striking.
The book is extremely well written, drawing the reader into the convoluted mystery of why other deaths ensue, in the days following that of Wilf, Phiney’s grandfather.
The author has clearly researched the subject of polio extensively. I’m old enough to remember the panic of parents to get we children vaccinated immediately, as three doses fairly close together were required for best chance of immunity. I recall photos in newspapers of children and adults in horrific- looking iron lungs. There were several children in my junior school who wore callipers due to having a paralysed and wasted leg.
This story took me right back to those nervy times. It was hard to put this book down.
The similarities to the recent Covid pandemic were all too real.
An excellent read, highly recommended.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed this crime mystery set between the late 1950s and present day. Fast paced and well researched, the author threads the narrative with a subtle debate on the morality of medical ethics. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thanks NetGalley and publishers for the arc of A Quiet Contagion by Jane Jesmond.

My second read by this author and I was not disappointed. The jumping between two timelines made it even more inventive. I really enjoyed this book!

An inventive thriller with a good narrative pull, jumping between 1957 when an accident occurs to 2017 when an elderly man's family tries to understand why he took his own life with no warning. Being in medicine myself and having just come through the Covid pandemic I think the question at the core of the book is a very important one to consider, especially as we see the public's trust in the medical system and experts declining (if I were to define the question at hand it would give away too much of the book!). The characters were enjoyable, and you couldn't help but root for the protagonists, even if it was clear what the mystery was quite early in the book. A good fast-paced summer read and it's always refreshing to see a crime story that doesn't center around a body.

‘A Quiet Contagion’ is fictitious but it could have happened. An incident in 1957 leads to a lifetime of secrets for some, huge consequences for those affected and danger for those trying to piece it all together. There is just enough background to the main characters to keep the story fresh without being bogged down in too much navel gazing. It was easy to imagine the various locations where the action takes place. I enjoyed the story not least because I have a sister in law with polio born around the time to which the book refers. It gave me some insight into the process of eradicating the disease. Thank you NetGalley for the pre-publication edition.

This is a fast paced thriller mixed with some hard-hitting realism. I liked how well researched this book obviously was and that it explores ethics surrounding the medical industry which is obviously a very current topic. I loved the suspenseful atmosphere that was created and seeing all the characters go through moral dilemmas after finding out the truth. Overall I think this is a strong mystery/thriller.

“For the greater good” could have been the title of this book, as the main characters find out more and more of an incident that happened 60 years ago at a pharmaceutical company and the actions taken afterwards. The story is told from the standpoint of the main characters and mainly relate to the incident 60 years ago and the days following the complete shock of Phiney’s grandfather Wilf’s suicide. Other people connected to the company die and Phiney and Wilf’s second wife Dora who do not get on are forced to spend time together to try to work out if the death of Wilf and the others are connected to the old incident and if so why.
Wilf had childhood polio and Coventry had a polio epidemic at that time. This is a recurring theme in the book and having a medical background I found the descriptions of the disease well researched.
I feel that the book works well in two fronts. Mainly as a fast paced thriller in unearthing secrets of the past and later on in the book thinking about the ethics of focusing on a community based model of healthcare which does not always lead to good outcome for all individuals.
Ironically the dilemma faced by the lab in the past is similar to the situation Phiney , friend Meghan, Dora and reporter Mat find themselves in when they discover the truth.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.