Most Helpful Customer Reviews
amazon.com review
5.0 out of 5 stars The Judas Virus February 25, 2004
By Bruce Rolfe
In his debut novel as David Best, a well-known mystery writer, as I’ve gleaned from some of these other reviews, has mutated genres into the fascinating world of medical thrillers. I have to concur with Tess Gerritsen who notes on the cover that, “He is one of the very few authors who can write with convincing authority.”
Beneath that striking cover, “The Judas Virus” unleashes a thoroughly entertaining, yet plausible story about the experimental xenotransplantation of a genetically altered pig’s liver into a recovering alcoholic. Best’s protagonist, Chris Collins, medical director for infection control at Good Samaritan hospital, hasn’t seen her father since he left her mother for another woman 29 years ago. Out of the blue he shows up at the hospital dying from cirrhosis and asks Chris to donate a portion of her liver to save his miserable life. “…a visit to his parts warehouse,” as Best phrased it, filling Chris with, “so much disgust that she couldn’t stand to look at him another second.” Because her whole life is dedicated to helping the sick, she is immediately caught in a conflict of emotions and ultimately winds up proposing the experimental surgery. Ironically, the surgery produces an unexpected retrovirus with surprising therapeutic effects. The story turns as Best conjures mental images of impending devastation by giving us glimpses of the virus’ deleterious side effects on well drawn secondary characters and the tertiary characters they infect. He gives his readers not only a visual sense of location, but auditory, olfactory and sensory preceptions as well, which he adeptly weaves into the story line to put us there.
Personally, I read fiction for amusement. I rarely find it necessary to either praise or trash a novel and have difficulty understanding those who do. Mel Brooks said it best in his “History of the World Part II.” “Twenty million years ago the earth gave birth to the artist, and as inevitably followed, the afterbirth: The Critic.” Or something like that. Anyway, the heart of Guy M. DeWitte’s review above is directly behind his name, i.e. (see more about “ME”). I linked to his web page and found that afterbirth isn’t very pretty. It takes minimal effort to write a dozen or so sentences badmouthing the work that’s obviously taken real authors months or years to complete. If Mr. DeWitte thinks the books he reads are so bad, he probably shouldn’t waste his time finishing them. Instead, maybe he could spend it writing his own books and exposing them to such hackneyed critics as himself.
At any rate, “The Judas Virus” isn’t your standard “Genie out of the bottle” epidemic story. As the therapeutic effects from the retrovirus wane and it becomes lethal, the book makes you stop and think that something like this could really happen. Leonard Goldberg says, “[It’s] A fast paced medical thriller with believable characters and plenty of twists and turns.”
I think “The Judas Virus” is page-turning, cutting-edge fiction that will leave you asking what else is going on out there? I read it straight through and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t wait for David Best’s next book to come out. I don’t need anyone to tell me what’s good and what’s bad. However, I am more apt to give credence to those who know what it takes to write a novel. Tess Gerritsen and Leonard S. Goldberg are certainly two who do.
Awesome Thriller by the Author of Do No Harm
amazon.com review
November 25, 2003
By Patrick Burnett
The Judas Virus opens with a bang and keeps us guessing until the very end, which is just what I like in a thriller. Author David Best (some might know his as Don Donaldson) handles his latest book with his usual precision and skill.
Chris Collins is a doctor in an Atlanta hospital who is confronted by her terminally-ill father, Wayne, years after he had walked out of her and her mother’s life. With unparalleled gall, he asks her to donate a piece of her liver so that he might live. She refuses, but pulls some strings to get him accepted in an experimental program.
The suspense builds when an unknown virus affects not only ayne, but the nurses who treat him. But the weird thing is that the virus makes the infectees feel better, healing old wounds and salving aches – right up until it makes them blind and kills them.
Chris and her colleague Michael suspect there’s more going on than meets the eye and begin a private investigation, which draws a killer’s attention to them.
Reading David Best is like riding Splash Mountain at Disneyland. The ride is mesmerizing, with plenty to draw your attention and keep your interest, right up until you drop off the side of the mountain, your heart in your throat. The suspense here builds slowly, tantalizingly, and the payoff is a good one.
One of Best’s best features as a writer is his economy of words – every word is chosen for maximum effect. His characters and motivations are real enough to make you believe the action. And that’s no mean feat. I recommend The Judas Virus and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
A pig liver transplant and a virus
amazon.com review
April 14, 2004
By Dawn Dowdle VINE™ VOICE
I normally don’t read medical thrillers, but this was a great book.
Chris Collins’ father, Wayne, has just come back into her life after almost thirty years. He has come asking for a part of her liver. He is a recovering alcoholic in need of a liver transplant. Due to his alcoholism, he can’t be moved up in the list if his need becomes greater. He has heard that a relative can give him a portion of their liver and that portion will regenerate in the donor and the portion given will grow into a full liver for him.
Chris is not sure what she thinks of her father’s return, but she knows she can’t give him a portion of her liver. Instead she is able to get him into a new program that will transplant a genetically altered pig’s liver into a human.
The transplant goes very well. Then Wayne has a fever. There are so many precautions taken to prevent from infecting Wayne or anyone else, but still they keep a close eye on him. He gets well quickly and they figure all is well. Matter of fact, things seem to be going extremely well, better than expected.
When some nurses that took care of him die, they start looking into whether this could be related to the transplant. Then some more people die. They can’t figure out how these people tie back to the transplant.
Chris feels responsible and works hard at investigating the various deaths, including looking into where their lives might have intersected.
The pace in this book is great. It keeps you wondering what will happen next. I found it difficult to put down.
The characters interact well and there is enough uncertainty that you can’t easily figure out too soon what is going on. It is very well written.
I recommend this book.
great thriller
amazon.com review
By Maria Mccarthy-webb “forever student” – (Sioux City,IA USA)
This review is from: The Judas Virus (Mass Market Paperback)
Great medical science fiction with some great medical ethical questions to ponder. Reality of even though it is fiction, it is possible with science advancement.
great thriller
amazon.com review
Brenda Pink “snorkelgeek” – (Lethbridge, AB, CAN)
This review is from: The Judas Virus (Mass Market Paperback)
Judas Virus is a great book to read if you want to be drawn into a medical crisis. I’ve certainly read better books and scarier books, but this one holds its own in the genre. Some of the medical and situational circumstances are a bit unbelievable, but what the hey, that’s why these are called fiction. Not EVERYTHING has to be believable or real. The main characters romp through the book trying to solve the medical mystery as if they were detectives and get into some pretty tight situations because of that. May not be realistic, but it’s certainly a good read. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it as a page turner.
great thriller
amazon.com review
By L. Maynard – (Dallas, Tx)
This review is from: The Judas Virus (Mass Market Paperback)
I read DO NO HARM by this author and loved it. It was taut with
mystery and suspense. JUDAS VIRUS is a really good book, but not great. It contains alot of mystery and a fair amount of suspense, but at the same time, it was a little disjointed. The premise of the story and the ending did not flow together as well as I thought it should have. The relationship between the main character; chris, and her father started out believable but the author had her lashing out through the whole story and was a bit over the top. There was a little too much “teenage drama”.
All in all, this is a good book and would be well worth your time reading. I enjoyed the story and it kept you guessing till the very end. The only problem I found was the author’s effort in bringing it all to a close.
A pig liver transplant and a virus, April 14, 2004
amazon.com review
Dawn Dowdle “Mystery reviewer” – (Lynchburg, VA USA)
This review is from: The Judas Virus
I normally don’t read medical thrillers, but this was a great book.
Chris Collins’ father, Wayne, has just come back into her life after almost thirty years. He has come asking for a part of her liver. He is a recovering alcoholic in need of a liver transplant. Due to his alcoholism, he can’t be moved up in the list if his need becomes greater. He has heard that a relative can give him a portion of their liver and that portion will regenerate in the donor and the portion given will grow into a full liver for him.
Chris is not sure what she thinks of her father’s return, but she knows she can’t give him a portion of her liver. Instead she is able to get him into a new program that will transplant a genetically altered pig’s liver into a human.
The transplant goes very well. Then Wayne has a fever. There are so many precautions taken to prevent from infecting Wayne or anyone else, but still they keep a close eye on him. He gets well quickly and they figure all is well. Matter of fact, things seem to be going extremely well, better than expected.
When some nurses that took care of him die, they start looking into whether this could be related to the transplant. Then some more people die. They can’t figure out how these people tie back to the transplant.
Chris feels responsible and works hard at investigating the various deaths, including looking into where their lives might have intersected.
The pace in this book is great. It keeps you wondering what will happen next. I found it difficult to put down.
Works for me!
M. Critz – (Oneonta, NY United States)
This review is from: The Judas Virus
Plenty of content in the reviews below. I enjoyed the cutting-edge medical content. Pretty close to what I’ve been reading in the medical journals, and the story around which that topic is wrapped provides an interesting vehicle.
It’s always interesting to read the opinions of others – especially on the same topic. Some folks obviously got worked up over this book. Make up your own mind…it’s well worth the time.