+Giveaway
Science Fiction, Thriller, Suspense - Novel
TBR reviewer: Kim

Blurb

Nysa is an up and coming DNA retrieval expert well known in the scientific community for her advances in the technology used in the field. After being  recruited to work on a secret project by an extraordinarily wealthy and mysterious benefactor, Nysa is moved to a hidden lab outside Denver, Colorado. Isolated from the world and forbidden from contact with anyone outside the facility, she is unaware of the strange occurrences that begin to plague the 
planet. Her fiance Alastair becomes concerned about her welfare and, with the help of his father, begins a frantic search for her. They soon come to realize that their quest is producing more questions than answers, and some very unsettling questions at that.

Only one person, the silent man financing  the operation, knows the true nature of the experiment. Although unaware of his  true identity, Alastair comes to realize his foe will stop at nothing to see the  experiment through to its completion.

Review

This is a story about a woman (Nysa) who is at the top of her field in DNA retrieval at UCLA. She is head hunted by a strange gentleman for a project she knows nothing about but will pay top dollar for her services. She agrees, on the understanding she must have no contact with the outside world for the duration of the project, and tell no one where she is going. When a series of natural disasters prompts her boyfriend (Alistair) to try and find her, the project and his search suddenly are not quite what they seem.

This was a great book. I enjoyed the fact that the chapters were short, it meant that I could read it quickly in short bursts. As it happened I found it extremely hard to put down. The basic plot (which I can't divulge as it would give too much away) is a good one, and had me gripped to the end.The characters were solid and although the story played out with only three main characters, I didn't feel the story suffered. The ending was as sudden as it was
shocking, so be prepared for that. It was satisfying though and tied up any loose ends. It did, however, need work on the editing.
 
All in all a brave subject to tackle, that the author has done justice with and I hope he has more in the pipe line.

Excerpt

This was to be his last day on Earth. He stood at the Zion Gate in Jerusalem,
facing south, watching the shadows stretch out before him as the sun rose in the
eastern sky. The glare of the sun off the windshield of a slow-moving taxi cab
caused him to squint.


His black overcoat hung open and swirled in the wind gusting through the
narrow streets. His brand new black and white pinstriped suit was still stiff
with starch and his gold watch glistened in the morning light. The freshly
pressed black shirt and tie complemented his suit perfectly. He’d had his shoes
polished this very morning and could almost see his reflection. His dark brown
hair was tossed about by the wind.


His eyes drifted over the old bullet holes still scarring the ancient wall
around the Zion Gate. The brown stones used to construct the wall had held up
remarkably well over the years since it had first been assembled. He looked down
at the Star of David built into the road leading into the tunnel. His wandering
eyes finally found what they’d been searching for.


He stared intently at the building in the distance, the powerful gaze of his
blue eyes focused only on that ancient monument. Ahead of him, atop Mount Zion,
stood the Dormition Church and beside it, on the second floor, the Cenacle. That
was the room where his seemingly timeless journey had started, and after waiting
what seemed an eternity, this was where he wanted to be for the end. It wasn’t
quite as he remembered it, but that had been so long ago. He found it remarkable
how the landscape changed over time. Buildings he had believed would stand
forever were torn down, although in this case the church had been rebuilt.


He held his sign loosely, content with the message he was trying to spread,
his ego demanding the attention. People in long coats scurried around him,
trying desperately to get home or to work before the storm moved in. The day had
begun sunny yet brisk, but a severe thunderstorm was expected for later that
morning.


The cold didn’t bother him on this day; he was at peace. Finally, everything
he had been waiting for was about to unfold. He absentmindedly ran his right
thumb over the scar running from behind his right ear and down across his throat
and watched as the clouds he exhaled evaporated into the cold dawn air. He
became lost in his memories, drawn backward to that fateful day. An eternity had
passed since he had received that wound. It was his last mark of humanity.
Everything since then had been a curse. He could hardly believe it was all about
to finally end.


Drawn back to the here and now, he realized that not many people would make
eye contact with him. Many would stare at him and then glance down at their
shoes the minute he looked back.  Strange that they would treat him like a
vagrant on the street, rambling on to himself about the end of the world. They
didn’t know. They didn’t want to know. They all wanted to think he was crazy,
but he knew he was right. He had been planning for so long, saving for so long,
wanting for so long. Now all of his hard work would pay off. His perseverance
and enormous expense would come to fruition. Now, on this day.


He didn’t speak. His sign said it all. The end is now.

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Contest

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