Beyond the arcane terminology and abundant dialogue, modest characters inhabit a rock-solid medical mystery.
Scientists and federal agencies desperately try to pinpoint the source of an unknown neurological disease in Hansen’s debut medical thriller.
College professor Dr. Mark Selby reviews a patient’s symptoms on behalf of his former student, Dr. Albert Jackson. The patient, who has a history of Parkinson’s, has a current condition indicative, Jackson believes, of mad cow disease. But when doctors rule out known illnesses for other patients with similar symptoms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Security Agency recruit experts from the college to learn more about the disease. Is it an epidemic or terrorists’ biological attack? Hansen packs the story with an abundance of medical jargon, which may initially baffle readers. For instance, with no context given, Megan of the CDC asks “Have you considered that a protease may have hydrolyzed the native proteins?” Eventually, the medical issues become clearer as theories are eliminated, but frequent debates about the unidentified sickness cause the dialogue to direct the narrative, sometimes to a confusing effect. In one instance, Mark and Al discuss a patient in a viewing room and then, with little action provided, they’re suddenly walking outside with others who have joined the conversation. Although the nature of the viral threat isn’t exactly known, some direct, tangible threats appear: an Iraqi official who may be responsible for the virus; mysterious figures keeping their eyes on doctors; and team members being abducted or assaulted. Throughout the story, lines of dialogue are rarely given new paragraphs, so the novel is filled with lengthy paragraphs consisting of dialogue among multiple characters, making it difficult to determine which character is speaking. Engrossing background stories strengthen a few characters, particularly Mark, whose sordid past includes being suspected of murder and an affair with a student at Harvard, and pathologist Sal Bonea, whose OCD as a schoolboy led teachers to believe he had a learning disability. Elsewhere, Mark’s relationship with Megan falls a bit short; it’s hard to accept his love for her while he’s having sex with Mandy, his boss’ assistant, and is noticeably infatuated with NSA agent Susie Michaels. Hansen rounds out his novel with nosy reporter Walter Pope looking for a big story and the ever-present government agents sweeping college offices for bugs as well as hygiene.
Beyond the arcane terminology and abundant dialogue, modest characters inhabit a rock-solid medical mystery.Pub Date: April 18, 2013
ISBN: 978-1470039448
Page Count: 322
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.
A 16-year-old savant uses his Groundhog Day gift to solve his grandfather’s murder.
Nishizawa’s compulsively readable puzzle opens with the discovery of the victim, patriarch Reijiro Fuchigami, sprawled on a futon in the attic of his elegant mansion, where his family has gathered for a consequential announcement about his estate. The weapon seems to be a copper vase lying nearby. Given this setup, the novel might have proceeded as a traditional whodunit but for two delightful features. The first is the ebullient narration of Fuchigami’s youngest grandson, Hisataro, thrust into the role of an investigator with more dedication than finesse. The second is Nishizawa’s clever premise: The 16-year-old Hisataro has lived ever since birth with a condition that occasionally has him falling into a time loop that he calls "the Trap," replaying the same 24 hours of his life exactly nine times before moving on. And, of course, the murder takes place on the first day of one of these loops. Can he solve the murder before the cycle is played out? His initial strategies—never leaving his grandfather’s side, focusing on specific suspects, hiding in order to observe them all—fall frustratingly short. Hisataro’s comical anxiety rises with every failed attempt to identify the culprit. It’s only when he steps back and examines all the evidence that he discovers the solution. First published in 1995, this is the first of Nishizawa’s novels to be translated into English. As for Hisataro, he ultimately concludes that his condition is not a burden but a gift: “Time’s spiral never ends.”
A fresh and clever whodunit with an engaging twist.Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781805335436
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Pushkin Vertigo
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.
Four residents of Coopers Chase, a British retirement village, compete with the police to solve a murder in this debut novel.
The Thursday Murder Club started out with a group of septuagenarians working on old murder cases culled from the files of club founder Elizabeth Best’s friend Penny Gray, a former police officer who's now comatose in the village's nursing home. Elizabeth used to have an unspecified job, possibly as a spy, that has left her with a large network of helpful sources. Joyce Meadowcroft is a former nurse who chronicles their deeds. Psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and well-known political firebrand Ron Ritchie complete the group. They charm Police Constable Donna De Freitas, who, visiting to give a talk on safety at Coopers Chase, finds the residents sharp as tacks. Built with drug money on the grounds of a convent, Coopers Chase is a high-end development conceived by loathsome Ian Ventham and maintained by dangerous crook Tony Curran, who’s about to be fired and replaced with wary but willing Bogdan Jankowski. Ventham has big plans for the future—as soon as he’s removed the nuns' bodies from the cemetery. When Curran is murdered, DCI Chris Hudson gets the case, but Elizabeth uses her influence to get the ambitious De Freitas included, giving the Thursday Club a police source. What follows is a fascinating primer in detection as British TV personality Osman allows the members to use their diverse skills to solve a series of interconnected crimes.
A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-98-488096-3
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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