UNMASKED

A double-murder investigation in Florida has surprising ties to a viral outbreak that starts in the United States in this thriller.

Police Detective Lance Dornhuber is at the Bingham estate for a double homicide. Layni Bingham and an unidentified woman are seemingly posed on a bed with bullet wounds in their heads. Their positions suggest robbery wasn’t the motive despite the open and emptied safe. Dornhuber suspects the involvement of Layni’s husband, Doug, who was out of state on business at the time of the murders. But the supposed killer calls Doug with threats because a much-desired thumb drive wasn’t in the safe. Also under police suspicion is Candace Lansiquot, with whom Doug has reputedly had an affair. She responds by hiring lawyer Xander Van Buren. As it happens, Layni, prior to her death, gave that thumb drive to the attorney for safekeeping. Shortly thereafter, a contagion spreads throughout America, where Chinese spies have evidently initiated a viral attack. This supervirus, ultimately dubbed Coronavirus, becomes a full-blown pandemic in little time. Answers may lie in the encrypted thumb drive, which Xander, aligning himself with an FBI pal and Doug’s daughter, Ashley, learns contains incriminating evidence. The ones truly behind this attack are powerful individuals who will go to great lengths to ensure their sinister participation remains a secret. As American citizens strive to slow down the infections, federal agents hunt the masterminds. Meanwhile, Xander, who’s military trained, and Ashley track a couple of murderous spies, one of whom possesses the cure.

Pollack’s novel feels like two stories in one book. It begins as a murder mystery before spinning off into a thriller featuring a pandemic and a conspiracy, both of which affect the entire world. While the initial narrative shift is somewhat jarring, the discernible link between the killings and the viral attack is ultimately convincing. Though Xander seems to be the protagonist, the story focuses on several dynamic characters, including headstrong Dornhuber and smart, physically capable Ashley. But a standout in the cast is Mai Ling, the virologist who deliberately starts the outbreak before hiding in the U.S. under an alias. The author deftly incorporates into the narrative a virus akin to the real-world pandemic. Readers, for example, will relate to characters practicing social distancing and wearing masks in public while it’s clear the fictional Coronavirus—a viral attack—is not the same threat people have been facing in real life. Furthermore, the story merely hints at the global concern and instead spotlights the villains, most of whom are in America. Pollack churns out apt dialogue exchanges, particularly detectives’ interrogations. But he also writes detail-laden paragraphs, which are most effective during the suspenseful final act. This is when characters are stealthily watching others, either gathering intelligence or plotting assassinations: One player “swept slowly back and forth along the entire perimeter of the property and checked the grounds and the trees using his multi function Delta X-100-4 Counter surveillance sweeping system.” The ending offers resolution but allows some questions to linger, mostly regarding the initial homicides.

A diverting cross-genre tale of killers, viruses, and conspiracies.