One of the persistent themes in the forthcoming Kristen Elise, Ph.D. science thriller The Death Row Complex is the threat of a biological attack. This is a theme that has been explored in thrillers for decades. But how real is that threat? With the expansion of ISIL across the globe, should we be worried? According to BioWorld Today, we should. This is a scientific publication I subscribe to written by scientists, for scientists. The crux of the issue described in today's issue is eerily close to some of the scenarios laid out as fiction in The Death Row Complex.