Wildcard

Dr Steven Dunbar #3

by Ken McClure

A traveler dies a horrifying death on a flight from Africa to London. The Ebola virus is suspected, but Steven Dunbar of the Sci-Med Directorate discovers the more frightening truth, and must act quickly before the outbreak achieves its sinister purpose.

Genres: Thriller, Medical, Mystery, Fiction, Crime

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Ken McClure is the internationally bestselling author of over twenty medical thrillers such as The Lazarus Strain, The Gulf Conspiracy, White Death and Dust to Dust. His books have been translated into twenty-five languages and he has earned a reputation for the accuracy of his predicitions. McClure's work is informed by his background as an award-winning research scientist with the UK's Medical Research Council. He lives in a small village in the Lammermuir Hills of Scotland.

Reviews

[Jacob Peled · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that although I love medical thrillers, I never heard of "ken McClure. I was a great treat to find a new author to my growing list of favorite writers. I enjoyed immensely reading this book and already started seeking more books by Ken. Liked the main hero character and the twists in the book.
Although the subject was viruses, it all was very logic and believable. Far from being a Si-Fi story .
It was written in 2002 and yet it felt like a 2018 book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am on the third book in the Dr Dunbar Series and rate them all ~3 1/2. This one is eerily well timed for the current Ebola outbreak, and I give it a 4 star on that alone, and it's probably the best of the first three books in the series. These are excellent escape fiction when you are too tired or sleepy to read that serious book.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food for thought

This is the best thriller I have read for a long time. Well-written, well-plotted and done by someone who knows what they are talking about. First rate! I am just about to dive into the rest of the Dunbar series.

[✿ ♥ Heather ♥ ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Loved it - found it through bookcrossing and have read it in 3 days - couldn't put it down

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third instalment in the Dr Steven Dunbar series. I really enjoyed the first two and this one did not disappoint! McClures exceptional medical knowledge made the virus feel extremely
Credible and very frightening. There were moments I wanted to scrub my skin off. The way the government handled things was on point too seeing how it was written 17 years before Covid and the same measures written about in this novel were taken to try to prevent the spread. Ken McClures books are always a good read. Well plotted and moving at a decent pace and with some interesting characters along the way. Sad that he again fell for a woman who ended up dying, but just as his lifestyle isn’t conducive to raising a child, nor is it suited to the settled/married life so perhaps that’s why? Guess I’ll find out at the series goes on.

[Beata Ba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filowirus, wyścig z czasem by zapobiec pandemii. Doktor Dunbar prowadzi śledztwo, by znaleźć pacjenta zero, i inne osoby zarażone wirusem. Byłoby całkiem niezle, ale niestety tak kojarzy się z prawdziwą pandemią, która przeżyliśmy, że jakoś nie robi wrażenia.

[The Endless Unread · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read but not my cup of tea. Reads very technical with a lot of scientific names. More like a medical journal than a thriller.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Całkiem przyjemny thriller medyczny. Szybko się czyta.

[Dominika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ale świetna seria!

[anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 good stuff

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

An engaging read, moved along at a smart pace, good suspense and mostly interesting and credible characters. A few leaps of plausibility required (our main man, the medical investigator Dr Dunbar, pulling a gun on a recalcitrant witness being one of them; a Member of Parliament knifing a chef for blackmailing him the lowly sum of £1000 (less than $1300 US dollars) being another) which strained the friendship a little bit. Putting aside these credibility gaps, this was a light and pleasant read. Won't keep you up at night, but won't put you to sleep either.

[Barbara Stankey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed all of the Dr. Steven Dunbar books. There are quite a few of them, but somehow I missed this one. I love medical thrillers and Ken McClure does a wonderful job with this character.

I would recommend this series to anyone that likes this type of book, or likes authors Robin Cook, and Tess Gerritsen.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scary medical thriller featuring mutant viruses and evil Biotech companies. I've read it shortly after someone in London was diagnosed with a new fatal mutant of the SARS virus, so it didn't feel too far-fetched.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth Dr Steven Dunbar thriller I've read in the past month. I'm hooked and this one was great! I've read it in a few days and it would have been quicker if I hadn't needed to sleep. Can't wait to read the next one.

[Carol Scotman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

[Lorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy this was a good read can totally see an outbreak like this for real and it coming down to the scientist and pharmacies causing it

[Andrew Dace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story.

[Karon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another exciting read from Ken McClure, although I did feel it fizzled out a bit at the end.

[Paul Salter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Dunbar thriller, a recommended series of books

[BookAddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good and had a good story line and kept me guessing however i wont be reading this typ of book again.

[Brian Deegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another thriller from Mr McClure..

173/5th/27

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Ebola-like virus suddenly appears and Dr Steven Dunbar, from the Sci-Med Directorate, is charged with discovering its origins. This is an interesting enough tale but one I felt that was rather rushed in an attempt to get to the solution. Dunbar is a very engaging protagonist and one easy to like and the story itself offered great potential but the reader has to suspend a fair bit of disbelief at times to accept the plot. (SPOILERS) A bumptious, arrogant Tory MP murders a chef who is blackmailing him for £1000 and then quickly admits it to Dunbar with very little persuasion. Dunbar pulls a gun on a reluctant witness. A man accidentally sets himself on fire. These apart, though, I still enjoyed the book and will look out for my third Steven Dunbar novel. Recommended.