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Ethan Warner #2
Immortal
“A combination of mystery, suspense, and unspeakable horror” (R.L. Stine), this bone-chilling thriller explores the question: What price would you pay for eternal life?
WOULD YOU KILL TO LIVE FOREVER?
When the body of a gunshot victim rolls into the Santa Fe morgue, it should be a d ay like any other for medical investigator Lillian Cruz. Yet upon examination, the corpse appears to be more than a hundred years old with smallpox scars, and an odd wound protrudes from the victim’s leg. Lodged in the femur, under decrepit scar tissue, is a bullet shaped like a musket ball. The bullet looks like it was fired during the Civil War and had remained in the victim’s leg ever since.
Rattled by the discovery, Cruz instructs her assistant to take specimens to the state authorities immediately and not to tell a soul about it. Minutes after the assistant leaves, the lights go dark in the morgue and Cruz is kidnapped.
The Defense Intelligence Agency calls in former war correspondent Ethan Warner and his partner, Nicola Lopez, to discreetly investigate the disappearance. And very quickly, a relatively simple case turns into something much more sinister. With each new lead they uncover, Warner and Lopez are inadvertently bringing a warped and dangerous individual closer to achieving a catastrophic goal: immortality.
WOULD YOU KILL TO LIVE FOREVER?
When the body of a gunshot victim rolls into the Santa Fe morgue, it should be a d ay like any other for medical investigator Lillian Cruz. Yet upon examination, the corpse appears to be more than a hundred years old with smallpox scars, and an odd wound protrudes from the victim’s leg. Lodged in the femur, under decrepit scar tissue, is a bullet shaped like a musket ball. The bullet looks like it was fired during the Civil War and had remained in the victim’s leg ever since.
Rattled by the discovery, Cruz instructs her assistant to take specimens to the state authorities immediately and not to tell a soul about it. Minutes after the assistant leaves, the lights go dark in the morgue and Cruz is kidnapped.
The Defense Intelligence Agency calls in former war correspondent Ethan Warner and his partner, Nicola Lopez, to discreetly investigate the disappearance. And very quickly, a relatively simple case turns into something much more sinister. With each new lead they uncover, Warner and Lopez are inadvertently bringing a warped and dangerous individual closer to achieving a catastrophic goal: immortality.
560 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
31 people are currently reading
573 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
March 20, 2014
This is a second novel in a series of suspended belief novels. Those type of novels I guess a person could call cotton candy for the brain. A lot of fun and high action follows as our intrepid heroes are sent to investigate a kidnapping of a medical examiner in New Mexico. Seems she disappeared after a body of about 150 years old turned up on her morgue slab. Oh yeah, this guy just recently died. Could he possibly have been an immortal? Could there be more? Gosh, read the book and find out. A lot of fun and something on the lighter side of reading.
January 6, 2013
3.5/5
I quite enjoyed Dean Crawford's debut novel Covenant, so I happily picked up his second book Immortal.
Officer Enrico Zamora is called to a gunfight in the desert of New Mexico. The man is using an old musket shooter - is he part of a re-enactment group? Zamora is forced to kill the man to save the tourists he's holding at bay. His body is delivered to Medical Investigator Lillian Cruz. What she finds is stunning. He has smallpox scars and a musket ball buried deep in one of his bones. But, the man's body is literally aging before her eyes, disintegrating rapidly. Lillian quickly takes samples and sends her assistant off to the state crime lab with them. And that's the last anyone sees of Lillian - she's gone missing. But the lab results do come back - "Carbon dating, along with estimates of bone regrowth around the ball prior to extraction, confirms that the wound was sustained approximately one hundred forty years ago."
Crawford brings back his protagonists Warner and Lopez. They've pooled their talents and formed a company that does some fugitive recovery and some discreet sideline work for Ethan's old contacts in one of the letter agencies. And this is a case that requires their talents. Could this man really have been 140 years old? Are there others like him? Where is Lillian? Who took her?
Sound far-fetched? Well, yes and no. Crawford actually provides lots of references that had me hopping onto Google to see if they were indeed fact based. And yes, they were - 250 million year old bacteria was revived in a lab in New Mexico. Crawford's story also includes a villain who preaches the need for eugenics - the desire to control the earth's population. This character's diatribe is also very much fact based (and quite frightening to read about). Crawford has really done his research.
But he has couched this research in a fast paced thriller that was perfect escapist reading for the three days I spent nursing a miserable cold. The characters are a bit clichéd - the evil old man after the secret to eternal youth, corrupt official, the secret society pulling strings from their lofty perch. And yes, so are Warner and Lopez to a degree as well. At the end of Covenant, I see I wrote that I hoped Lopez would be carried into future books. Well, my opinion has changed. I actually found I didn't like her very much by the end of this book. So, Ethan feel free to dump her - Zamora might make a better partner. But, all in all, an entertaining read.
Recommended for those who love mysteries, history, conspiracies and adventure. Fans of James Rollins would enjoy Dean Crawford.
I quite enjoyed Dean Crawford's debut novel Covenant, so I happily picked up his second book Immortal.
Officer Enrico Zamora is called to a gunfight in the desert of New Mexico. The man is using an old musket shooter - is he part of a re-enactment group? Zamora is forced to kill the man to save the tourists he's holding at bay. His body is delivered to Medical Investigator Lillian Cruz. What she finds is stunning. He has smallpox scars and a musket ball buried deep in one of his bones. But, the man's body is literally aging before her eyes, disintegrating rapidly. Lillian quickly takes samples and sends her assistant off to the state crime lab with them. And that's the last anyone sees of Lillian - she's gone missing. But the lab results do come back - "Carbon dating, along with estimates of bone regrowth around the ball prior to extraction, confirms that the wound was sustained approximately one hundred forty years ago."
Crawford brings back his protagonists Warner and Lopez. They've pooled their talents and formed a company that does some fugitive recovery and some discreet sideline work for Ethan's old contacts in one of the letter agencies. And this is a case that requires their talents. Could this man really have been 140 years old? Are there others like him? Where is Lillian? Who took her?
Sound far-fetched? Well, yes and no. Crawford actually provides lots of references that had me hopping onto Google to see if they were indeed fact based. And yes, they were - 250 million year old bacteria was revived in a lab in New Mexico. Crawford's story also includes a villain who preaches the need for eugenics - the desire to control the earth's population. This character's diatribe is also very much fact based (and quite frightening to read about). Crawford has really done his research.
But he has couched this research in a fast paced thriller that was perfect escapist reading for the three days I spent nursing a miserable cold. The characters are a bit clichéd - the evil old man after the secret to eternal youth, corrupt official, the secret society pulling strings from their lofty perch. And yes, so are Warner and Lopez to a degree as well. At the end of Covenant, I see I wrote that I hoped Lopez would be carried into future books. Well, my opinion has changed. I actually found I didn't like her very much by the end of this book. So, Ethan feel free to dump her - Zamora might make a better partner. But, all in all, an entertaining read.
Recommended for those who love mysteries, history, conspiracies and adventure. Fans of James Rollins would enjoy Dean Crawford.
October 27, 2012
'The next Michael Crichton'? I wouldn't go that far, publishers! Good line to sell a book, but Dean Crawford is a mere hack churning out the same kind of thriller you've read many of; which isn't as much of a slur as it sounds, as Immortal is bloody good fun.
High concept idea? Check - I think a Civil War veteran still alive today and some Fountain of Youth eugenics fit that bill. Cheesy lead characters? Check - Ethan Warner & Nicola Lopez are about as cliched a duo as you could probably dream up, one suave and bold, the other reckless & tough (Michelle Rodriguez would be a shoo-in were it a movie), but they're fun. Evil bastard villain? Check - leathery old billionaire Jeb Oppenheimer is as big a cunt as anyone could write, sheer pantomime in his nastiness.
Crawford, however, knows how joyously daft the whole thing is and while clearly enjoying himself, equally tries to throw a bit of decent science in there to prop up the paranormal goings on. Imagine Lethal Weapon mixed with Fringe, you might have an idea what this is like! Forgettable, with on the nose commentary on eugenics & global population/resources problems, but a fun, breezy read. I'll check out Crawford's other books.
High concept idea? Check - I think a Civil War veteran still alive today and some Fountain of Youth eugenics fit that bill. Cheesy lead characters? Check - Ethan Warner & Nicola Lopez are about as cliched a duo as you could probably dream up, one suave and bold, the other reckless & tough (Michelle Rodriguez would be a shoo-in were it a movie), but they're fun. Evil bastard villain? Check - leathery old billionaire Jeb Oppenheimer is as big a cunt as anyone could write, sheer pantomime in his nastiness.
Crawford, however, knows how joyously daft the whole thing is and while clearly enjoying himself, equally tries to throw a bit of decent science in there to prop up the paranormal goings on. Imagine Lethal Weapon mixed with Fringe, you might have an idea what this is like! Forgettable, with on the nose commentary on eugenics & global population/resources problems, but a fun, breezy read. I'll check out Crawford's other books.
August 21, 2013
Lets be honest at the start: I haven't finished this book so this review is based on the first few chapters. Once I finished reading everything, but have since resolved life is too bloody short to read crap.
The first chapter read well and I was quite excited by the characters in the pathology lab. Then we were introduced to an unsubtle and overly obvious 'bad guy' who spoke in unrealistic dialogue about an unbelievable plot with a thin and unbelievable character. So far, so bad. Then we meet the character who I guess is meant to be the 'hero' of the piece. He was thin, dull, unbelievable and so was his partner whose angsty backstory was shovelled in within paragraphs of encountering her. There was also a reference to a character who spoke in 'an archaic dialect' of which there was no evidence when we did hear this character speak.
The whole world, characters and plot were thin, dull and not written with any style. I had to check this wasn't a self published effort (and apologies to all those wonderfully talented e published authors out there) because I could not believe a publishing house had bothered with this.
I seriously hope this was a free download and that I didn't part with cash for this.
The first chapter read well and I was quite excited by the characters in the pathology lab. Then we were introduced to an unsubtle and overly obvious 'bad guy' who spoke in unrealistic dialogue about an unbelievable plot with a thin and unbelievable character. So far, so bad. Then we meet the character who I guess is meant to be the 'hero' of the piece. He was thin, dull, unbelievable and so was his partner whose angsty backstory was shovelled in within paragraphs of encountering her. There was also a reference to a character who spoke in 'an archaic dialect' of which there was no evidence when we did hear this character speak.
The whole world, characters and plot were thin, dull and not written with any style. I had to check this wasn't a self published effort (and apologies to all those wonderfully talented e published authors out there) because I could not believe a publishing house had bothered with this.
I seriously hope this was a free download and that I didn't part with cash for this.
July 27, 2012
I hadn't read an action thriller for many years, but was tempted to dip my toe back into the water after spending fun time with Dean at a crime festival. He said his research was crucial and, boy, does it show on the page. Impeccable research lends a weighty scientific backbone, which genuinely makes you think about the world we live in, to a thrilling read. As an American Civil War nut, it didn't disappoint on that front either. Dean is the real deal and I am straight into his debut Covenant for more Ethan Warner. Bring it on
July 3, 2012
I really enjoyed this, it was a one sitting read.
March 14, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, It was a real page turner. The plot line was in equal parts gripping and terrifying! The play between the main characters was clever, allowing their relationship to develop over future volumes.
March 8, 2025
Quite an interesting storyline but botched implementation. The plot seems to lose sanity and characters change their objectives as the story progress. Could have been a much better book if the writer decided to spend more time on thinking why a character was doing what it was doing. Still it was interesting enough like a lame thriller movie
February 28, 2013
The body of a gunshot victim makes its' way to a morgue in Santa Fe which results in the remarkable discovery that the body was over a hundred years old. Additionally, the body was riddled with smallpox scars and part of a musket ball was found lodged in the leg.
Thus begins Dean Crawford's second novel, IMMORTAL. As dynamic as this initial premise is the end result of the novel proves to be far more complex and (of course) contain the highest levels of espionage, government concealment and corporate greed.
Turns out there may be others like this initial victim who are still alive. If they were to fall into the wrong hands (corrupt billionaire biotechnology magnates or power-hungry government leaders) the results could be devastating.
It is up to former war correspondent Ethan Warner and his partner Nicola Lopez to stop this conspiracy at every level before the new 'fountain of youth' can be tapped and served up to the rich and powerful while the rest of mankind is left to perish.
Crawford approaches James Rollins and Steve Berry territory with IMMORTAL, but is not quite there yet. An enjoyable read that is occasionally bogged down with stilted dialouge and confusing plot elements ---- I am confident the Ethan Warner series will only improve with time.
Thus begins Dean Crawford's second novel, IMMORTAL. As dynamic as this initial premise is the end result of the novel proves to be far more complex and (of course) contain the highest levels of espionage, government concealment and corporate greed.
Turns out there may be others like this initial victim who are still alive. If they were to fall into the wrong hands (corrupt billionaire biotechnology magnates or power-hungry government leaders) the results could be devastating.
It is up to former war correspondent Ethan Warner and his partner Nicola Lopez to stop this conspiracy at every level before the new 'fountain of youth' can be tapped and served up to the rich and powerful while the rest of mankind is left to perish.
Crawford approaches James Rollins and Steve Berry territory with IMMORTAL, but is not quite there yet. An enjoyable read that is occasionally bogged down with stilted dialouge and confusing plot elements ---- I am confident the Ethan Warner series will only improve with time.
June 7, 2012
Crawford's plot centres on humanity's quest for immortality (hence the title) or, at the very least, increased longevity. I only did science to GCSE level and that was quite a while ago so, to me at least, the science bits are on the plausible edge of bonkers. It also helps that his plot is couched in recognisable social and environmental concerns that are the fodder of our everyday news, which grounds the science in a world that is familiar.
It only took me a day to read this book, and that is probably the best way to read Dean Crawford's Ethan Warner books; quickly, to keep the action at a rollicking pace. Crawford's villain is memorably repellent in his physical decrepitude and moral turpitude, Ethan makes a rugged hero and Ethan's partner in crime fighting, Lopez, is a strong heroine with an interesting rebellious streak.
For a more detailed review of this book, please visit my blog at http://cornishamy.blogspot.co.uk/2012...
February 17, 2013
Believable science, despicable villain(s)and likable (fallible) characters make this a great read. You are never quite sure who are the good guys and who are the bad guys except for the main character, Ethan Warner,ex-marine now bounty hunter and covert investigator for the government. Ethan seems to just take each new twist in stride. One hundred and seventy year old veterans of the Civil War, who haven't aged a day since the war,an evil pharmaceutical company owner searching for a potion to reverse aging,with lots of police and government agencies all trying to come out of this tangled mystery alive makes for a thrilling chase across the deserts of New Mexico. A very enjoyable .story,rther efforts I will definitely be looking for Dean Crawford's fu
February 21, 2016
This book was good, but not as good as the first, Covenant. The story line was interesting and Crawford obviously does his research thoroughly. That backfired a little, with the technical and professional dialogue sometimes boring to a layman. Overall this was a good book and I would recommend it to action junkies, but my main pet peeve with Dean Crawford's books is him giving his characters stupid names - Saffron Oppenheimer?
February 2, 2013
Another adventure featuring Ethan Warner, similar to the Dean Crawford's first book Covenant its a fast paced actioner that i can perfectly see getting turned into a movie. Featuring 140+ year old men, eugenics, some civil war, an evil old codger trying to find immortality an a nice little twist towards the end i admit i should have seen coming but didn't, so obvious when its explained!
Looking forward to the next adventure - Apocalypse, which i have sitting on my shelf.
Looking forward to the next adventure - Apocalypse, which i have sitting on my shelf.
September 1, 2013
Sounds interesting from the blurb on the back but took too long to get to the good bits of the story. Lots and lots of characters, bit hard keeping up. First half of the book bit slow but really enjoyed the last half once everyone finally got into position. Didn't realise this is the 2nd book with Ethan but a stand alone story anyway. Probably wont get the 3rd if there is one.
Bit preachy in parts but overall a fair to good read.
Bit preachy in parts but overall a fair to good read.
July 29, 2012
I enjoyed the twists and turns of this quite plausible plot line. I found it believable up to a point but am sure it would never be true. I enjoyed the book but it is no summer easy read, I did find in some parts that the story was a little drawn out but as I persevered I understood why the plot was a bit slow in parts. A good well thought out plot.
November 26, 2012
I did enjoy this book and you can tell the author has done bucket loads of research, but like with the first novel, I started skimming the deep scientific parts. But that's just me. If you like your thrillers with lots of action, you will enjoy this; if you like lots of scientific in-depth jargon, you'll freaking love it. I certainly look forward to the next book in the series.
December 8, 2013
I thought Immortal was a good thriller and I enjoyed reading it from start to finish. Why then only 3*? Although I enjoyed reading this book and the plot was really interesting and held my interest all the way through I had picked the book up initially as it was described as "Michael Crichton for the next generation". Immortal did not live upto this statement in my opinion.
August 15, 2012
Well I struggled to get into the rhythm of this book, quite liked the basic story but it sort of dies a little in the middle it's plot is basic about a group of people that have lived 150yrs to present day. Worth reading I've read worse!
August 30, 2012
This book would have gotten a five star from me but the end ruined it all. The last 10 pages threw me off. Why ruin a good story that way? Ugh!
Still a fantastic book. I am a science nerd so was easy to understand the ideas laid down.
Still a fantastic book. I am a science nerd so was easy to understand the ideas laid down.
December 15, 2012
Books on extending the natural lifespan make for good reading, be it a Tarzan or the latest medican fiction. This book is not subtle in terms of the plot, but has many twists and turns with an explosive ending. Great read, and somewhat feasible unlike most other books.
April 7, 2013
Won my copy of this in a giveaway here on goodreads, and am so glad I did. This book was one of the most enjoyable reads I have come across in a long time. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's considering reading it!
August 10, 2013
That was exactly the right sort of book for my summer holiday reads. Easy to read and fun thriller. Though I disagree with the conclusions the characters seem to come to about over-population but that's here or there.
December 19, 2012
Amazing, loved this book. Fast paced action with an intrigue plot an reprehensible villain. I definitely recommend this and will be reading the others in this series.
January 18, 2013
Fast moving held my attention.
May 24, 2013
Really good.
July 30, 2013
Fun but a bit obvious in parts.
December 11, 2012
not my usual taste in books--- free @ starbucks. PAGE TURNER!
January 4, 2013
My first book of this author and I enjoyed the read
August 14, 2018
Immortal by Dean Crawford (As always no spoilers)
Immortal is Warner and Lopez book two. It's about an elderly billionaires long search for a group of men who are over one hundred and fifty years old and the search for the secret that has kept them alive for all that time.
Ethan Warner and Nicola Lopez are also assigned the task of finding them, to help them because the immortals time is running out, it seems that immortality doesn't last forever after all, the billionaire wants their secret so he can transform it into something that will rejuvenate aged and ailing body and to make sure that he DOES live forever. Because time is running for mankind as Earths resources are running at dangerously low levels, and he is going to sell it to the highest bidders so that in generation's to come,, anyone who is NOT immortal will have died off, leaving the immortals to rule the planet and have plenty of resources.
There are a number of scientific explanations in the book which can be quite difficult to understand at times but this does not make this a bad book.
I enjoyed the story from beginning to end and i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys sci-fi thrillers. I give immortal by Dean Crawford 5🌟.
Immortal is Warner and Lopez book two. It's about an elderly billionaires long search for a group of men who are over one hundred and fifty years old and the search for the secret that has kept them alive for all that time.
Ethan Warner and Nicola Lopez are also assigned the task of finding them, to help them because the immortals time is running out, it seems that immortality doesn't last forever after all, the billionaire wants their secret so he can transform it into something that will rejuvenate aged and ailing body and to make sure that he DOES live forever. Because time is running for mankind as Earths resources are running at dangerously low levels, and he is going to sell it to the highest bidders so that in generation's to come,, anyone who is NOT immortal will have died off, leaving the immortals to rule the planet and have plenty of resources.
There are a number of scientific explanations in the book which can be quite difficult to understand at times but this does not make this a bad book.
I enjoyed the story from beginning to end and i would recommend it to anyone who enjoys sci-fi thrillers. I give immortal by Dean Crawford 5🌟.
August 3, 2019
Overall a disappointing reading experience though the plot is unusual. Based in the New Mexico state, the book deals with corrupt businessmen and government officials trying to figure out how to live for ever, at the same time eliminate the developing population to reduce burden on the environment.
Interestingly, the book has a few ex soldiers who have lived upto the agenda of 170---180 years thanks to an accidental bacterial infection acquired in early 1800s.
However the narrative fails to grasp the reader and it's an average read
Interestingly, the book has a few ex soldiers who have lived upto the agenda of 170---180 years thanks to an accidental bacterial infection acquired in early 1800s.
However the narrative fails to grasp the reader and it's an average read
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews