Altered State

by Gregg Luke

Homer and Morgan Winegar believe they may have finally found happiness in the quiet college town in which they have settled. Perhaps now in their new life together with Morgan’s nine-year-old son, they can each leave a troubled past behind. But when Morgan’s psychology students begin exhibiting bizarre behavior, the couple quickly becomes entangled in an experiment headed for catastrophe. Someone is illegally administering a mind-altering drug to unwitting students. With the potential for millions of dollars in profits on the line, the pharmaceutical designers are more than willing to set aside morals to test the limits of the subconscious and mind control. As the growing ranks of test subjects fulfill increasingly disturbing commands, Homer and Morgan race to discover who’s pulling the strings — and how they are doing it. But as the final stages of research point to a deadly calamity, events from the past threaten to shatter the couple’s fragile trust — just as they need it most. Will they be able to overcome the forces that threaten to pull them apart and find a way to stop the impending tragedy?

Genres: Lds Fiction, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, Science Fiction

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 28, 2009

About the author

Gregg Luke is a practicing pharmacist. He received his medical training at the University of Utah. He has been writing since he could put pen to paper. He enjoys medical thrillers and is one of the first to work this genre into the LDS market.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregg Luke's books just keep getting better. His first novel, "The Survivors" was good. His next, "Do No Harm" was even better. "Altered State" beats them all. The very first page pulls you into the story. The book has been described as "inescapably compelling, medically accurate, and disturbingly plausible." I can't think of a better way to describe it. Overall an excellent book, a definite must-read.

[Spransys6 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I believe Gregg Luke is getting better at writing. I like the way he incorporates LDS views without being preachy or nauseating. His plot is reasonable, the characters are believable, and the setting is true to the site. It's a fun read. I picked it up at 4 p.m. and didn't put it down until I had finished it, around midnight. I love finding a book that I cannot put down. Keep up the great work.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm....I liked that even though this book first appeared to be a lovely little LDS novel set in Logan...it turned out to be deeper. The drugs, lying, fugue.......good stuff.
Some things didn't seem to mesh and I felt like I walked into the middle of a story with the Winegars, like I should have known more about them. But this didn't detract from the story.

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book it was a page turner, I had to find out what was going to happen. Morgan is a professor at a small town college when she notices strange things happening among the students and is asked by the dean to find out what is behind the occurances.

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a seriously terrifying book, more especially because it is set on the grounds of Utah State University! There are, unfortunately, people in this world for whom making money is the number one goal and would let nothing stand in their way. The author, who is a pharmacist, has a section in the back where he discusses the possibility of this plot happening in real life...not comforting enough.

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sadly disappointed about this book. It got way to
“sciencey” and seriously needed another editor. Many times I had to reread things because they were misspelled or the incorrect conjugation or tense of a word. I was dying about that throughout the entire book. Story was fine and actually I enjoyed it in the end.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was disconcerting to read about minds and thoughts being so easily altered. Homer and Morgan Winegar were great characters. I envy their brilliance. I also thought it was interesting that Gregg Luke would use their autistic son to discover the subliminal messages.

[Susan Forsgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling, engaging, thought provoking, and well written.

[E Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Really entertaining.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun , interesting story of chemically induced brain washing at USU. total fiction

[David Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read. Loved the science in the novel.

[Laramee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast paced medical thriller you won't want to miss!

[Lindsey Hemara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish it. I was so bored! Got halfway through

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure if I just wasn't in the mood to read this book at the time or what, but I found this novel really boring. It was so hard for me to finish. I'll admit that it started to pick up towards the end, but by then i was just ready to be done with it. I felt like the story line was slow paced and Luke gave too many technical terms and way too much information for me to stay focused. My brain went on overload. Cool cover though :)

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book from my friend Gregg. It is suspenseful and fun and his books, I'm finding, all have very unique occurances, like the methods employed in this book to alter the behavior of a small unaware test group in Logan, Utah. (That's fun, too, that is at Utah State.) Again, an LDS edge by the faith of the characters. Let me know what you think of his books! There is another one coming out in July.

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregg Luke has done it again! What a fantastic read. I don't hand out those 5's too often, but this was definitely deserved! He has a gift of being able to make you love characters, give you a dynamic and interesting plot, AND give you an intense suspense- no way is it predictable or ordinary! Love it! CANNOT WAIT TO INTERVIEW HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Heidee · Rating 4 out of 5]

GASP! If you do not have a few hours (or in my case just 2) that you can just lay around and read the whole time, do not pick up this book. (or maybe i'm just lacking in the ability to put books down period...hmmm things to consider.) I really liked this book! I was up til 1 AM finishing it. every time i tried to put it down, something else happened! very fun, intene, suspenseful book!

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Homer. What a great and loveable character. This book was pretty good, and I would read more from this author.

I like books that are half fact/half fiction. A feature I enjoyed was a Q&A section at the back that separated out the facts and added some clarity. I wish all books did that.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a group of people illegally administering mind-altering drugs to regular soda that we drink, with the potential of making millions of dollars. It was about others trying to find out what was happening and who was behind it. It was interesting because things like this could really happen in todays world.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. The author definitely did his research as all technical aspects of the book seemed well thought out. The plot was enjoyable and creative. There wasn't anything amazing about this book but I would read more by this author. I was impressed that he uses this book as a tool to educate and help people who are or know somebody struggling with addictions.

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit I'm sort of a medical nerd, so the technical stuff intrigued me. But the story line for this book was great! It drew me in right away, it kept me interested, and I was biting my nails at the end! A favorite part of the story was the unique role that the son with Asperger's played. Not something you see very often. Bottom line for me: Great book! Highly recommend!

[Kami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second novel by Gregg Luke that I have read. I absolutely love the way that the author incorporates his pharmaceutical knowledge into his thrillers. I was captivated with this story from the first paragraph to the end (even though it did wrap up a little too neatly).

[Sheila (sheilasbookreviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anything that Gregg Luke writes. I finished this a LONG time ago. I am not sure why it was still in my to-read list. I am finding other books I have read that are still on this list. Read all of Gregg's books!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable read about a company using a college campus as a testing ground for a mind-altering chemical, and one professor's race to stop the escalating events before the unthinkable occurs.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. This is the first of Gregg Luke's books that I've read and I'm impressed. (Yes, I will probably rush right over to the library and check the others by him.) The creep factor was way up there. I enjoyed the inclusion of Morgan and Homer's autistic son. Very cool.

[Tracy Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting of this book is my old alma mater, Utah State University, in Logan, Utah. It was fun to visualize the places used in the story. The story, overall, was pretty good, but it still felt a little stale to me....not something I would really recommend to anyone.

[A.L. Sowards]

This was a book on tape, so I might have a different opinion if I had read it without the distraction of two toddlers in the seat behind me. I liked the book enough that I'll read more by this author. And I think I will never, ever buy an energy drink after reading this book.

[PrivateLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story. But it gets pretty technical if you're just looking for some light easy reading. I found myself kind of skimming a few parts just to skip all the medical jargon.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interresting story, I especially enjoyed having the story take place at all my old haunts.

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring Mormon novel.