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Epidemic
Tom Kendall, a down to earth private detective, is asked to investigate the death of a young newspaper reporter. The evidence shows quite clearly that it was an accident: a simple, dreadful accident. That is the finding of the coroner and the local police. Furthermore, there were two witnesses. They saw the whole thing. But was it an accident, or was it something more sinister?Against a backdrop of a viral epidemic slowly spreading from Central America, a simple case soon places Kendall up against one of the largest drug companies in the country.
- GenresMystery
404 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 9, 2020
A detective story to find a murderer, virus creator and death of 24 people out of 58 at first and in the end way to many death. The year is 1955 a virus appears and people starts to die from this strange unknown virus then it comes to light the original virus appeared 1905 in a small town in Costa Rica. Story is based on the strange accidental death of a reporter name Richard who is investigating about a virus that appeared in 1905 in Costa Rica with no records in Costa Rica or in the US by a company called Trenton Pharmaceuticals .
You follow the detective from the moment he takes the case from Richard's mother to the end of the investigation were he finds that there were more accidental death that turns out to be murders of two reporters, a lab worker and a handicapped gardener at Trenton Pharmaceuticals. And alone the way you see how the pharmaceutical companies get away with both illegal testing, the cost to the public and creating a test virus to try find a cure but the cure does not work and suddenly start killing the test subject. So all proof of the test are destroyed, paying off Costa Rica officials and test subject in 1905 but in 50 years people start dieing of the virus created in1905 not just a 24 people but in the hundreds. You follow the Trenton Pharmaceuticals a money trail of the accident death, paying off both Costa Rica and US officials and holding up a cure till enough people have come sick or died.
I recommend this audiobook the writing is awesome and the narrator does a great job bringing the book, the characters alive. At first it was a bit hard to follow but as the story goes on the storyline becomes more interesting and you get hooked and you can not stop listening.
You follow the detective from the moment he takes the case from Richard's mother to the end of the investigation were he finds that there were more accidental death that turns out to be murders of two reporters, a lab worker and a handicapped gardener at Trenton Pharmaceuticals. And alone the way you see how the pharmaceutical companies get away with both illegal testing, the cost to the public and creating a test virus to try find a cure but the cure does not work and suddenly start killing the test subject. So all proof of the test are destroyed, paying off Costa Rica officials and test subject in 1905 but in 50 years people start dieing of the virus created in1905 not just a 24 people but in the hundreds. You follow the Trenton Pharmaceuticals a money trail of the accident death, paying off both Costa Rica and US officials and holding up a cure till enough people have come sick or died.
I recommend this audiobook the writing is awesome and the narrator does a great job bringing the book, the characters alive. At first it was a bit hard to follow but as the story goes on the storyline becomes more interesting and you get hooked and you can not stop listening.
January 13, 2019
( Format : Audiobook )
"A few loose ends to tie up."
Tom Kendall is a laid back private eye who'd rather be eating than sleuthing. Fortunately, his secretary, Mollie, is determined to keep him healthy not only by controlling, to a deree, his food intake and making him exercise but also by ensuring he actually take on cases. So when Kendall is approached by the mother and brother of journalist, Richard Dawson, who had recently died from a brutal head injury, it is Mollie who is adamant he look into the pronounced accidental death believed by them to be a murder.Set against the background of a new strain of inf!uenza, the Rican virus, which is spiralling the worl, Kendall reluctantly begins his investigations and uncovers coincidences - he never liked coincidences - which lead him to believe that mother and brother just might have been right after all. Just as Mollie had insisted.
Told mostly from Tom's perspective, the reader rides inside the detective's head as he maintains an inner monologue , questioning himself and the actions of others, 'Wouldn't she?' and, 'Didn't they?' which make him feel very human. His husband and wife interaction with his sensible secretary also make them both come alive as, Columbo-like, Tom asks his questions. Interleaved with the detective work are news headlines detailing the pathway of the ever expanding new 'flu virus, quoting numbers and countries in a straight forward way.
Both of the two main protagonists - sharp as a button, Maggie and her lazy but, once roused, determined P.I.boss, are wonderfully characterized and the reader is not excluded from any of the conversations between Tom and his interviewees. Narrator, Mark Sando, has the perfect lagubrious easy reading style to further capture Tom's personality; pleasantly voiced and with good intonation, he is a pleasure to hear.
I very much enjoyed this book, both story line and, especially, the protagonists. My only somewhat cynical reservation was the niggling voice as the back of my head which kept doubting that countries and the World Health Organization would ever react so efficiently against a flu like infectious illness which not only travels slowly through the public but also kills only a small proportion of those who contract it. Newspapers of course, will headline anything.
Epidemic is a slow burn, methodical detective story with more interest in people than action. Simply delicious. And recommended.
"A few loose ends to tie up."
Tom Kendall is a laid back private eye who'd rather be eating than sleuthing. Fortunately, his secretary, Mollie, is determined to keep him healthy not only by controlling, to a deree, his food intake and making him exercise but also by ensuring he actually take on cases. So when Kendall is approached by the mother and brother of journalist, Richard Dawson, who had recently died from a brutal head injury, it is Mollie who is adamant he look into the pronounced accidental death believed by them to be a murder.Set against the background of a new strain of inf!uenza, the Rican virus, which is spiralling the worl, Kendall reluctantly begins his investigations and uncovers coincidences - he never liked coincidences - which lead him to believe that mother and brother just might have been right after all. Just as Mollie had insisted.
Told mostly from Tom's perspective, the reader rides inside the detective's head as he maintains an inner monologue , questioning himself and the actions of others, 'Wouldn't she?' and, 'Didn't they?' which make him feel very human. His husband and wife interaction with his sensible secretary also make them both come alive as, Columbo-like, Tom asks his questions. Interleaved with the detective work are news headlines detailing the pathway of the ever expanding new 'flu virus, quoting numbers and countries in a straight forward way.
Both of the two main protagonists - sharp as a button, Maggie and her lazy but, once roused, determined P.I.boss, are wonderfully characterized and the reader is not excluded from any of the conversations between Tom and his interviewees. Narrator, Mark Sando, has the perfect lagubrious easy reading style to further capture Tom's personality; pleasantly voiced and with good intonation, he is a pleasure to hear.
I very much enjoyed this book, both story line and, especially, the protagonists. My only somewhat cynical reservation was the niggling voice as the back of my head which kept doubting that countries and the World Health Organization would ever react so efficiently against a flu like infectious illness which not only travels slowly through the public but also kills only a small proportion of those who contract it. Newspapers of course, will headline anything.
Epidemic is a slow burn, methodical detective story with more interest in people than action. Simply delicious. And recommended.
August 6, 2019
Audible:The story is good.A pharmaceutical company sets up a group trial no one knows about in a remote area.A journalist gets the scoop,but no one believes him.The journalist is found dead...who did it?Who knows,everyone shakes their heads,then again,one more time.The head shaking really got to me.There was a lot of repetition.I felt like I was in grade school.I was hoping for a better review.Mark Sando has a good voice.I don;t know if it was him or the material dragging out this story.Cut by a few hours it would have been good.Maybe a new editor would help. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'
September 7, 2020
this story really centers around powerful people in the pharmaceutical industry and the influence they have. the main story takes place around the outbreak of a dangerous world wide pandemic. this is the first book in this series that I've read and I found the characters interesting and well developed. overall for me the story has a very Perry Mason feel to it. Kendall thinks a bit outside the box to find his answers.
November 13, 2021
Epidemic (Kendall #3) was a good read by John Holt. Tom Kendall is a private investigator who is asked to investigate the death of a young newspaper reporter. The local police and coroner believe that it was an accident. But the young reporters family believe he was murdered. There is also a viral epidemic that is spreading from Central America. This was a good read and I can't wait to read more by the author.
September 29, 2018
Readable but not entirely convincing crime mystery.
June 29, 2014
Absolutely cracking story made me not want to put it down.
Trenton Pharmaceuticals had their shareholders meeting and had been called to appoint a new chief executive officer and president of the company and there were a few contenders for the job but most people were shocked when Alan Clark was unanimously voted for the top job.
Carlos Lopez a local reporter is asked to go and see what is happening in Punta Rojas as there has been a lot of activity in the area.
He tries asking the locals about it but they don’t know or just say it’s something to do with an oil company.
When he gets there he sees lots of tents, supplies and equipment etc in a vast compound and can’t understand what is happening. He sees two men across the valley and decides when they have gone he will go and investigate further. He makes his way down into the valley and sneaks around and sees things but can’t understand what they are. He finds a vial of fluid with a code on it. He took some photos of what was there in case he could use them in his story.
He tries asking the town hierachy but get stone walled.
He is still no further on and then he contacts the Miami Herald newspaper by email and asks if they can help him with some information and attaches the photos that he had taken at the compound. The email was passed to Richard Dawson who printed the email and photos off and put them into a folder. He contacted Trenton to asked if they were doing anything in Puntas Rojas and their reply was no which was good enough for him. He then emailed Carlos back with their reply and then wrote the place name and year on the folder which was then filed away.
Someone knew something as Carlos was contacted and asked to meet them but little did he know that this would be his last journey.
Trial of a new drug started at the compound but it was stopped when people started dying and the drug didn’t work. Alan Clark didn’t know what happened but he wasn’t really bothered as to him they were only disposable peasants.
Several years later a flu epidemic sprung up and and people stared dying as the normal flu jabs wouldn’t work. As time went on the flu spread far and wide and no one could stop it.
Richard Dawson started investigating again and found that the epidemic started in a place that he had heard of many years ago.
Suffice to say that Richard died in the car park of Trenton and was treat as an accident but his family don’t believe this and seek out private investigator Tom Kendall.
Tom is skeptical about the case but his faithful assistant thinks he was murdered for what he knew as she has a nose for these things.
Won’t give any more away as it will spoil the plot for you
The plot twists and turns here there and every where leading you thicker and thicker into the murky story.
Well written by a great author.
Have to say the first book I have read and absolutely loved it and didn’t want to put it down, well good job on the kindle version as then can whip it out and read it where ever was.
Trenton Pharmaceuticals had their shareholders meeting and had been called to appoint a new chief executive officer and president of the company and there were a few contenders for the job but most people were shocked when Alan Clark was unanimously voted for the top job.
Carlos Lopez a local reporter is asked to go and see what is happening in Punta Rojas as there has been a lot of activity in the area.
He tries asking the locals about it but they don’t know or just say it’s something to do with an oil company.
When he gets there he sees lots of tents, supplies and equipment etc in a vast compound and can’t understand what is happening. He sees two men across the valley and decides when they have gone he will go and investigate further. He makes his way down into the valley and sneaks around and sees things but can’t understand what they are. He finds a vial of fluid with a code on it. He took some photos of what was there in case he could use them in his story.
He tries asking the town hierachy but get stone walled.
He is still no further on and then he contacts the Miami Herald newspaper by email and asks if they can help him with some information and attaches the photos that he had taken at the compound. The email was passed to Richard Dawson who printed the email and photos off and put them into a folder. He contacted Trenton to asked if they were doing anything in Puntas Rojas and their reply was no which was good enough for him. He then emailed Carlos back with their reply and then wrote the place name and year on the folder which was then filed away.
Someone knew something as Carlos was contacted and asked to meet them but little did he know that this would be his last journey.
Trial of a new drug started at the compound but it was stopped when people started dying and the drug didn’t work. Alan Clark didn’t know what happened but he wasn’t really bothered as to him they were only disposable peasants.
Several years later a flu epidemic sprung up and and people stared dying as the normal flu jabs wouldn’t work. As time went on the flu spread far and wide and no one could stop it.
Richard Dawson started investigating again and found that the epidemic started in a place that he had heard of many years ago.
Suffice to say that Richard died in the car park of Trenton and was treat as an accident but his family don’t believe this and seek out private investigator Tom Kendall.
Tom is skeptical about the case but his faithful assistant thinks he was murdered for what he knew as she has a nose for these things.
Won’t give any more away as it will spoil the plot for you
The plot twists and turns here there and every where leading you thicker and thicker into the murky story.
Well written by a great author.
Have to say the first book I have read and absolutely loved it and didn’t want to put it down, well good job on the kindle version as then can whip it out and read it where ever was.
August 28, 2011
I must admit that when I opened the package from New Books Magazine and found Epidemic was my latest review book, I really didn't think that it was going to be my cup of tea. Published by Raider Publishing, the book has that 'self-published' feel to it, and the blurb on the back really didn't appeal to me.
However, I'll give anything a chance, and I'm so glad that I did. Epidemic centres around Tom Kendall - a Miami Private Investigator, who along with his ever faithful secretary Mollie runs a small Detective Agency. Tom Kendall is possibly the most laid-back, even lazy, PI that I've ever read about. He is asked to investigate the death of a local newspaper journalist. The death has been put down to 'accidental death' but the family are convinced that it was murder. Tom is not that keen to investigate - it all seems cut and dried to him, but he agrees to take on the case - encouraged by Mollie.
As Tom digs deeper into the background of the case, one name begins to crop up on a regular basis, that of Trenton; a large American drug company. Trenton are also very involved in the numerous cases of Rican Flu that are being reported on a daily basis all over the world.
The plot is very well thought out and makes the reader consider just how and why these super viruses suddenly occur - and the role that drug companies play in the cure and prevention - and possibly the start of the virus. This is a complex plot with many characters, but the stars of the story are definiately Tom and Mollie.
John Holt writes a good thriller, with great pace and good plot. My main criticism would be that at times the writing is a little 'clunky' - the dialogue often seems a little false, with no real emotion shown by the characters. Even the most menacing of characters seem extremely polite and well-spoken and what could be some really tense parts of the story are a little lost due to the lack of emotion shown by the characters.
With some tweaking of dialogue, I'm positive that John Holt's Detective Tom Kendall could be a real success in the future.
Better as a personal read, but I think reading groups could have some lively moral debate around the behaviour of drug companies
However, I'll give anything a chance, and I'm so glad that I did. Epidemic centres around Tom Kendall - a Miami Private Investigator, who along with his ever faithful secretary Mollie runs a small Detective Agency. Tom Kendall is possibly the most laid-back, even lazy, PI that I've ever read about. He is asked to investigate the death of a local newspaper journalist. The death has been put down to 'accidental death' but the family are convinced that it was murder. Tom is not that keen to investigate - it all seems cut and dried to him, but he agrees to take on the case - encouraged by Mollie.
As Tom digs deeper into the background of the case, one name begins to crop up on a regular basis, that of Trenton; a large American drug company. Trenton are also very involved in the numerous cases of Rican Flu that are being reported on a daily basis all over the world.
The plot is very well thought out and makes the reader consider just how and why these super viruses suddenly occur - and the role that drug companies play in the cure and prevention - and possibly the start of the virus. This is a complex plot with many characters, but the stars of the story are definiately Tom and Mollie.
John Holt writes a good thriller, with great pace and good plot. My main criticism would be that at times the writing is a little 'clunky' - the dialogue often seems a little false, with no real emotion shown by the characters. Even the most menacing of characters seem extremely polite and well-spoken and what could be some really tense parts of the story are a little lost due to the lack of emotion shown by the characters.
With some tweaking of dialogue, I'm positive that John Holt's Detective Tom Kendall could be a real success in the future.
Better as a personal read, but I think reading groups could have some lively moral debate around the behaviour of drug companies
October 16, 2014
Epidemic is third in a series of mysteries starring Tom Kendall, now a private investigator. The books should probably be read in order, as there are lots of characters, and knowing which is the protagonist would offer hope as others suffer their sad demises. Still, Kendall is called to investigate a reporter’s death. Then slowly, carefully, adding up clues, rejecting them, then adding them again to carefully convincing conclusions, Kendall deals with murder while his assistant deals with reminding him to lose weight.
Epidemic is a relatively weighty tome, with lots of internal dialog and flashbacks used to create strong, believable characters. Locations and histories are carefully and convincingly portrayed in well-researched detail. I even found myself looking up an address on Google to find out that, yes, there is a café with that name providing that sort of food in Miami Beach.
Slow deductions, reworked and redrawn, make this an easy book to pick up and put down. A rambling plot blends appropriately with its rambling protagonist’s thoughts. And the novel is always interesting, never over-the-top, and definitely topical; a neat medical thriller, seen through the eyes of a dogged detective. The medical explanations might not convince the medically minded among readers, and the American dialog might be overly English at times, but it’s a fun read.
Disclosure: I was lucky enough to win a free ecopy and I offer my honest review
Epidemic is a relatively weighty tome, with lots of internal dialog and flashbacks used to create strong, believable characters. Locations and histories are carefully and convincingly portrayed in well-researched detail. I even found myself looking up an address on Google to find out that, yes, there is a café with that name providing that sort of food in Miami Beach.
Slow deductions, reworked and redrawn, make this an easy book to pick up and put down. A rambling plot blends appropriately with its rambling protagonist’s thoughts. And the novel is always interesting, never over-the-top, and definitely topical; a neat medical thriller, seen through the eyes of a dogged detective. The medical explanations might not convince the medically minded among readers, and the American dialog might be overly English at times, but it’s a fun read.
Disclosure: I was lucky enough to win a free ecopy and I offer my honest review
April 12, 2021
Firstly let me say I really do enjoy John's previous books and this is the first of Kendall that I have listened to, I listened out of order but that is just how audible choose it.
The narrator is amazing - so easy to listen to, I will investigate more by him as well.
Although the title is epidemic, and is suitable but would have been easier to pick when it was written, now might put people off. DON'T. It is more about the investigation and how the murder is solved, the epidemic is just a side issue.
If I had one criticism, it is just about the access to the CEO. I struggled with that and how Kendall could just walk in for meetings etc. But I get that it was a plot device.
I was given a free copy of this audible by the author for a fair and impartial review which I have done so.
The narrator is amazing - so easy to listen to, I will investigate more by him as well.
Although the title is epidemic, and is suitable but would have been easier to pick when it was written, now might put people off. DON'T. It is more about the investigation and how the murder is solved, the epidemic is just a side issue.
If I had one criticism, it is just about the access to the CEO. I struggled with that and how Kendall could just walk in for meetings etc. But I get that it was a plot device.
I was given a free copy of this audible by the author for a fair and impartial review which I have done so.
September 4, 2016
"EPIDEMIC" by John Holt is an intriguing and complex medical thriller about a flue like epidemic spreading across Central America. Private detective Tom Kendall is hired by some relatives to investigate the death of a Miami reporter which appears to be an accident, but is supected to be foul play. The trail leads to an American drug firm.
Tom Kendall is a great lead character and the plot is solid. I found the beginning a bit difficult to get into because of the jumps on the time line but once I settled in this was a very enjoyable read.
Recommended for fans of character detectives and medical thrillers.
Tom Kendall is a great lead character and the plot is solid. I found the beginning a bit difficult to get into because of the jumps on the time line but once I settled in this was a very enjoyable read.
Recommended for fans of character detectives and medical thrillers.
May 13, 2013
This book is very well written. John Holt is brilliant at developing the type of storyline that draws in the reader. I was totally engrossed in the storyline once the first murder happened to cover up the origin of the epidemic. I loved the relationship between Kendall and Mollie. It reminded me of Perry Mason and Della Street although Kendall himself reminded me of Columbo. I highly recommend this book and I am a new fan of all the Kendall series.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews